Everyone loves to go out to their local courses to play 18 holes on the weekend. London has some of the best courses in the world and any golf enthusiast should experience these courses and more. For some people it is more difficult to make it happen than for others though. There are family and time constraints as well as the factor of how much some of these nice courses cost or how hard they are to actually get a tee time on. Technology nowadays has made it possible to play even the best and most exclusive courses anywhere. One of the top golf simulators on the market is the Trackman. This gives golfers the full experience of playing the best courses in the world.   West Essex Golf Club is one of the most historic and scenic golf courses in all of London. It offers 270-degree views from an elevated viewpoint of the front nine holes and an epic view of the London skyline. Playing this course on the Trackman golf simulator offers all of that and the font nine can be played in just 30 minutes. The course was founded all the way back in 1900 by one of the most well-known golf course designers, James Braid. He designed over 400 courses and West Essex is one of his best. Users on the Trackman can enjoy the beauty of this course and play it over and over again.   For those who have dreamed about making the trip to play at St. Andrews. Trackman has four courses from St. Andrews that makes it accessible whenever to play courses that are on every golfer’s course bucket list. Play as many rounds as you want again and again and tee off on some of the most famous holes in the world on these St. Andrews courses. It is truly an epic course to play as you have probably watched some of golf’s greatest play in Open Championships there. One of the most iconic holes in the world is the 18th hole on the Old Course at St. Andrews. Experience this hole on the Trackman and get the full experience of playing this and many of the other iconic St. Andrews holes.   For those golfers who want a new and more convenient way of getting a full round in a much shorter time, try playing on a golf simulator. Simulators have come a long way and now they give the full experience of playing a real round and real holes. The Trackman offers nearly 200 courses from around the world and they are constantly adding new ones to their library, so there will never be a lack of new top courses to experience.    

With the growing popularity of golf simulators a lot of people have been wondering how they can build their own. This can be made extremely easy as there are full kits that you can buy that have everything from the launch mat, to the software, to the projector, and screen. Additionally, you can buy some of the equipment and decide to build the rest of the set up yourself. In this article we will go over how to build an ideal golf simulator set up.   Buy a Full Set   The first plan of attack would be to buy a golf simulator that comes with everything that you already need as aforementioned. These come in all kinds of price ranges and the majority of them work just as effectively as the next with the technology they are putting into all of these nowadays. An affordable one that is also one of the best ones on the market is the Optishot 2. This simulator has everything you need, you will just have to follow the instructions in the packaging to get it set up properly. Another option is a higher end option in the Skytrak that has a high-definition display and more added features to improve your game than some of the other less expensive simulators.   Buy a Partial Set   Unless you are a computer scientist and want to spend days or even weeks or months trying to make your own technology, you probably are going to want to at least start with the launch mat, tracker, and technology that can be bought. It is definitely a viable option to buy just these parts and then build the rest of your set up afterwards. It can even save you thousands or hundreds of dollars.   Essentially the only part you will need to build after buying the main parts of a golf simulator are the projector and screen. These can be bought as well separately but can also be made out of an old screen and projector that you can find used online or at a thrift store or garage sale for pennies on the dollar.   If your set up doesn’t include a hitting mat, one can easily be made out of some extra astroturf with a hole put in it for a rubber tee. This is the ideal surface to hit off and can be made yourself for just a few dollars if you can find a small piece of astroturf for cheap or even free.   Lastly, you are going to want to find a good spot to set it up where there are tall ceilings, a place to mount your projector, and room to place sheets on the sides to stop any errant shots.        

How to Swing a Golf Club Your swing in golf is obviously the most important part. There are infinite ways to swing a golf club and no two players have exactly the same swing. While there are a lot of golfers that have similar swings, not one swing is 100% correct. What matters the most is finding a swing that is comfortable and works for you. It doesn't exactly matter how it looks as some of the best golfers you will find out on the course have some odd looking swings.  For those who want to practice some of the techniques and basic strategies in this article to get a solid and consistent golf swing, it is advised to practice on a golf simulator, a driving range or on a real course. Golf technology has recently made it possible to play real and full courses with golf simulators. This is a great way to practice as you can hit as many balls as you want and even play real courses in a fraction of the time to get more practice in a real life golf situation. These golf simulators are so accurate that you will have a near identical experience on a simulator as you would actually playing in real life.   Iron and Wedge Swings   Before you even begin to swing a club you are going to want to line up correctly on the ball you are about to hit. If you are not lined up correctly it doesn’t matter how good your swing is as it will not go the direction you want. To line up correctly, walk up to the side of the ball and face it with your feet perpendicular to the direction you want to hit the ball. Spread your feet about shoulder-width apart and line your club up just a few inches in front of the ball. It is important before taking your real swing and stepping up to the ball to make sure the swing you take will produce a good hit.   Practice bringing the club back behind your back shoulder and then following through skimming the grass exactly where your club started and then carrying that swing all the way through to your opposite shoulder. If you can get a fluid swing in two motions, one bringing it back and two pulling it through while skimming the grass, you should be ready to step up and hit the ball.   Tee and Putter Swings   For hitting woods off of the tee you are going to want to do the same exact thing as an iron or wedge shot but come through just an inch or two off the grass, depending on how high you have the ball teed up. For putting, you bring your swing back just a few inches or more and swing your putter through the ball narrowly above the grass.  

Golfer and social media sensation Lucy Robson has taken to Instagram to reveal her brand new GolfBays sim to help her practice her golf game during the coronavirus lockdown.

I built a golf simulator AT HOME, Rick Shiels Home Golf Setup

Trackman is a dual radar-based system to track both the golf club and ball, before, during and after impact. One of the radars is a short range, ultra high-resolution system.

Here at GolfBays there isn’t an “average day” as it goes. Whether we are out on a site visit measuring up a new room, on the phone to customers helping them design their dream simulator, hosting a corporate event at a super car dealership or teaching all day at our own studio. No day is the same and we love that.

It’s a major achievement for the Cheshire-based business, which only started trading four years ago and has seen rapid growth, building a global client base in the meantime.

Garmin R10: Best Bang For Your Buck?  The Garmin R10 is one of the most exciting launch monitors currently on the market. Why is that you ask? The answer is, it has a great blend of high-quality data and accuracy, coupled with a price that can not be grumbled at. It is one of our most popular launch monitors here at GolfBays, I am here to tell you why.  How does it work?  The Garmin R10 is a radar-based system that tracks the golf ball for a limited distance at the start of its flight and the golf club through the hitting area. It then uses specific algorithms to calculate and measure the golf club and golf ball data that you see on your screen. A great point about the Garmin R10 is that it can be used both indoors and outdoors, so you aren’t limited to improving your golf in one setting. You could also use it on the golf course to see how your swing changes when you are reacting to different targets and shots.  How do I set it up? I would say this is the easiest of all launch monitors to set up. It really is plug and play. The first thing you will need to do is download the Garmin Golf App. This is compatible with both iOS and android devices, meaning you can use it on your mobile phone or tablet. The next step is to put a golf ball down from where you intend to hit from. Now find a target you want to hit too. You then need to place the device one driver length behind the golf ball, keeping inline with your intended target. Now open the Garmin Golf App and pair your device to your mobile phone or tablet. You are now ready to play, simple as that.  What does it measure? The Garmin R10 offers a huge set of data parameters for such a small device which will give you a great insight into your game. Here is what it offers.  • CLUB HEAD SPEED​ • CLUB FACE ANGLE​ • CLUB PATH ANGLE​ • ANGLE OF ATTACK​ • BALL SPEED​ • LAUNCH ANGLE​ • LAUNCH DIRECTION​ • SPIN AXIS​ • SPIN RATE​ • APEX HEIGHT​ • SMASH FACTOR​ • CARRY DISTANCE​ • TOTAL DISTANCE​ • DEVIATION DISTANCE​   With all this data at your fingertips, it will allow you to pinpoint the specific area of your game you need to work on most. It is also great to have some data and feedback for your coach when you go for your next lesson.   Where can I use it? As I touched on previously, one benefit of the Garmin R10 is that it can be used both indoors and outdoors. We find that it is one of the best routes for people who are thinking about venturing into the world of home golf simulators. The reason is that you don’t need lots of space to operate it. This is a huge benefit when it comes to playing golf at home. The Garmin R10 is also included in our comprehensive SimBoxpackages. This would give you our full SimBoxhitting enclosure, hitting mat and the launch monitor in one bundle making it the easiest way to have your own golf studio at home.  Another positive of using your device at home for simulation is the gaming aspect. On the Garmin Golf App there are over 42,000 virtual golf courses you can play. This means you can practice and improve on the virtual range. Then see yourself improve on the course, all from the comfort of your own home.  Possibly the best aspect of using the Garmin R10 at home, is that the device is compatible with the fantastic E6 Golf Connect software. This gaming software is one of the highest qualities out there. Offering, 17 different driving range views from a full range to practicing short game shots. As well as 100 golf courses with many in the top 100 in the world. Meaning you can play your favourite courses from the PGA and DP World Tours at home.  When you decide to venture out onto the driving range with your device, you’ll never go back to hitting balls without it. Practicing with live data is one of the best ways to improve your golf. You will see what makes your golf ball fly the way it does. Using this data, you can improve your distance and direction each time you practice. You can also use your smartphone camera to include integrated video playback of your golf swing. With this you can analyse your golf swing with data overlay to really get the most out of your practice session. Furthermore, with its 10-hour battery life, it’s never going to let you down in the middle of a session.  Pricing: Garmin R10 -  £499 E6 Golf Connect - $300 per year  SimBox Package - £1999.00    Final Thoughts: The Garmin R10 really is all things to all people. It’s the most competitively priced launch monitor currently on the market. It has a great variety of data parameters. It is also very accurate. The fact that it can be used at home and on the range is a huge bonus. The size of the device means that it will easily fit inside any golf bag or backpack making it uber portable. For the price of the device, I would say it is the best entry level launch monitor on the market.  If you are still undecided or are wondering if it will work for you, please get in contact with our sales team through our website. They will guide and advise you on what will be the best launch monitor for you. Also check out our website for all the latest pricing and deals we have on offer.   Harrison Peck PGA Professional