ORLANDO, Fla. — The golf simulator market has boomed over the past few years, and the 2013 PGA Merchadise Show featured some of the industry’s biggest names. However, Optishot Infrared Golf Simulator stood out among all the rest.
Founded in 2006 and known as one of the world’s first affordable home golf simulator systems, the Optishot features amazing graphics, replicas of many major championship courses and precise shot feedback to help fine-tune your game. Available in two models based on your price range, the system’s set-up is simple, compact and easy to assemble. You only require nine feet of swing space in your home or garage to use Optishot.
You can use real golf balls with the Optishot, but what I liked most was the option to also use foam balls or no golf ball at all. The infrared laser sensors in the system’s turf hitting area record your clubhead’s face angle and swing path to register a shot on the simulator’s screen.
Since all software is written by Optishot, system users will also receive free upgrades to the software as they are released. New users will see a completely revamped user interface for 2013 that makes using the Optishot even more convenient to navigate.
So how affordable is “affordable?” While many golf simulators can run upwards of $30,000, you can bring the Optishot system home for just $399.99 (or $400). The most basic package includes the infrared hitting turf, three plastic golf tees, a foam golf ball and the software needed to start hitting balls and playing simulated courses. All you need is a Windows laptop to connect to the sensor and you’re ready to go.
Looking for a more complete golf simulator experience? Optishot also offers their Silver ($899) and Platinum ($3,999) packages that include hitting nets, a large octagonal hitting area and the OptiStixs Driver. The Platinum package also features a large impact screen and high-definition projector to play the major championship courses included in the package.
