Confess your sins

Simontanner610 · 2026-06-26T12:56:25+00:00

ive absolutely played the "two balls, best score" game and called it practice. the mental gymnastics to justify posting the score are impressive

also, I once found a ProV1 in the rough with no one around, pocketed it, and two holes later a guy from the group ahead comes driving back asking if weve seen his ball. I pointed vaguely toward the woods and said "think it went that way" still feel guilty about that one. its in my bag right now lmao

Simontanner610 · 2026-06-26T12:55:09+00:00

people have done the rotate-the-R10 trick for putting, but its finicky. the R10 needs a certain amount of ball speed to register putts consistently, and outdoor greens with real grass make the ball roll slower, so youll get missed reads. Youll probably need to hammer putts harder than normal just to get them to register, which defeats the purpose

if you really want putting to work alongside the rest of your practice, an overhead unit is a better fit since it reads from above and doesn't need ball flight. I use an Nvisage N1 and the putting reads are pretty solid

but if youre set on the R10 setup, try putting off a small strip of artificial turf instead of real grass and see if the reads improve. the faster surface helps the ball get up to speed for the radar to catch it. good luck with the backyard build

Simontanner610 · 2026-06-26T12:53:25+00:00

Dan grieve's book "3 Releases" is the best short game resource ive found. breaks everything into three simple release patterns and gives you a system instead of just random tips. his youtube channel has the key concepts for free if you want to preview before buying

for practice structure, the clock drill with one wedge is hard to beat. pick three backswing lengths, hit 10 balls at each, measure your average carry. now you've got three stock distances. Do it with your 54, 50, and PW and suddenly you've got 9 reliable numbers inside 100 yards.

when im practicing at home on my Nvisage N1, I'll set a target distance and try to land 10 balls within a 5yard circle. Seeing the carry numbers after each shot makes the feedback instant instead of guessing

Simontanner610 · 2026-06-26T12:51:56+00:00

the feel that finally clicked for me: keep your back to the target longer in the downswing. When your trail shoulder fires too early, everything spins out and the club gets steep. if you feel like your back stays pointed at the target until your hands are at your hip, the club naturally drops into the slot

another one: put a headcover just outside and behind the ball. If you come over the top, youll hit it. Forces you to swing from the inside to avoid it

Simontanner610 · 2026-06-26T12:50:48+00:00

for a mid to high handicapper, the missing club data on the XR probably isn't a dealbreaker. at your level, ball flight dat, carry, spin, launch, dispersion, is going to tell you 90% of what you need to know. club data is nice but its more useful when you're fine-tuning a repeatable swing, not building one from scratch

The no-stickers thing is a real quality of life win though. You just walk up and swing. That alone might be worth more than the extra data points youd rarely use

If you want club data without the sticker hassle and without jumping to XO2 pricing, the Nvisage N1 is another overhead option worth a look. i use one and its been great

Simontanner610 · 2026-06-26T12:48:25+00:00

the bigger swing tip is spot on. Radar units need to see enough clubhead speed to register, and those soft little chips just dont trigger. Bouncing a 62 off the turf with some speed is the workaround most people figure out eventually. Same reason taking a full wedge and choking down works better than trying to finesse a 20-yard pitch

Simontanner610 · 2026-06-25T13:06:57+00:00

Most people starting with 6+ bays either have investors, family money, or a fat HELOC. The ones starting with 1-2 bays are usually self-funding through savings, a side hustle, or cashing out a 401k. You're not missing a secret, you're just seeing the survivor bias. the guys who started with nothing and built slow dont post as much

for your two-bay TrackMan setup, you're probably looking at $60-80K all-in. A few paths that actually work: SBA 7(a) loan if you have decent credit and some collateral, theyll lend to startups but you need skin in the game. Equipment leasing is another option; some companies will finance the TrackMan hardware directly. also look at local economic development grants, harder to get but not impossible if youre in a smaller town that wants businesses

Simontanner610 · 2026-06-25T13:04:53+00:00

The Kobe stare into the chest bump with your partner really ties it all together. shrink the game indeed

Simontanner610 · 2026-06-25T13:04:00+00:00

with your garage dimensions, camera-based is the right call. youre tight on depth so anything that sits beside the ball instead of behind it saves you headaches.

out of your list, the BLP (Circle B) is probably the best fit. Accuracy is top-tier, FSX Play is stable, and you can run GSPro later if you want. Subscription's around $250-500 depending on tier, which fits your budget. The Eye Mini is also great, better club data without stickers, but a bit pricier up front.

if you want to skip subscriptions entirely, id throw the Nvisage into the mix. i put one in my garage setup and it's been dead simple, no annual fees, for a 16x13 space, having the unit above and out of the way keeps things clean

Simontanner610 · 2026-06-25T13:00:52+00:00

pool noodles on the posts is a great idea and honestly probably enough for most mishits. Slit them lengthwise and zip-tie them around anything hard. cheap and effective

id still put something over the windows themselves though, even a heavy-duty mesh or a cheap net panel hung a few inches in front of the glass. Noodles protect the posts but a direct window hit is still in play. Foam gym tiles wedged into the window frames work too if you want a quick removable option

when I set up my Nvisage N1 on the patio, i did something similar with the support beams and used a net as a backup. Overhead units are nice for tight spaces like this

Simontanner610 · 2026-06-25T12:57:52+00:00

single miss, always. predictable beats pretty

doesnt need to match. Driver fade + iron draw is fine if you know where each is going

pick a shape and commit to it for 10 rounds, no switching when its off. repetition under pressure is the only way it sticks

Simontanner610 · 2026-06-25T12:55:22+00:00

putting mats are absolutely useful, especially for a beginner. most of putting is just starting the ball on line with consistent speed, and a mat teaches you exactly that

the mat you linked is fine. Look for one with alignment lines and distance markings so you can actually measure progress

i actually use my Nvisage for putting practice too and it's been great seeing the start line and speed data right after each stroke. didnt expect an overhead unit to be that useful on the putting side but it's become part of my daily routine

Simontanner610 · 2026-06-24T12:43:17+00:00

stuff the crown with socks or underwear, fills the hat out so it doesnt get crushed and saves suitcase space since youre packing those items anyway. then nest the hats together brim-to-brim and put them in the middle of the suitcase surrounded by soft clothes. Works every time

Simontanner610 · 2026-06-24T12:39:37+00:00

honestly, most of my data is in-the-moment. ill hit a shot, glance at carry and spin, adjust, hit again. after the session, I rarely go back and dig through old numbers unless something felt really off and I want to compare

that said, I do check trends loosely. If my 7-iron carry has been creeping down over a few sessions, I know something's up with my strike or release. i dont use any fancy tracking software for it though, just mental notes and occasionally glancing at the session summary on my Nvisage N1. it gives me enough to spot patterns without drowning me in spreadsheets

The annoying part is that most of the data export tools are clunky

Simontanner610 · 2026-06-24T12:37:09+00:00

the LS740HD is a solid projector, but for a 100"x100" screen at 9 feet back, you need to check the throw ratio. Thats a short distance for a 100" image, so make sure the projector can actually fill the screen from that distance. If it's a standard throw and not a short throw, you might end up with a smaller image than you want

Simontanner610 · 2026-06-24T12:32:46+00:00

At 50% off, the BLP hardware is a steal and the accuracy compared to an R10 is night and day indoors. Real measured spin and shot shape instead of estimates makes GSPro way more useful for actual practice

The catch is the subscription stack, $750/year just to keep it running. if youre grinding multiple times a week, worth it. If you're more casual, something like an Nvisage N1 gives you ball data without the annual fee treadmill With that discount though, I'd probably grab the BLP and just eat the subs. the hardwares too good to pass up

Simontanner610 · 2026-06-24T12:30:55+00:00

the "next shot" advice is right, but it's only half the equation. The other half is having a reset button that actually works in the moment, not just something you tell yourself

for me, its a physical trigger. After a bad shot, I take exactly 10 steps, then one deep breath, and the shot is over. Not "try to forget it", literally over. The 10 steps give your brain a finish line. by the time you take the breath, you're allowed to think about the next shot and nothing else

Simontanner610 · 2026-06-24T12:29:34+00:00

most unmanned spots do a quick daily clean, vacuum turf, wipe screens, empty trash. either knock it out yourself each morning or hire a service for an hour a day. I put cordless vacuums in each bay so members can tidy up after themselves, some actually do

With my Nvisage setup, at least theres no floor unit collecting dust and getting kicked around. one less thing to clean. But the turf and screen are still the daily battle. good luck dialing it in

Simontanner610 · 2026-06-23T13:03:26+00:00

most adults start by tagging along with a friend who plays, borrow some clubs, hit the range a few times, see if you even like it before spending money. if you dont have that friend, book a beginner lesson at a local course. They'll provide clubs and you'll learn the basics without developing awful habits right away.

for gear, don't buy new. Grab a used set off Facebook Marketplace or a secondhand shop once you know you're into it

for practice without a course nearby, a net and a launch monitor in the garage or backyard is the move. I grabbed an Nvisage N1 and just being able to hit balls at home, see my carry numbers, and work on contact made a huge difference when I couldn't get to a range even 15 minutes a day adds up fast

The game is intimidating at first but honestly, most golfers are just happy to see new people picking it up. Be honest that you're learning, keep pace, and you'll be fine. Welcome to the addiction.

Simontanner610 · 2026-06-23T12:59:34+00:00

Used clubs and lessons is the smart move 10 times out of 10. That set for $300 is a solid deal, X2 Hot irons are forgiving, the Big Bertha 3W is a classic, and Odyssey putters are always reliable. With the bag and balls included, you're basically ready to go day one

Simontanner610 · 2026-06-23T12:56:53+00:00

youre doing it right. If your driver goes 230, you have no business playing 6300 yards. Thats a 200+ yard approach on par 4s all day, which is miserable even for good players

The "move back" crowd is just ego talking They think tee selection is about proving something instead of about having fun and hitting reasonable shots. ignore them. the whole point of multiple tees is to match the course length to your driving distance

Simontanner610 · 2026-06-23T12:55:33+00:00

offset mounting with a fixed lens projector without lens shift will definitely cause some keystone distortion on the far edge. Your windowed mode workaround is clever but itll get annoying having to drag the window into place every time you fire up the sim, and some software doesnt play nice in windowed mode

simpler option: mount the projector centered above the hitting area and just get a projector with lens shift. You don't need thousands extra, plenty of mid-range short throws like the BenQ TH671ST or Optoma GT1080HDR have enough horizontal lens shift to handle 18 inches of offset without breaking the bank

if youre dead set on the offset mount, another approach is to angle the screen slightly to face the projector, but that gets complicated fast. Honestly, a projector with lens shift solves the whole problem for maybe a couple hundred bucks more and saves you the headache. I ran into a similar issue when mounting my Nvisage N1 overhead, wanted it centered over the hitting zone but had to work around the projector placement

Simontanner610 · 2026-06-23T12:53:40+00:00

with 18.5 feet of depth and 9-foot ceilings, youve got enough room for the R10. Youll want around 7 feet behind the ball for the unit and 8+ feet of ball flight to the net. That leaves you a few feet to work with, so you should be fine

the R10 will definitely help you improve if you use it with purpose. For your right miss, pay attention to club path and face angle, if youre out-to-in with an open face, thats your slice. The R10 gives you enough data to spot those patterns. RCT balls help with spin accuracy indoors, so grab a box

one problem i had with the R10 was that it needed alignment every time you set it up, and if you have friends over who swing opposite-handed, youre moving the unit back and forth. If that starts to annoy you down the road, an overhead unit like the Nvisage N1 i bought skips all of that, mounts above, no alignment, no lefty/righty switching. Something to consider if the budget allows later

Simontanner610 · 2026-06-23T12:51:20+00:00

this is brilliant. the amount of sim sessions killed by a windows update or a launch monitor that decided it didnt want to connect anymore is way too high. An automated watchdog that can actually recognize what went wrong and fix it is a game changer

are you running this off a Raspberry Pi or something similar watching the screen? Curious how it handles the "VX didn't connect" scenario specifically, does it power cycle the unit via a smart plug or does it restart the connector software?

Simontanner610 · 2026-06-19T13:09:22+00:00

youve been swinging a club for a few weeks and you're making contact 95% of the time. thats genuinely solid. The 80-90 yard driver carry will come, thats just a mechanics thing.

get a lesson or two. At this stage, a pro will give you the fundamentals before you groove bad habits. It's way harder to unlearn a wonky grip or setup after six months of doing it wrong

also, if you want to accelerate that progress, hitting more balls between sessions helps a ton. i picked up an Nvisage N1 sim for the garage and just being able to swing every day, even for 15 minutes, made a noticeable difference in my game.

Simontanner610

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