Tag: review

Golf Simulator: Thoughts After 3+ Months

Nick Momrik3 Comments

I finished putting up the golf simulator at the end of December and I think three+ months is a pretty good period of time to have some thoughts about everything. In case you missed it, check out my serious on the build:

How much have I really been using it? Initially, not as much as I’d hoped. I’d say I was getting downstairs for 3-4 days a week. Over the last several weeks, especially after getting outside for a quick nine holes, I’ve gotten the itch to play, so I’ve been putting in more time to get ready for the 2025 season. I’ve been able to get on the golf sim 5-6 days a week.

The PC

The computer has been great and no complaints on that build. I can always upgrade memory if I need to. The mouse kind of sucks, so I may switch to a wired one. I do regret not getting a larger monitor, especially with the additions I mention later.

The Environment

The enclosure is holding up well and all of the padding is great; I’ve only had a handful of bad ricochets. The screen does show ball marks (only noticeable if the projector is off), but that may be my fault for using balls too long and initially using some balls with logos or a little marker on them. The turf is holding up well and I don’t see any wear marks where we stand. The hitting strip is really good too and I haven’t felt any wrist or elbow pain at any point. I feel like I can tell when I hit a fat shot, so it doesn’t seem like the club is bouncing up in to the ball for a better shot.

The Other Electronics

The projector has been fine. There are better ones, but I’m not sure the extra cost is worth it yet, because prices will come down on the higher level 4K ones. I couldn’t be happier with the ProTee VX launch monitor paired up with the GSPro software. My yardages are consistent with what I’d expect on the golf course and I’ve had very few shots get missed. ProTee in frequently updating their software and there are so many new courses being updated and released for GSPro every week.

This review may sound like a broken record with everything being so great, but I think that’s due to how much research I did.

Updates

This week I added swing cameras for front and down the line views. Luckily I ordered this stuff from AliExpress before the tariffs kicked in:

They just came in, so I haven’t had a lot of time with them, but so far the cameras are a sweet addition. I need to do some cable management.

I’m working on some fixes and it’s great to be able to check my positions after each swing.

I may sign up for lessons on Skillest, but I’ll see how these fixes go first.

In the Future

I started planning to build a cart for the sets of clubs we bought at an estate sale. Hopefully I’ll make progress soon, because I’m getting tired of looking at them lined up along the wall.

I also want to build a control box with a bunch of buttons I can press with a club so I don’t have to use the keyboard and mouse during a round. That’ll be a fun project combining electronics and woodworking.

Making Things in 2024

Nick MomrikLeave a comment

It was definitely a different year with so much planning for the house build, packing, moving, and preparing the old house to go on the market.

January

February

April

August

October

November

December

There were two large projects in the new house with the wall for the gym/shop and then the golf sim. Working in the new shop is a joy and will get even better after I build a big assembly/outfeed table.

I’m looking forward to continuing the momentum of November and December in to 2025 and hope to tackle smaller projects through the entire year.

Check out previous recap posts for 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023.

Review: “The Foundations of Winning Golf: A Guide to Competition for Players of All Levels”

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When I saw Jon Sherman had written a follow up to “The Four Foundations of Golf” I immediately ordered a copy (get yours on Amazon). I try to read that book every year, so I was excited to take a deeper dive in to some of the aspects of competitive golf. While I haven’t played any tournaments in years, I’d like to get back in to it and I do complete all summer with our golf group

If you haven’t read Jon’s first book, I think you would get much more out of it first. Then absorb his second book. One of the key focuses in “Winning Golf” is how tournament/competitive golf is such a different beast than recreational, mainly due to the pressures.

Two things I’ll adapt for next year:

  1. Set principals (or goals) related to the mental aspects of the game. Such as staying positive (or returning focus to it when thoughts drift negative) or how I’d prefer to react to different situations on the course.
  2. After each round, review not only how I played, but also how well I did with my principals. Look for patterns in play as well as mental.

I won’t reread this book often but can see myself coming back to some sections. Check out the books and follow @practicalgolf on X/Twitter, where he shares a lot of great stuff from “The Four Foundations.”

Mountain Dew: Citrus Blast

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Not many places in Europe sell Mountain Dew and when you find some, it’s usually without sugar. After a week in Ireland I finally found some good stuff.

This is called Citrus Blast and tastes close to the Mountain Dew sold in the US, but not as sweet. I ran the numbers and found it contains less than half as much sugar!

I’m going to give it a 8.5, especially since it’s kind of outrageous how much sugar a 20oz in the states has.