Sunday, January 25, 2015

X-Golf


The X-Golf Simulator is a self-contained golf simulator system that uses high speed laser light sensors in the floor and a high speed camera mounted above the golfer to capture golf ball and club data, and display a virtual shot to the golfer on a projection screen. Ball data is captured by the camera above the golfer, and reads all your standard launch and spin statistics. The laser light sensors mounted in the floor directly before and after the impact zone capture club path and face angles. All of this information is easily available on the heads-up-display during a round or practice session, or by going to a dedicated data screen.
X-Golf incorporated numerous features that we had not seen before, including an auto-teeing system, a foot pedal controller, and a variable lie changing platform.

X-Golf Teeing Area, auto-tee is the circle in front, foot control behind
 The combination of ground sensors and the birds-eye-view camera is available in the "NEX Golf System" which also includes video analysis software, and 89 worldwide courses is priced at $40,000. X-Golf also has "ZES" (lasers only), and "EYE" (camera only) systems available at $35,000 and $30,000 respectively. One can also expect around $10,000 in additional costs when computers, enclosures, screens, projectors, and flooring are added. The variable lie changing platform XPlate is also a $9,000 upcharge.

Since the lasers are below the hitting area, a 6 inch riser must be built to contain the technology.

X-Golf Simulator

Some of the benefits of the X-Golf Simulator are that it measures everything (other than distance) about the club and the ball flight. The lasers in the floor "see" the club path and face angles; it's not assumed based on the ball flight as it is in some simulators. The camera above captures the ball data. Specially marked balls must also be used to accurately measure spin rates, though that is common with most systems.

X-Golf Simulator displaying clubface data after a shot...yes it went in the water
Overall the X-Golf Simulator was merely average, the graphics were decent, and the ball flight seemed accurate. However the teeing area was a mess aesthetically, and the speed with which the ball appeared on the screen after the ball impacted it was slow. All of the extra bells and whistles, seem to have driven up the cost to that of the most elite systems, which this one is not.

www.xgolfsimulator.com

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