Dancin Dogg OptiShot Infrared Golf Simulator

A few short weeks ago I went to the one of the local golf stores to try some clubs on their golf simulator. Actually, I was trying to gauge my club head speed as it related to the different brands of clubs that I was trying. I walked away without purchasing anything (can you say willpower) but I do enjoy seeing the immediate feedback of my swing, especially as we can’t exactly get out to the golf course with snow on the ground in the midwest. A few days later I heard that we had a new place in town where you could play (indoors) a bunch of different courses. Not only that, you could grab a pizza and a beer while playing. I headed over there to take a look and was flabbergasted that the price to play indoors approached what I pay to play on an outdoor course. Sure, I suppose I have no choice when it is 5 degrees outside with 15 mile per hour winds, but c’mon, give a guy a break.

Enter the Dancin Dogg Optishot
I first saw the Optishot on TV and knowing that I had seen other golf simulators for well over $1000, I immediately turned off the infomercial. Well that was until I watched the 2012 PGA Merchandise Show on the Golf Channel. A bunch of cool looking new products and a gentleman telling us that the Dancin Dogg Optishot Golf Simulator is affordable. What?

Well, looking at that price, the Dancin Dogg Optishot Golf Simulator is close to the price of some of the drivers that I hit the other day. Seriously. At just under $400 it puts the price in reach of most golfers looking to improve their game.

Dancin Dogg Optishot Golf Simulator Video

Dancin Dogg OptiShot Infrared Golf Simulator Setup

So now that you’ve seen the Optishot video, lets get some insight on how we can get one up and running in our home. First of all, you will need a Windows computer that has either Vista, Windows XP, or Windows 7. In addition, the computer will need at least 2 GB or memory and 3 GB of hard disk space. You will also need a high end graphics card with a minimum of 256 MB of ram. Install the software and plug the optical swing pad into your computer. Beyond that, you will need 8 1/2 foot ceiling height, an area that is about 10 feet by 10 feet and your golf clubs. The Dancin Dogg OptiShot Golf Simulator only works indoors. Meaning if you have the intention to use it outdoors and there was not sufficient lighting or shadows were over the sensors, this product will not work. You can use either normal golf balls, foam golf balls, or play without golf balls.

The Dancin Dogg Optishot Golf Simulator lets you play some of the worlds top courses.
Barseback Golf & Country Club – home of the Scandanavian Masters
Black Mountain Golf Club – premier course in Thailand
Canadian Club Golf Course – a replication of a course in St George, Canada
Long Island Black – a replication of Bethpage Black in Long Island, NY
Österåkers Golf Club – premier course outside of Stockholm, Sweden
Palm Desert Mountains – a replication of Big Horn Mountains in Palm Desert, CA
Palm Desert Canyons – a replication of Big Horn Canyons in Palm Desert, CA
Torrey Black – a replication of Torrey Pines South in La Jolla, CA
Torrey White – a replication of Torrey Pines North in La Jolla, CA
The Golf Club Scottsdale – an exclusive golf club in Scottsdale, AZ
West Maui Plantation – a replication of Maui’s most high-profile course

There are also some additional premium courses available.

Both left handed and right handed players can use the Dancin Dogg Optishot and it allows for up to 4 players at a time. You can hit every shot from the tee to the green or put putting on auto. Maybe best of all, you can just keep practicing. Use the driving range with 6 different greens that range from 60 to 300 yards.

Here is the feedback that you will receive while playing with the Optishot Golf Simulator.

• Club head speed

• Face angle

• Path (swing)

• Tempo

• Face contact

• Watch your ball fly

If you think that you will soon get bored in using the Dancin Dogg Optishot, think again. You will have nature sounds, the ability to control the speed of the green, weather customization, custom club sets, able to track stats and so much more!

Don’t have enough space to use your driver? The Optishot Golf Simulator lets you use par 3 tee’s if needed. Sound interesting? Just CLICK HERE to order from Amazon.

Tips:
You can use your other training aids such as the Swingyde Golf Swing Training Aid to see how that works in conjunction with the Dancin Dogg Optishot Golf Simulator.

Make sure that you either use the included foam balls or a regular golf ball. When swinging at a non-existent golf ball, the settings just don’t seem to work as well.

Get a decent mat to stand on and level out your stance.

Setup either a bed sheet or a net to hit into.

Hook up your computer to your HDTV and see the action in a larger format.

Final Thoughts On The Dancin Dogg OptiShot Infrared Golf Simulator

After looking at units which were well over $1000, the Dancin Dogg Optishot at less than half that price is a no brainer. It lets you practice, virtually play golf, and get feedback immediately. If you have an 18 handicap out on the course, you should have the same with the Optishot. Initial setup can be done in less than an hour and if you want to further calibrate your clubs to get the most accurate distances, you can have that accomplished within half an hour. Let me add further to that. Some folks have mentioned that something is wrong with this product because the distance they see when using the Optishot Golf Simulator is off as compared to how they hit on the course. Again, all should be fine if you take the time to calibrate your club sets. Make sure that your computer has plenty of speed. It runs best on a computer with speed, RAM, and a good graphics card.

I particularly like being able to virtually drop the ball in the fairway some 80 yards from the green and hit a dozen shots. Then I move the ball back 10 to 12 yards at a time to go through my short irons all the way to my 3 iron. I take note of how my face angle or tempo may change through the irons. For instance, it was ingrained in me that I had to swing my 3 and 4 iron much harder than my 9 iron or pitching wedge. I could see this within the tempo of my short irons and driver. When I decided to scale back and work on a better tempo, I not only hit the ball more accurately but my scores came down as well. I use the balls that came with the Dancin Dogg Optishot but every now and then I like the feel of hitting a real ball, so a quick switch every few rounds is no problem. A round of golf can be played in approximately 30 minutes

Today I have the choice of going out and hitting some balls inside a dome at $8 for a medium bucket. I really have no idea if I’m slicing the ball or hitting my 6 iron 120 yards or 165 yards because the golf ball can only go so far. My 2nd choice is to head over to the indoor golf course. Sure you are playing with a simulator but at $29 per round (not counting pizza and a drink), that is an expensive proposition. So, today I think I’ll stay at home, head down to the basement and play a round with my Dancin Dogg Optishot Golf Simulator.