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So, you’ve picked up a SkyTrak Launch Monitor. Maybe you’ve also set up a hitting area with a net or even a screen and projector, and you’re ready to start practicing your game.
The SkyTrak comes with in-house software that offers a practice range, challenges, and various game-improvement tools. But to get the full golf simulator experience with full course play, you’ll need a third-party solution.
There are many third-party softwares compatible with the SkyTrak, and each of them offer different features and game modes.
In this article, we’ll review and compare our choices for the best golf simulator software for SkyTrak across a range of different budgets. We’ll also provide a buying guide that will help you find the software solution that will best meet your needs.
Note: Golfstead has tested and/or conducted in-depth research into all of the software featured in this guide. Our editorial process for these rankings takes into account a mix of many factors which may include performance, features, usability, value for money, cost, and the general consensus from other users. The list that follows may be reassessed or updated over time.
Our Top Picks For SkyTrak Software
Based on our own testing, research and experience, here are our top selections:
1. The Golf Club 2019
The Golf Club 2019 (TGC 2019) is only usable on PC, but there are several reasons why we rank it at the top:
- It has a huge course selection that allows golfers to play practically any golf course they can dream of.
- It has plenty of features including local multiplayer and robust online competition.
- It has great graphics, lighting, and sound effects.
- It’s relatively affordable.
With TGC 2019, you have your typical practice range, but you also have numerous multiplayer modes, online tournaments and events, and you can even design your own course!
Course Selection
TGC 2019 has a massive selection of courses: over 170,000. Any world-famous course that you can think of — Augusta, Pinehurst #2, Torrey Pines, Pebble Beach, etc. — is at your fingertips.
However, while some of these are premium courses, many are user-designed, and many are slight variations or takes on the same real-world course.
For this reason, it can be a bit difficult to sift through the course replicas and find the one that you like the best or that you think is the most accurate.
Features
With The Golf Club 2019, you can:
- play online (with strangers, friends or family) and compete in live worldwide tournaments
- play multiplayer locally
- access the TGC library of over 170,000 courses
- do range, chipping or putting practice
Play formats include stroke, stableford, four ball, match play, skins, and alternate shot. TGC has a cool feature that allows up to 4 players in a multiplayer setting to hit their shots at the same time.
Lastly, you can design your own course. A special editor allows you to customize everything in detail from the theme to the terrain and layout.
If this is something you think you could have fun with, you could end up playing your own custom-created course with your SkyTrak simulator.
Take a look at the features and graphics of The Golf Club 2019 in the video below:
Graphics
As you will probably agree from the video above, the graphics of TGC 2019 are some of the best that current golf simulation software has to offer. In our view, they are similar to those of E6 CONNECT but have richer contrast and better lighting.
One of the great things about TGC 2019 is that it supports screen resolutions up to 4K UHD. If you can play at this resolution, you’ll be amazed at the sharpness, clarity and detail of the environments.
Requirements
To use TGC, you’ll first need the SkyTrak Launch Monitor with the Game-Improvement Plan or above. The plan costs $99.95/year, but one free year is included with many SkyTrak simulator packages.
Next, you’ll need a subscription to TGC 2019. You should know that this is much more affordable than the Expanded version of E6 CONNECT, both for the one-time and annual purchases.
The Golf Club 2019 can only be run on PC (Windows). For information about minimum and recommended requirements for running the software, go to this page.
2. GSPro
Caution: It’s important to stress that the use of GSPro with the SkyTrak is not officially supported. However, it can be integrated via a special interface that is downloadable online. More on that below.
GSPro is a software that is designed to be ultra-realistic with advanced ball physics and 4K graphics.
In most golfing communities today, the general consensus is that GSPro is the best software to use for golf simulators including SkyTrak. Why?
- it has the most realistic physics and graphics
- there is a sizeable selection of excellent courses and each recreation is of very high quality
- it offers powerful community features including a course builder and the ability to participate in online virtual tours
- it’s considerably more affordable than comparable simulator software solutions
Course Selection
Practically all of the courses GSPro offers have been created by users using the Open Platform Course Designer (OPCD).
Currently, over 490 courses are available for play. Almost all of them are real-world courses, many of which are world-famous. Notables include:
- Pinehurst No. 2
- Pebble Beach
- Torrey Pines South Course
- The Old Course at St. Andrews
- Valhalla
- Whistling Straits
- Royal St. George’s Golf Club
GSPro courses are free to download and use LIDAR modelling to produce some of the most accurate recreations available.
Features
GSPro currently has four main modes:
- Local Match: play a course of your choosing by yourself or with other local players.
- Tournaments: participate in tours and tournaments that you sign up for through Simulator Golf Tour (SGT).
- Practice: for driving range or on-course practice sessions.
- Online Match: join or create a room and play courses with other users around the world.
Possible game modes include stroke, stableford, scramble, best ball, alternate shot, and match play.
Watch Golf Simulator Videos take you through the new V2 update for GSPro:
SGT allows you to compete in the PGA, WEB, AutoPutt and Pro tours which hold weekly tournaments. Course flyovers are also possible.
One of the things we love most about GSPro is that you can pick any spot on any hole of any golf course and practice shots from that location.
Graphics
The graphics of GSPro are really good — on the same tier as TGC 2019 and E6 CONNECT. 4K is supported, which is great. We especially like the texture of the turf and the sharpness of the foliage.
Having said that, we do find the lighting to be a bit flat, and despite their claims about ball physics, the roll of the ball can feel quite unnatural, especially on slow greens. However, the developers are continuing to improve the graphics with updates.
Requirements
The minimum system requirements for GSPro include a GTX 970 graphics card, 8GB of RAM, and 4GB of storage space.
The GSPro software (PC only) should be purchased on the official website, selecting the “Other / Open API” option in the drop-down menu. The payment options are:
- $250/year: includes updates for the life of the subscription, but cancelling will revoke your access to the software.
- $550 in the first year and $250/year after: includes updates, but cancelling will only revoke access to updates, not the software.
After you download and install the software using the license key provided to you, you’ll need to join the Simulator Golf Tour Discord group and select a particular SkyTrak help category. There, you can download the SkyTrak interface necessary to connect GSPro.
For more details on connecting GSPro with the SkyTrak, go here.
3. E6 CONNECT
E6 CONNECT by TruGolf ranks highly on our list because of its quality and diverse range of features. Not only do you have the typical driving range and practice area, but you also have full course play, mini-games, real-time peer-to-peer play, and online events.
If you want to have fun with friends or by yourself, there’s no doubt you’ll be able to find something in this software.
Course Selection
With the SkyTrak, the one-time purchases of E6 CONNECT come with 15 base courses on iOS and 27 on PC. Notable courses include Bethpage Black, Bay Hill, Mauna Kea, Torrey Pines, and Pinehurst #2.
The reality is that this isn’t a whole lot of courses. However, an annual expanded subscription will give you access to all 90+ courses that the software has to offer, and this is a decent amount.
One of the strengths about E6 CONNECT is how realistic and accurate the course recreations are. They are mapped with LiDAR laser scanning technology.
Features
In addition to being able to practice on a virtual driving range and chip and putt on a hole of your choice, E6 CONNECT offers an array of mini-games and game modes including long drive, closest to the pin, henyett, stroke play, best ball, and scramble.
There is a whole host of settings that you can use to customize your experience. You can adjust things like mulligans, gimmie ranges, average ball speeds, ball size, course conditions, and much more.
Get a taste of E6 CONNECT in the video below:
You can adjust factors that influence difficulty such as wind and green speeds, and you’re able to display green elevation and break lines if you so choose.
There’s also peer-to-peer play: turn-based competition that can handle up to eight players.
Graphics
The graphics of E6 CONNECT are very good, with a realistic, high-fidelity look that is 4K compatible. However, compared to other software options like WGT and TGC 2019, they lack some contrast.
Still, it’s some of the best graphics available for SkyTrak simulator software. And the fact that you also get both a fun, feature-rich experience means you won’t be left wanting.
Requirements
The first thing you’ll need to use the E6 CONNECT software is the SkyTrak Launch Monitor with the Game-Improvement Plan or above. This costs $99.95/year, but with many simulator packages that SkyTrak offers, you get the first year of the Game-Improvement Plan for free.
E6 CONNECT can be run on PC and iOS. For information about supported devices, as well as Windows compatibility and the minimum specs you’ll need to run the software, go to this page.
Lastly, you’ll need a subscription to E6 CONNECT. Both one-time purchases and annual subscriptions are offered, but to get access to the full range of features, you’ll need an Expanded subscription which is $600/year.
4. Creative Golf 3D
This is a fun piece of golf software that, in addition to having standard features like course play and challenges, has unique game modes such as demolition golf and “fairy tale” golf for kids.
If you’re more interested in the entertainment side of golf simulation as opposed to photo-realistic graphics with highly accurate golf course renditions, Creative Golf 3D is an excellent option.
Course Selection
The base version of Creative Golf 3D comes with 15 real golf courses and 19 entertainment and practice golf courses. Real courses include:
- The Oxfordshire Golf (England)
- The Royal Selangor Golf Club (Malaysia)
- Kingsville Golf & Country Club (Canada)
- Rush Creek Golf Club (USA)
- Golf Bluegreen Pléneuf-Val-André (France)
- GCC Dachstein-Tauern (Austria)
- Golfclub München Eichenried (Germany)
- Black Stork Golf Resort (Slovakia)
With an additional purchase, you can access the Creative Golf Course Library which contains 120+ additional European and international golf courses.
The graphics aren’t the greatest, but the environments and geographical features seem very accurate. Course recreations are based on elevation and satellite data.
Features
Here’s a run-through of the modes and game types:
- Training: Practice on a driving range or chip and putt on a course of your choice.
- Course Play: You can choose the course, game type (stroke, match play, etc), and number of players.
- Challenges: You can participate in competitions locally (with friends or family) including closest-to-the-pin and long drive.
- Mini Games: Play fairy tale golf (altered environment, larger holes, etc), mini golf (putting), and demolition golf (hit windows of old buildings).
- Online Game: Play a game type and course of your choice with anyone in the world. A Discord community is available to join.
- Tournaments: Join tournaments listed on the tournament server and compete with players around the world.
Take a look at the official trailer below:
Graphics
The graphics are decent, but definitely not as good as software like WGT or E6 CONNECT. You also have to consider the fact that modes like “fairy tale golf” will have graphical elements that are unconventional and unrealistic.
You can tell that Creative Golf 3D is more of a “game” than a photo-realistic simulation, but that won’t matter to many people. What’s important is having fun, being able to see your shots and the consequences of those shots.
Requirements
Creative Golf 3D has come out with numerous updates to their software (V2.9 and beyond) since the first release, with additions such as cloud tournaments, terrain influence, world ranking, an online game mode, and new courses.
To use the software, you’ll need the SkyTrak Launch Monitor with the Game-Improvement Package at minimum.
Then you’ll need a license to the software — you can pay an annual or one-time fee (less than $600) to unlock all features, and pay an additional annual or one-time fee to access the course library.
Creative Golf 3D can only be run on PC. For more information including minimum system requirements, go to this page.
5. WGT Golf
WGT Golf is an excellent software for SkyTrak, but we want to stress that it does have some key limitations: it’s only available for iOS, and it doesn’t have multiplayer or skills challenges.
If you can live with these limitations, then WGT Golf should be one of your first choices. Its strengths are:
- stroke play format (recreations of many of the most famous golf courses around the world)
- a driving range
- closest-to-the-pin challenges
Course Selection
WGT Golf comes with full course play on 15 WGT golf courses and WGT closest-to-the-hole challenges on 6 WGT courses.
You can experience full-course play at St. Andrews, Pebble Beach, Erin Hills, Bethpage Black, Olympic Club, and other courses. A few lesser-known courses are available for challenge play.
Each course recreation is highly accurate to real life.
Features
The main modes of WGT Golf are a practice range, stroke play, and closest-to-the-pin challenges.
Settings and customization aren’t as extensive as E6 CONNECT. Nonetheless, you can view various types of data such as green speed, wind strength & direction, pin locations, and ball data such as distance, speed, spin rate, launch, and other metrics that can be measured by your SkyTrak.
Get a feel for how WGT works in this video:
Graphics
The graphics of WGT Golf are a definite step up from E6 CONNECT in the realism department. In fact, the virtual environment is so photo-realistic that you might think you’re watching a broadcast on TV.
What’s lacking, however, are camera features like hole flyovers and different camera angles for viewing, which is a bit disappointing.
Also, keep in mind that an iPad only has so much computing power, which means there’s a limit to how much smoothness and graphical prowess you can experience.
Requirements
Aside from the closest-to-the-pin challenge on Kiawah Island which requires the SkyTrak Game Improvement Package, to use WGT Golf, you’ll just need the SkyTrak Play and Improve Plan, which costs around $199.95/year.
You also need an iPad that supports 3D graphics. Models that are confirmed to be compatible are the iPad Air, iPad Air 2, iPad Pro, and iPad Minis 2-4. You’ll also be using this device to run your SkyTrak system.
You’ll need to download the WGT Golf Mobile iOS from the App Store before you can get started. If you have a different model of iPad, you can check for yourself if it’s compatible with WGT Golf.
6. Fitness Golf
The idea behind Fitness Golf is that you have to physically get to your shot before you can hit the next one. When we first heard about this software, we thought “wow, that’s pretty cool!”, and it really is.
By attaching a sensor to your shoe (if you want to walk or run between shots) or your stationary bike (if you want to bike between shots), Fitness Golf allows you to get the exercise that would normally come with playing a real course without a cart.
For golfers who want to get an aerobic workout in addition to playing on their golf simulator, this is a fantastic (and fun) option.
Course Selection
At the time of writing, there are 161 courses for you to choose from; 98 of them are based on world-famous courses.
Examples are Augusta National, Chambers Bay, PGA National, Pebble Beach and Muirfield Village. Course accuracy is quite good.
More courses are continually being added, which Fitness Golf customers can access for free.
Features
The good thing about Fitness Golf is that you don’t have to do cardio if you don’t want to.
The three game modes are Golf Only, Fitness Golf, and Fitness Only. These are self-explanatory. In Fitness Only mode, you walk, run or bike on any course without playing any golf; this can be good if you just want to study the layout of a course.
You can then select a course, which holes you want to play (front nine, back nine, all 18, etc), and how many players will play (up to 4 in Golf Only and up to 2 in Fitness Golf).
You can also adjust other settings such as tee distances, pin placements, and course difficulty.
Check out how Fitness Golf works in this video:
In Fitness Golf mode, your final score is the number of strokes taken plus the amount of time it took to complete the round. The slower you are getting to your shots, the higher your score will be. Watch your scores go down as you get in better shape!
Graphics
The graphics aren’t particularly good or realistic. Backdrops can be low-resolution and scaled poorly.
But this shouldn’t take away from the golfing and fitness experience. Graphics aren’t everything, and it certainly gets the job done.
Requirements
To access Fitness Golf on your SkyTrak simulator, you first need to be subscribed to the SkyTrak Game Improvement Plan, which comes free with many SkyTrak simulator packages.
Then you’ll need to buy the Fitness Golf package that includes the software license and full access to the courses. It’s a one-time purchase with no renewals required.
Fitness Golf can only be run on PC. For more information including minimum system requirements, go to this page.
Buying Guide
Investing in good software for your SkyTrak simulator that will meet your needs is very important. If you have software that doesn’t allow you to play with friends or isn’t supported on your preferred device, for example, it can really put a damper on your enjoyment.
Fortunately, SkyTrak offers several third-party options, each with different capabilities. It’s important to consider all the factors that will affect your experience and match it with what your goals are.
Here are the most important factors you need to consider when determining which simulator software to get for your SkyTrak:
1. Compatibility
What is your preferred operating system for running SkyTrak? Windows (laptop), iOS or Android? This will determine what software you can even use in the first place.
For example, WGT Golf only runs on iOS, which requires some kind of tablet. If you use a PC, you have more options including TGC 2019, E6 CONNECT, and Creative Golf 3D.
We wouldn’t recommend relying on an Android device for your SkyTrak simulator because most of the software solutions don’t support it. For the most flexibility, a PC is highly recommended.
Check to make sure that the software you’re interested in is compatible with your device, and make sure that the minimum system requirements are met. Some softwares are quite demanding in terms of resources, while others aren’t.
2. Features
What do you want to do on your SkyTrak golf simulator? Do you just want to hit shots on a virtual practice range?
If this is you and you’re solely interested in improving your ballstriking, then you might not even need extra third-party software at all. The base version of SkyTrak comes with a 3D practice range out of the box — you can view a shot tracer, replays, and all of your ball performance data.
On the other hand, if you want more features like:
- multiplayer (playing locally with family or friends)
- game modes like stroke play and match play
- chipping and putting around the green
- challenges like closest-to-the-pin and long drive
- quirky minigames
- online tournaments
In this case, you’ll need to look at what the software offers. WGT Golf doesn’t offer multiplayer or skills challenges, but online tournaments are available. E6 CONNECT and GSPro have multiplayer, as does TGC 2019.
Figure out what features you want to have access to, and consider the software that does the best job of aligning with that.
3. Graphics
How important are ultra-realistic graphics to you? Do you want the most photo-realistic experience possible when you’re playing replicas of famous courses?
If yes, your best bet is to go with E6 CONNECT (supports 4K graphics display), GSPro, or WGT Golf.
But if you mostly care about features, then you should be open to software like TGC 2019 (which still has very good graphics), Fitness Golf, Creative Golf 3D, or others.
Remember that more graphically demanding software will typically require more powerful computer hardware.
4. Budget
Golf simulator software is expensive in general. This isn’t like paying 60 bucks for a video game.
This makes your budget important, and it also means that it might not be worth investing in third-party software if you don’t want much more than a driving range and some challenge modes, which are included in the default SkyTrak software plans.
Some of the software reviewed above have one-time purchase licenses that cost $1000+. Some have course packs that run at a few hundred dollars a piece.
With that said, you should realize that the less you spend, the less you’ll usually get — this could be in the form of less courses, less challenges and minigames, worse graphics, and a worse overall experience.
Also remember that you need to invest in the SkyTrak simulator itself, which costs four figures. But the great thing is that you don’t have to drop the full cost of it at once.
One of our top recommended golf simulator sources here provides easy financing options that allow you to pay for your SkyTrak Launch Monitor over the course of a year or longer. Don’t forget about this option.
Conclusion
These days, there are numerous software solutions that you can pair with your SkyTrak golf simulator.
Some have multiplayer features, and some have challenges and mini games. Some even run worldwide tournaments that you can compete in and win prizes such as gift cards, golf simulator units, tee times, and trips.
The ideal golf simulator software displays informative ball flight data, has good graphics and accurate course recreations, and has the features and game modes that you want. Finding the software that will best meet your needs is certainly possible with some research.
We’ve given you the information you need to make a decision; it’s up to you to decide whether or not you think it’s worth the investment.
If you would like some help choosing a full SkyTrak simulator package that includes the launch monitor, a projector, and mats, check out this page.
Thanks for reading this guide. Which software are you considering for your SkyTrak simulator? Write your thoughts in the comments below.
I’m currently researching this. Disappointed by the buy in cost for e6. It is available for iOS and iPad.
Hi Todd. Some things have likely changed with E6 Golf/CONNECT, so I recommend getting the latest info here. Indeed, the one-time purchase packages have an expensive four-figure price tag, but the annual subscriptions are only a few hundred dollars per year. You can call SkyTrak to discuss options that would suit you best. Good luck.
e6Connect has the absolute worst user interface on the planet. It’s even worse than Hulu’s. Also, I don’t get the same trajectory with e6 that I do when I’m using the SkyTrak simulator software. I will not be renewing my subscription.
One more thing with e6 and windows 10 they don’t ever mention. It doesn’t default to your video card so you have to go in and point the software to it. Why???? There’s some youtube vids that show you exactly how to do this. If its running chunky on your machine, you need the fix.
I think the user interface more than gets the job done. What do you dislike about it in particular?
Not getting the same trajectory is a bit strange. SkyTrak may interact with the software in a slightly different way, but there could be many reasons it’s happening.
I have heard about some people having to take that extra step with the video card. I suggest doing two things: make sure the software is set up correctly as per the user manual, and reach out to E6 Golf Support. I’m sure they’d be happy to help you out, and they would take your feedback so they can make future improvements to the software.
I’ve been using OptiShot 2 for 4 years and just purchased a SkyTrak for the winter …… I paid the extra $100 for WGT & at 1st glance ………….. extremely disappointed. I think I’ll go to the range and try to dial-in/work-out-the-kinks for the new software. =
Hi Paul. What don’t you like about WGT? When choosing software for the SkyTrak, make sure you do your research on it so you have an idea of how it runs. If you can’t get a refund for it, give it some time. Otherwise, you can look into other really good solutions like E6 and TGC.
So far pretty pleased with the E6 Connect software with my SkyTrak. SkyTrak gives me a good accurate feel for ball flight and iron distance. I love the feedback, so that I can try things and work on my swing. And having scramble mode when I have my buddies over is awesome!
There are, however, only two issues with this combo:
1) Driving Distance/Club head Speed (any software) – Very rarely does it pick up my true club head speed which is usually 102 to 106. It seems to always be in the low to mid 90’s thus losing 30+ yards on my drives. I have tried different ball placement positions, and while some are better than others, it still doesn’t seem to pick up high club head speeds.
2) Terrain Penalty/Elevation/Wind – Do not seem to impact ball contact/flight. Seems like this is something that should be built in to the software just as it is with any other simulator device.
Thanks for sharing. Glad you’re having a good experience.
Regarding club head speed, this is a measurement that is derived by SkyTrak and not measured directly. It’s true that the SkyTrak often has problems precisely measuring high club head speeds. This is why you should look at ball speed instead, which is measured directly and will be much more accurate.
Regarding elevation/wind, as far as I know, there are no lie or environment penalties in E6 CONNECT on SkyTrak. You could contact SkyTrak or E6 support to inquire about this, but you may have to make do until an update is brought out.
I own the TGC 2019 I agree it’s cool however the physics are a little dated to say the least. I purchased the life time membership but I’ve been informed there hasn’t been any updates . Sooo sad !!!
Hi Paul. What is it about the physics of the software that you aren’t impressed with? TGC 2019 has definitely been updated, and I wouldn’t worry about it getting out of date because when the next TGC game comes out, you’ll likely be able to upgrade to it for a relatively small fee. Rest assured that it’s a great choice and it’s preferred by many golf simulator junkies.
The upgrade is still 75% ish of the full price.
Certainly not getting anything free of cheap
Which upgrade are you talking about? 2019 is still the latest version of The Golf Club. Regardless of how much an upgrade to a new game would cost, it’s honestly still excellent value compared to other software.
Is there any word on when a upgrade for the golf club 2019 will be available for golf simulation?
Nope. The PGA Tour 2K series games are the successor to The Golf Club, but there is currently no word on when or if they will be compatible with golf simulators. Even if it does happen, there’s no guarantee it will be integrated with the SkyTrak which is quite old at this point.
I would prefer to use foam balls for indoor hitting. Do any of these software packages have settings that would “translate” the shot to reflect what a real ball would do?
I don’t believe so. The problem with using foam balls is that the ball data measured by SkyTrak will not be accurate, and hence, the simulated ball flight will not be accurate. It’s very easy to have an indoor setup that allows you to use real balls, whether by using a hitting net or impact screen, but I do understand if you want to avoid noise.
Is it possible for 2 or 4 players to play in order of play in person at my studio when we can’t meet at the club because of the weather
It depends on the software, but generally, you can do local multiplayer with up to 4-8 players, so yes.