The golfing world has been evolving with the times. The rise of YouTubers to the top of popular culture has changed who the biggest names in golf are. The top pros like Rory and Tiger are still the faces of golf, but fast on their heels are YouTubers like Rick Shiels. With over 2.5 million subscribers on YouTube and 1.2 million on Facebook, Shiels’ videos demand just a much viewership as even the top tournaments on the Tour. In order to keep up with this huge audience’s needs a new channel was needed. Rick needed a new filming studio with space for a full film crew, in depth golfing analysis and the top golf club review channel on YouTube. Introducing the H.I.T. Golf studio.

The Build

When the project began the studio was a shell. With a blank slate, Rick was able to let his imagination run wild with ideas like a super wide screen simulator, touch screen monitors and a Zen Putting stage all requested. In addition to this copious amounts of filming gear was needed, with Cannon Automatic Cameras recessed into the walls to allow for a wide enough field of view. The first step of the project was to prepare the shell for decoration. The build team installed insulation and then plastered the entire space to result in a clean and refined finish ready for painting. Once the room was prepared, the install team began installing the Zen Putting Stage.

The Zen Putting Platform is a tilting platform which allows the user to recreate any makeable putt on the planet, including double-breaks. When installed with a hitting area you can even play full shots from sloping lies. The new 2023 Zen Green Stage can also be paired with Putt View, which is a camera based projection system, projecting the lines and breaks of any putt the Zen Green can create.

The next step was to install the large 55″ Touchscreen monitors. This will allow Rick to highlight certain data points during reviews, interact with the simulator software and even annotate golf swings. In order to create and illusion of natural light in this windowless studio these screens were all mounted on backlit panels alongside digital window monitors which can feature views from around the world on some of the top golf courses you can play.

The final piece of the puzzle was a super large VISTA HD screen. When paired with the 6000 lumens projector supplied by Golf Swing Systems, the VISTA material provides an ultra HD picture with crisp contrast, deep colours and most importantly, the construction to withstand repeated impacts from pro level golf shots. In testing, this screen has withstood ball speeds over 200 mph with no issues, so Rick can swing freely during his test videos, knowing nothing will compromise his simulator.

The Launch Monitor

The GCQuad is the world’s most accurate, versatile, and complete photometric launch monitor. As the first launch monitor in the industry to utilise quadrascopic imaging, the GCQuad delivers the most accurate ball and club head performance analysis of any technology available today. This is perfect for Rick’s new review channel H.I.T. Golf, which will require closed circuit, controlled data which overcomes the restrictions of weather and conditions. Using the GCQuad Rick will know exactly how the product he is testing, is performing.

If Rick’s new studio has inspired you to build a golf simulator of your own, please feel free to contact the Golf Swing Systems team on 01483 266679 or fill in the contact form here to begin your journey. We can also give advice on the best golf simulator for you and offer a range of golf studios for the garden.