Building Golf Sim Software for Fun and Profit

Introduction

Hello, I'm Michael, the creator of Infinite Tees. I found a way to bring several of my favorite hobbies—golf, software development, and even the possibility of future income—together in one place. That's why I created Infinite Tees, a platform focused on building accessible, high-quality, community-driven golf simulation software.

Why Start Infinite Tees?

When I first started exploring different simulator software options, I ran into a few major pain points:

Lackluster Native Software

The software included with many launch monitors simply wasn't great. It either lacked essential features or had poor graphics that took away from the immersion of the experience.

High-Cost Third-Party Solutions

On the flip side, there are commercial solutions that look amazing but cost an arm and a leg. Not everyone wants to spend thousands of dollars just for software—especially if you're a hobbyist or small business.

Desire for Creative Freedom

I've always wanted the ability to create and customize my own courses. However, most existing solutions come with cumbersome, proprietary systems wrapped in licensing agreements. While those licenses might be free now, there's no guarantee they'll stay that way. My goal is to offer a flexible, user-friendly platform that empowers developers, golf enthusiasts, and pros to shape their own virtual golf experiences without those restrictions.

Why Unreal?

At first, I considered using Unity. It's a popular engine with a massive community, and it generally offers an easy onboarding process. However, as I dug deeper into the specific needs of this project—particularly the requirement for photorealistic environments and large-scale terrains—I realized Unreal Engine would be a better fit. Its cutting-edge rendering technology (including features like Lumen and Nanite), robust open-world tools, and strong support for high-fidelity visuals make it stand out as the ideal choice for crafting an immersive golf simulation.

Beyond the engine's inherent strengths, another issue arose with Unity: the once-essential Vegetation Studio Pro plugin, which had been a go-to tool for realistic foliage, was no longer fully available or supported. Lush greenery is critical for creating believable golf courses, and losing reliable vegetation functionality posed a huge setback. By pivoting to Unreal, I could leverage its powerful built-in foliage system and continue delivering the vivid, lifelike landscapes that are essential to a top-tier golf experience.

With Unreal, I found:

Abundant Resources & Plugins: Even if one foliage tool disappears, there are multiple alternatives and an active community offering all sorts of helpful assets.

Advanced Graphics & Rendering: Right out of the box, Unreal's rendering capabilities are top-notch, which makes it easier to create realistic courses and terrains.

Free for Most Uses: If you're an indie dev or hobbyist, Unreal's licensing model is pretty reasonable, and you only pay royalties if you reach a certain revenue threshold.

This perfect blend of flexibility, community support, and high-quality graphics made Unreal Engine the obvious choice for Infinite Tees.

The Vision

Ultimately, I want Infinite Tees to be:

Open and Accessible: So anyone—from weekend warriors to professional golf course designers can build custom courses, or add new features.

High-Quality: From realistic ball physics to lifelike environments, my goal is to create an experience you'll enjoy as much as the real driving range.

Flexible: If you want to pair it with your favorite launch monitor or modify the course assets, you should be able to do that without worrying about restrictive licenses.

What's Next?

I'm actively developing the core systems: testing ball trajectory physics, terrain creation pipelines, and a robust user interface. There's still a ton to do, but every day I'm excited to see more golf enthusiasts sharing ideas and getting involved.

If any of this resonates with you—maybe you're a developer looking for a new project, or a golfer wanting to test your swings indoors—I invite you to follow along, contribute, and help shape the future of Infinite Tees.

See you next round!

Stay tuned for more updates, and if you have any questions or want to contribute, be sure to check out our Discord!