How do I set up a Foresight GC3 golf simulator?

What's in the box

Foresight's GC3 manual lists the GC3, the power cord and AC power adapter, a USB-C cable, a 28-piece club marker pack and an alignment stick. If you bought our GC3 package, the enclosure, Tee Turf hitting mat, rubber base, any side netting you added and the BenQ AH500ST short-throw projector with its floor case come in separate boxes, with a setup guide. The package doesn't include a computer or an HDMI cable.

What you need ready

• A Windows PC for Foresight Premier, the course software. Foresight asks for Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit), at least an RTX 3060 Ti, RTX 4060 Ti or RX 6600 XT graphics card with 8GB, a Core i5-12500 processor, 16GB of memory and 20GB of free storage.
• Your phone's camera, to scan the QR code that registers the GC3.
• An email address for a Foresight account. This is a free login, called FSX Live on the registration page.
• Your Wi-Fi password, or an Ethernet cable to your router. Ethernet is a wired network cable, and it's steadier than Wi-Fi.
• An HDMI cable (the standard lead that carries picture and sound) from the PC to the projector.
• The supplied charger. Foresight warns that any other charger can damage the GC3.

Where it goes in the room

Our rooms start at 3.0m wide, 2.7m high and 4.2m long. A ceiling of 3m or more is ideal, and I plan on about 2.5m from the ball to the screen.

The GC3 is a camera unit that sits beside the ball, so it needs no extra length behind you. From Foresight's manual:

• Stand it upright about 0.6m (2ft) from the hitting area.
• Raise it to the same level as the top of the hitting mat. A block or stand under it does the job.
• Put the ball on the mat in front of the unit. If it's out of place, the screen says MOVE BALL INTO HITTING ZONE.
• Avoid humid, smoky or dusty rooms.

Step-by-step setup

1. Charge it fully with the supplied adapter before first use.
2. Press and release the power button. The light glows yellow while it starts.
3. When asked, choose your Wi-Fi network and enter the password, or plug an Ethernet cable into your router.
4. Scan the QR code on the GC3's screen with your phone camera, then sign in to your Foresight account or create one.
5. Let the firmware update. Firmware is the unit's own software, and the GC3 downloads it directly while it's online.
6. If you're left-handed, swipe down to Quick Settings and choose the left-handed mode.
7. Stick a club marker on each club face, following the directions on the marker pack.
8. Place the unit 0.6m from the ball, level with the mat.
9. Align it. Lay the alignment stick in the hitting zone pointing at your target and step back. After a few seconds both lights turn yellow and it beeps. You can adjust up to 10 degrees.
10. Install Foresight Premier on the PC and sign in with the same account. Foresight's connection guide lists Wi-Fi, an Ethernet cable or the USB-C cable for connecting its PC software to the GC3.

Connect to the projector

The PC sends the picture, not the GC3. Plug the HDMI cable into the PC's graphics card and into the projector's HDMI input, and select that input on the projector. Then press the Windows key and P together and choose Duplicate or Second screen only.

First-shot check

Open the driving range in Premier and place a ball in the hitting zone. A blinking light means the GC3 is looking for the ball, and a solid light means it has found it. Blue means ball data only, green means club and ball data, and red means an error. Hit when the light is solid. Your numbers appear in Premier, and the ball flies on the big screen.

Playing courses

Foresight's software is now Premier, with a Foresight+ membership on top. These are Foresight's prices, in US dollars:

• Free: core data in the app and Premier, with 10 sessions of history.
• Silver: $199 a year.
• Gold: $599 a year. Gold adds third-party software such as GSPro.
• Course Pass: $295 a year for 35 courses. Course Pass Pro: $595 a year for 111 courses. Both need Silver or Gold.

So the cheapest way to play courses is Silver plus Course Pass, at $494 a year. New devices come with a 30-day trial of Foresight+ and Course Pass, and the membership belongs to your account rather than the unit. If your GC3 came with the older FSX software, Foresight says it keeps working. For GSPro you need Gold plus a GSPro subscription ($250 a year). Awesome Golf also works with the GC3 (from £14.99 a month).

The three things that most often go wrong

It stops talking to the PC

The GC3 must go online at least once every 45 days. If it doesn't, Foresight blocks USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth until it reconnects. Join it to the internet and let it check in.

Shots go left or right of where they should

The target alignment resets every time you turn the GC3 off. Run the alignment stick step again at the start of each session.

It won't pick up the ball

Check that the GC3 is level with the top of the mat, about 0.6m from the ball, and that the ball sits inside the hitting zone shown on its screen.

Official help from Foresight

• GC3 support page and GC3 user manual
• Registration guide and connection types
• Firmware update guide
• Foresight Premier and Foresight+ plans

I couldn't find an official Foresight setup video for the GC3. The ones on YouTube are from retailers, so use the manual above.