The full guide: ShotForge review
ShotForge Course Play builds golf courses for a simulator from public map data, instead of a designer drawing each one by hand. ShotForge says it covers more than 10,000 courses, and it comes with the same $6.99 a month subscription as the ShotForge practice app. Jay Lasco, host of Golf Simulator Videos, first tested it on camera in September 2026, and GSV’s newest Course Play video is at the top of this page. ShotForge’s site now says the Course Play engine has moved to Unreal Engine 5.8.
- 10,000+courses, per ShotForge
- $6.99a month, or $59.99 a year
- 7 daysfree trial
- 1-meterLiDAR elevation, where available
- Unreal Engine 5.8Course Play engine, per ShotForge
- Windowsonly, for now
What is ShotForge Course Play?
Most simulator software plays courses that a designer built by hand, one at a time. Course Play works the other way round. You search for a course, and ShotForge puts the holes together from data. That opens up courses nobody is likely to build by hand, such as a local municipal course, as long as the course is in the map data ShotForge draws on.
Course Play is one mode inside ShotForge, the practice app covered in GSV’s ShotForge review. It is not sold separately.
How ShotForge builds the courses
This is how ShotForge describes it on its Course Play page, read on October 5, 2026:
- Elevation: real-world 1-meter LiDAR, where it is available.
- The look of the ground: satellite imagery.
- Fairways, greens, bunkers and water: open-source golf map outlines.
- Speed: ShotForge says it turns those coordinates into a playable golf hole in seconds.
- Engine: ShotForge says the Course Play engine has moved to Unreal Engine 5.8.
ShotForge is plain about the limit. In its words, “automated data isn’t hand-sculpted perfection”. It says a tree line may not match the real one, and a satellite outline can misread a cart path or the edge of a water hazard. It also says the terrain elevation, the real distances and the target shapes are genuine.
ShotForge Course Play at a glance
| Courses | More than 10,000, built automatically |
|---|---|
| Engine | Unreal Engine 5.8 |
| Course data | 1-meter LiDAR elevation where available, satellite imagery and open-source golf map outlines |
| Game formats | Match Play, Skins, Scramble, Best Ball, Stableford and Alternate Shot |
| Conditions | Weather, time of day, seasons and adjustable firmness |
| Tees | More than one set of tees |
| Finding a course | Search, with an interactive 3D globe |
| Price | $6.99 a month or $59.99 a year, with Course Play included |
| Free trial | 7 days, no commitment, cancel anytime |
| Runs on | Windows. ShotForge says Mac support is planned and iPhone and iPad support is being explored. |
| Launch monitors | Ones that connect through open or compatible connectors. Some need a small connector app. |
From shotforgegolf.com, its Course Play page and its FAQ, read on October 5, 2026.
What GSV found in the first look, September 2026
These notes are from GSV’s first look in September 2026. At that time the app labeled Course Play experimental and warned that bugs were expected. ShotForge’s site now says Course Play runs on Unreal Engine 5.8, so the look of the courses, and some of what is listed here, will have changed. The first look is below; the video at the top of this page is the newer one.
- Launch monitor: Square Golf OMNI.
- Courses: Pebble Beach, and two Michigan courses GSV knows well. Tyrone Hills was one of them.
- What the app credited for its data: OpenStreetMap contributors, USGS 3D, USDA imagery and Meta for tree canopy.
What played well
- Putting: a 31-foot putt at 10 on the stimp broke the way it should, and a 16-footer burned the edge
- Chips reacted to launch and spin: a low one ran out, and a higher one with almost 6,000 rpm checked up
- The land was recognizable: the ravine and the cliffs at Pebble Beach, and the runoff beside a green at Tyrone Hills
- A deep round setup: gimme distance, green speed, wind, pin positions and a score at which to concede a hole
- On-course practice: drop a ball anywhere on a hole from the mini map and hit it as often as you like
- A drone flyover, a green heat map, a scout camera and a free-fly camera
What was rough in that build
- Ball flight looked slow on the screen, though the hang time it reported was believable
- The default aim point was wrong on several holes
- One green’s slope readout disagreed with the way the balls rolled
- The same generic building stood wherever the map showed one, including a house in the water at Pebble Beach
- No flag on the pin
- Tree lines were approximate
Two tips from that test. Search with the full name of the course: “Warwick” found nothing and “Warwick Hills” did. And set the gimme distance again after changing course, because it went back to its default of 8 feet.
On value, Jay pointed out that at $6.99 a month the subscription can be switched on just for the winter, and that TruGolf's GPS courses cost a lot more.
Does ShotForge Course Play replace GSPro?
GSV’s first look said no. Hand-built courses in GSPro and E6 Connect looked better and played more precisely. Course Play had a different job: the thousands of courses nobody will ever build by hand, for a small monthly price.
The newest video, at the top of this page, asks it again: can a $7 home golf simulator software compete with GSPro?
ShotForge price, free trial and the GSV code
ShotForge is $6.99 a month or $59.99 a year, with a 7-day free trial, no commitment, and you can cancel at any time. Course Play comes with it. For a golfer who only uses a simulator in winter, three months is $20.97.
The GSV code for ShotForge is GSV25OFF, and it takes 25% off. In GSV’s checkout on October 5, 2026 the $6.99 monthly plan came to $5.24 a month after the 7-day free trial.
25% off at ShotForge
ShotForge subscription, $6.99 a month becomes $5.24.
Buying through GSV's links and codes helps support the channel: GSV earns a small commission at no extra cost to you, and you still get every saving available. Code last checked October 5, 2026.
Start the free trial at ShotForge
What you need to run it
- A Windows PC. ShotForge’s FAQ says the app does not need a high-end gaming PC. GSV did not find minimum specs for Course Play in Unreal Engine on ShotForge’s site on October 5, 2026, so use the free trial to see how it runs on your computer.
- A launch monitor that can connect. ShotForge works with launch monitors that connect through open or compatible connectors, and says many popular devices already have working connectors. It does not publish a list of models. The free trial is the way to check yours.
Still planning the room? The free GSV Sim Builder lays it out in 3D and checks that the launch monitor, the enclosure and the projector fit, with room to swing.
Build your room in the GSV Sim Builder
ShotForge Course Play questions
What is ShotForge Course Play?
Course Play is a mode inside the ShotForge golf simulator app that builds playable golf courses automatically from real-world map data, instead of using courses drawn by hand. ShotForge says it covers more than 10,000 courses and that its engine is Unreal Engine 5.8.
How does ShotForge build the courses?
ShotForge says it uses real-world 1-meter LiDAR elevation where available, satellite imagery and open-source golf map outlines to turn coordinates into a playable golf hole in seconds. It also says tree lines, cart paths and hazard edges may not match the real course exactly.
Can I play my local course on ShotForge?
Often, yes, if the course is in the open map data ShotForge draws on. In GSV’s first look in September 2026, two local Michigan courses loaded. Search with the full name of the course, because a short search may not find it.
How much does ShotForge cost?
ShotForge is $6.99 a month or $59.99 a year, with a 7-day free trial and no commitment. Course Play is included in the subscription.
Is there a ShotForge discount code?
Yes. The GSV code for ShotForge is GSV25OFF, and it takes 25% off. In GSV’s checkout on October 5, 2026 the $6.99 monthly plan came to $5.24 a month. Enter it at checkout on shotforgegolf.com.
What launch monitors work with ShotForge?
ShotForge works with launch monitors that connect through open or compatible connectors, and some need a small connector app. ShotForge does not publish a list of models. GSV’s first look used a Square Golf OMNI.
Does ShotForge work on Mac or iPad?
Not yet. ShotForge runs on Windows. ShotForge says Mac support is planned and that iPhone and iPad support is being explored.
Does ShotForge Course Play replace GSPro?
GSV’s first look in September 2026 said no: hand-built courses in GSPro and E6 Connect looked better and played more precisely. Course Play covers courses nobody will build by hand, for a small monthly price. GSV’s newest Course Play video asks the question again.
More golf simulator software on GSV
- ShotForge review: the practice side of the app
- Best golf simulator software 2026
- Infinite Tees golf simulator software
- Square Golf HE vs OMNI, the launch monitor used in the first look
- GSV Sim Builder: check your room in 3D
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