The TruGolf Mini storms the simulator market with a standout compact design, a realistic course experience, and an incredibly affordable price point. The portability, precise shot tracking, and immersive graphics are the highs of this product, but many golfers worry about the limited club selection and absence of actual ball striking. It’s an enjoyable indoor golf experience for passionate players but not perfect.
Every golfer would like a simulator in their house or office, but two things usually hold us back: first, it’s often expensive. Second, there is not enough space. The Trugolf Mini is an updated version of the Trugolf Home Swing Studio. It’s a 2-foot-long golf club (with no actual clubhead) with a sensor. It’s storming the market to counter these two issues: compatibility and affordability.
In this article, I will review the Trugolf Mini simulator and share my experience using it. I’ll show you how it measures performance, playability, shot consistency, price and value, advantages, and hard-to-ignore pitfalls. Remember to stick to the end, as I’ll share overlooked details about this product and my honest opinion on whether or not it is worth buying.
TruGolf Mini Overview
TruGolf Mini
$259.99
- Portability
- Realistic Simulation
- High-Quality Graphics
- Variety of Golf Courses
- Multiplayer Capabilities
- Practice Modes and Game Options
- Swing Analysis and Feedback
- Compatibility and Integration
The TruGolf Mini is a 2-foot-long golf club with a sensor that can be plugged into the grip. The club has a Bluetooth sensor that captures four crucial swing details. It calculates and measures the simulated clubhead path, face angle at impact, speed, and angle of attack. It runs on the E6 platform.
The standout feature that separates it from other options in the market is that it doesn’t require golf balls and explores a weighted swing trainer without a club face.
It’s designed for compactness and convenience. The club’s sleek and streamlined construction allows easy handling and control.
Package Unboxing
The product comes with instruction cards, a license, and details for your E6 Essential subscription (which includes about five courses). In the box is the actual club (which looks like a medieval weapon) with a weighty grip and sleek design.
The essential thing in the package is a rounded sensor (the brain) with an accelerometer and other high-tech components that track the club as it moves through your swing. It picks up the tempo, your swing, and the rotation.
Performance and Playability
The TruGolf Mini simulator runs on the E6 platform. If you’ve been researching simulators, you’ve probably seen the E6 before because many other simulators are on this platform.
So with TruGolf, you’re connecting to the same software as you would with Flighscope Mevo Plus.
There’s a nob installed in the club grip that powers the Bluetooth; then you get your iPad set up with the e6 downloaded, and then you can use an adapter to connect the iPad to a projector for a broader view on the wall.
Once you turn on the knob, it pairs with your iPad, and you can navigate to TrueGolf Mini on the E6 platform.
The playability of this golf simulator is relatively straightforward. All you have to do is hold the club upright so that it senses you’re preparing to swing, then you address what would be the ball (because there’s no actual ball), and if you stay still for a second, you get a green light, as seen in the image below:
The club is compassionate, so you don’t want to wag unnecessarily once you get to this position.
Another exciting thing is that the club makes an audio snap when you make a complete swing, which gives feedback, but honestly, it’s nothing close to hitting an actual ball.
Since there’s no ball contact, you can’t play different shots with spin and hit other parts of the ball. You’ll have to determine that on your screen using the icon as shown in the image below:
Shot consistency
Again, achieving and tracking shot consistency is challenging when no actual ball strikes. But I gave it a test using the seven iron, which is usually a 165 club for me. So I took a full swing with the TruGolf Mini and got a 165.1, which is pretty accurate.
Another impressive feature of this simulator is its swing analyzer, which allows you to look at your swing in a 360-degree 3D presentation. So this gives you an excellent visual to access your transitions, shallowing, club path, or straight path.
Regarding forgiveness, three settings for this simulator determine how forgiving the club is. If you’re using the TruGolf Mini casually, you can set the configuration to its lowest mode, “Party Mode,” the most forgiving mode. This is ideal for beginner golfers.
As you advance, you change to Top Mode, a tournament that unlocks the club’s sensitivity.
But again, if you’re struggling with your ball striking—either thinning or fatting it—this golf simulator might give you inaccurate feedback because there’s no actual ball hitting. It may look like you flushed it on the screen, but in real life, you didn’t. So that’s an important limitation on shot consistency.
Pros and Cons of the TruGolf Mini Simulator
| What I Like | What I Don’t Like |
| Fast and easy setup | No simulated face to be sure if the club is facing the square before making a swing |
| Affordable | No actual ball striking for spin accessibility |
| Compact | E6 subscription is essential (5 golf courses) and cannot unlock much more. |
| Very mobile | Club is shorter |
| Scalability (You can have the display on your iPad or phone or presented on a large screen by connecting to a projector.) | |
| The club has the feel of the grip and is weighted like an actual golf club which offers similar swing speed. | |
| Audible simulated impact sound | |
| High-quality E6 graphics |
Customer Feedback and Reviews
The reviews this product is getting from popular retail platforms are mixed. About 49 percent of users of the TruGolf on Amazon are delighted with the accuracy and value of this golf simulator
But one of the consistent complaints I observed from most reviews is that sometimes when you swing the club, the sensor doesn’t pick up the swing. I had this experience, too, so it sure takes a while to get used to it.
But even the most critical reviews about this product still give it a thumbs up. The TruGolf Mini may not be the perfect affordable golf sim, but it’s fun and keeps those muscles remembering what a golf swing feels like during the off-season.
Price and Value
TruGolf, with this Mini simulator, presents an option to enjoy a golf experience even when you don’t have high ceilings, ample space, or fat purses. The TruGolf Mini sells for $250 on the official TruGolf website. But is this something you’d drop close to three hundred bucks for?
Now, they do make a lofty claim. On the box, the manufacturer says, “The TruGolf Mini Sim is a professional grade golf tool that includes many of the features of simulators costing $50,000 or more.”
But does it compete with $50,000 budget sims, or is that an exaggeration? From my experience with this product, I’d say it’s somewhere in between.
My concern is that even though the price meets the value and it can be fun to use (swing analyzer and all), there’s going to come to a point where it’s limiting, and you’ll want more.
But if you’re super confined on space and budget, this is relatively inexpensive, and you can pick up a cheap projector and achieve a detailed view of the Sim golf course.
Also, you’re not hitting an actual golf ball, so you won’t have to worry about the expense of a net, mat, or projection screen.
Comparing TruGolf Mini With Alternatives
| Feature | TruGolf Mini Simulator | Title X | Phigolf |
| Portability | Portable and compact | Portable and lightweight | Portable and lightweight |
| Technology | Uses a projector and computer with simulation software | Uses sensor-equipped golf ball and mobile app | Uses sensors in golf clubs and mobile app |
| Simulation realism | Offers realistic graphics and physics | Offers basic graphics and physics | Offers realistic graphics and physics |
| Game modes | Multiple game modes, including driving range, closest to the pin, and complete rounds of golf | Limited game modes | Limited game modes |
| Data analysis | Tracks and analyzes shot data, including ball speed, launch angle, and spin rate | Tracks and analyzes swing and shot data | Tracks and analyzes swing data |
| Customization | Customizable simulation settings, including course conditions and weather | Limited customization options | Limited customization options |
| Required equipment | Hitting mat, projector, and computer | Title X sensor-equipped golf ball and mobile app | Phigolf golf club with sensors and mobile app |
| Price | $250 | $150 | $220 |
But what truly makes The TruGolf Mini Iron stand out is that it is highly portable, making it easy to carry and set up anywhere.
The Mini Iron offers high-quality graphics, enhancing the immersive experience during gameplay. It also provides real-time swing analysis, allowing players to assess and improve their technique.
My Final Remarks
TruGolf Mini presents itself as an inexpensive golf simulator. It meets expectations if you want to understand your swing and improve your game, thanks to the swing analysis capabilities, but you have to be willing to put up with a bit of frustration at your first registration.
I’d call this mini simulator the perfect system when I’m stuck in a studio apartment and budget is a concern. In such a case, I can overlook the marginal guesswork that this product does since I want to get some swings in the winter. The requirements to use this device are minimal: an iPad (or phone), an internet connection, and perhaps a projector.
You’ll love it, especially if you’re a player working on tempo or swing path because those factors genuinely feel accurate. But if you’re particular about your ball striking improvement, this is not a guaranteed simulator because it may not give you the information you want for each shot you take.
The TruGolf Mini is not an all-around golf simulator solution. Still, it indicates that as technology evolves, golf at home will be more accessible (and affordable).
