Distance from the Ball/Tee to the Impact Screen - How close is 'too close'?

[zamundan]

I'm planning on getting a Skytrak, so once it's set up, my tee/ball position will be 'fixed'.

I'm wondering what's the shortest distance you've seen between the ball placement position and the impact screen.

Obviously, there needs to be room to swing a club without hitting the screen. But I guess I'd also want to make sure that a ball bouncing off the screen wouldn't hit my club on the follow through? Are there other factors I need to keep in mind?

This will be the determining factor in whether I can put the simulator in the spot I'm hoping to put it. Any advice would help.

[Brandon]

10' seems to be a good distance. I think you'd be okay at 9' but certainly better at 10'

[zamundan]

Yes, I see that 10' is a popular distance, but I just don't have that kind of room to spare. What I'm after is what the minimum distance really is that's safe/functional.

[penrose]

If the ball hits your balls - you are to close.

[Ykaar]

If the ball hits your balls - you are to close.

20/20 haha

I will be at 7-8 foot tee-screen. Will let you know how it is if I finish my build before your order your unit.

[zamundan]

Cool, thanks. Where are you at with your build right now?

[thaar]

I'm planning about 7-8 feet as well. My projector will be at 6ft, so I don't want to be too far back without adding protection to it.

[Shardak]

I am 6 feet from my Net Return impact screen.

[zamundan]

Do you hit driver?

How far does the ball usually bounce back after it hits the screen?

[Shardak]

Yes I hit driver. Ball bounces very little. Less than 1 foot. The NetReturn is a net on a frame, with the impact screen hanging in front of the net. I think having both the screen with a net behind it makes for very little bounce back.

[aja]

There's a reason most sim manufacturer's set-ups have you hitting from about 10 feet. It's the best distance.

Not only is there less chance of balls bouncing back at you, but you will also get a better experience from the image being projected. The closer you are, the more likely you'll be "counting pixels".

And you don't have to be standing under your projector for it to be out of harm's way. The steepest angle that I have launched a ball is 55 degrees. That kind of shot hits the ceiling about a foot or two away from a 10 foot high impact screen, when hitting from 10 feet away.

[zamundan]

Yeah, in my ideal world, I'd have that kind of space. But right now I'm just trying to make due with the space I have. And it's looking like that space is 14 feet in depth at most.

So, doing the math, I need to leave 6 feet behind the ball to make a backswing with my driver. (Driver is a must.) If I then put 10 feet in front of the ball to the screen as you suggest, then I'm up to 16 feet. So I'm already over. But then I need to leave an additional 1-2 feet behind the screen to absorb impact (unless there's some solution where the impact screen can hang inches from the wall). So all of this adds up to 17-18 feet. I just don't have that kind of room.

With the 14 feet I do have, I can have 6 feet back for the backswing, 7 to the screen, and 1 behind the screen. And, since buying a new house is outside my budget, I either need to figure out a way to make that work or find a new project.

If image quality will be my biggest issue, that's no problem to me at all. I'm more interested in having a 'functional practice tool' than I am in 'immersive experience'. I'm not even sure I'll be buying any course software, I'll probably just get the basic Skytrak package and leave it in driving range mode. In fact, to save on cost, I'm not sure I'll even buy a projector at first. Initially, I may just use the computer itself, or put an old TV next to the practice area.

So my question is not so much, "what's the best distance for an ideal simulator", it's, "what's the minimum distance that's fully functional and safe."

[Sane555]

Thought this was a more current post sorry