First Sim Build......Need help/advice

[joejoe_13]

Hi everyone. This is my first post to this forum. I welcome all criticisms and advice on my sim build. So this started off quite some time ago. My girlfriend bought me the optishot 6 years ago. I have never had a ceiling high enough to actually use it to its full potential. I have reciently purchased a home with a garage that has just high enough ceiling to play so I want to set this up and get it going asap. I have attached a photo of the space in the garage. I have already built my platform which holds the optishot in it. I have a rought setup right now as you can see with a tarp to stop the foam balls and a flat screen to watch your shot. I would like to hit real golf balls eventually. I have a projector currently it is a optma 760a which is 720p 60hz but I might take that back and add more money to it and go with the 1080p but the resolution didnt look that bad hooked up to my laptop. I didnt know if it was worth the extra $200. My plan was to build my own enclosure and then purchase the screen. I don't want to cheap out on the build but I also do not want to break the bank either. For the enclosure I was going to buy the pieces from this website I needed and then go to homedepot/lowes for the connecting pieces.

http://www.memphisnet.net/category/golf-cages-build-conduit

I was not sure if I should use PVC or metal conduit. I was worried about hitting the pipe and having a shot com flying back at me. Advise here would be great. I was going to build it like the second picture attached. I am not sure if I am going to bring it out 10ft or stop it shorter than that. For the sides I was just going to pick up some netting from harbor freight and then some black curtain from a fabric store.

For the screen I planned on doing a 10x10. The type and brand I am not sure of but I want something to actually last but like I said not break the bank but look good as well lol. I know that is asking a lot. I have read some about attaching it. I guess bungee and tarp clips around it with the bungees attached to the back poles about the poles just infront of it.

I wanted to give you guys the dimensions of the space i have to work with. The room is 9 feet tall by 13 wide by 20 long.

Any and all feedback and ideas are welcome.

Thanks,
Joe

[DFDubb]

You can get the conduit corner pieces you need much cheaper at tarps.com. You will want to use metal conduit, not pvc. Honestly though, you will get the same level of accuracy hitting foam balls on the optishot as you will hitting real ones. I'd just hang a sheet, tarp, etc....hit foam balls and enjoy it.

[joejoe_13]

Thank you for the input. I am not sure if I was going to hit real or the almost real balls yet. I wanted the option either way. I didnt know if PVC was a option if anyone had done it yet or not. I was just worried if I or someone had one to many beverages and clipped a pipe if it would come flying back. I will look into tarps.com for the pieces.

[DFDubb]

A golf ball or almost golf ball hitting metal conduit will absolutely ricochet back at you at a blistering pace. You will need to consider carefully how you're going to take the pipes out of play. I'd start by looking through the many build threads here to give you ideas for the space. Many attach side curtains to the screen (velcro, bungees, etc....) a couple of inches inside the frame as to take the vertical pipes out of play. This is what I did on the sides and the top. I then had a custom foam wedge made to place under and behind the screen to take the bottom horizontal pipe out of play. My first 2 sim builds had several areas of pipe exposed and while I, nor anybody else, never hit one, I now realize just how dangerous it would be if we had. I didn't know what I didn't know back then, but my latest build I've 100% removed any chance of it happening and I can swing and practice much more freely now.

My biggest piece of advice if you do end up building an enclosure is to start saving for something like Skytrack immediately. You will be over the optishot in a matter of a few sessions.

[Sascha1818]

I had one hit me in the face on a teed off 3w shot I got under. 30min later I was at the hardware store buying pipe insulation. I would never do it again without the insulation around steel pipes. Got lucky that it hit me in the cheek .

[joejoe_13]

Yes you guys are describing my nightmare situation. I thought about the pipe insulation along with trying to shield them somehow. I thought the PVC route because if it were to get hit it would break and give instead of throwing the ball right back.

[DFDubb]

Does the pipe insulation actually do anything? I have an untested feeling that it might help a little, but could still be very dangerous if struck hard at the right angle/trajectory.

[Jb50]

I've had them come back pretty fast even with pipe insulation over PVC. I've thought about memory foam possibly. They sell the mattress toppers you can get pretty cheap and would have to cut into strips put on the posts. Not sure if that would be better or not. Right now I'm using almost golf balls with Rmotion but do want to get back to real balls at some point

[joejoe_13]

Yes I would like too

[Snaphook]

With that room i would recommend you build from wall to wall using "slotted U shaped steel profile" see pic.
When you do it this way you have so many options for attaching screens and blinds etc,

Here is a link to my build. https://golfsimulatorforum.com/forum...iling-sim-room

[joejoe_13]

I have thought about that type of setup and even with the angle iron mounted to the walls as well. I am open to all options but would love to use real golf balls

[cobig13]

With that room i would recommend you build from wall to wall using "slotted U shaped steel profile" see pic.
When you do it this way you have so many options for attaching screens and blinds etc,

Here is a link to my build. https://golfsimulatorforum.com/forum...iling-sim-room

Have any closeup pictures of what you did with the slotted steel after you attached the screen? Do balls ricochet off of it? If you covered it with something, can it be easily removed and reapplied when you want rotate/shift your screen to combat wear?

[Snaphook]

Here is what i did. I actually used two profiles but have realised that one would have been enough.
I use some pipe insulation on it and have some black fabric hanging outside the screen for a more finished look.



Pictures need to be rotated right once. Don't know why this happened?

[joejoe_13]

I think I am going to give PVC a shot. It is a lot cheaper than the EMT piping. Any thoughts on screens?

[cooke23]

Dude, use EMT. I guarantee you will go to EMT eventually anyways. There’s plenty of ways to stop bounceback from a errant shot. Top can be guarded by ceiling mounted netting. Just need a 2-3ft section. Velcro is to screen and attach to ceiling. Sides, I velcroed 2ft wide carpet runner to the screen and the other end to a hung heavy duty black tarp. It not only is amazing to “frame” the screen image but it stops any ball from getting remotely close to the EMT poles. Regarding Velcro on screen....by 15ft Velcro strips from amazon and use FABRITAC glue to attach them to the other portions of screen. Then glue the hook side to the bottom of your carpet runners and attach. PM me if you have any questions and I can walk you thru it with pictures or FaceTime video.

[joejoe_13]

Thank you cooke23. I can and definitely will use help/walk thru. Could you post some pictures of that by chance. I figured there was a way to stop the bounceback. I know that PVC is cheaper and figured that would work. Is there any downsides that you know of when using PVC?

[cooke23]

You’ll get sag of the screen. Especially if you crack one of the PVC pipes. I’ll try to get some pictures later tonight

[joejoe_13]

See I was going to put an extra support pole in the back then connect it to the front pole holding the screen so it would not sag in the middle. I would love to see the pictures.