9 foot wide screen?

[dlow206]

Will a 9 foot screen be sufficient width? It seems fine to me, but wanted to get others opinion. Note, the swinging space is much wider than 9 feet, so I can line up centered and everything like that, that's not an issue.

The main reason i don't want to go too wide is because i want to keep some open storage space on the side of the garage for my son's stuff, like bikes.

[jpinkardvt]

Ultimately I would say that depends on your skill level and the skill level of people you plan to have hitting balls in your garage. Depending on what aspect ration you are going with, height would be my biggest concern.

[Tom Howarth]

I have 10'0 wide. This is perfect for a righthanded golfer (I have an open garage bay behind me). If you plan on right/left golfers, it won't be enough. If you can go wider, I would. If my wife would give up her garage bay, I would have my set up centered in the garage and 12'0 wide. Height is important too. My enclosure is 8'6 high. I could go higher, but at 10'0 wide it would have made my enclosure more like a square which makes it difficult to fill out a screen properly.

[dlow206]

For my simulator, no lefties allowed lol. Actually it will just be me using it and potentially my son (right handed) if he wants to play golf.

also, i think whatever option i got with, its going to end up with being hard to fill the full screen but i can live with that.

if i ever buy another house in the future, it will be purchased with the ultimate golf sim setup in mind.

[Tom Howarth]

I think Carl's place makes an enclosure that is just under 8'0 tall and 10'6 wide which is a perfect 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratio. I would go at least 10'0 wide.

[TripleBogeyPar]

Check out Bullseye Golf Sims they hav a great enclosure and make custom sizes. They have great customer service

[dlow206]

For my simulator, no lefties allowed lol. Actually it will just be me using it and potentially my son (right handed) if he wants to play golf.

also, i think whatever option i got with, its going to end up with being hard to fill the full screen but i can live with that.

if i ever buy another house in the future, it will be purchased with the ultimate golf sim setup in mind.

One thing im thinking about, if I go 10 feet wide, should i go 10 feet tall so that the retractable screen goes from ceiling to floor in my garage? I know the picture may not fill the full screen, but having the screen up to the ceiling would prevent hitting a ball over the net on accident.

[Tom Howarth]

If the enclosure goes right up to the ceiling, it will essentially hit the ceiling every time you hit the top of the enclosure. You need a buffer space or to pad the ceiling. Also, you really don't want a "square" screen. My 8'6x10'0 only has an 8" to 10" wide blank spot across the top of the screen. It looks fine. I don't think you will be happy when you have blank space on the sides and top of the screen. It defeats the purpose of projecting the image. Maybe just sent up a net and use a nice TV for your image?

[dlow206]

This is great feedback. I definitely don't want to do just a net. I could definitely do something like 8'6" (height) X 10' (width), i just need to design for it and figure out an optimal mounting solution, which i can do.

[jasonreg]

My thoughts are you get a more "immersive" experience based on width than height. In this case 10 feet (if you can get it) would likely be a better visual experience than 9, though 9 would be perfectly fine (its all just fairways and greens right?). On the other hand, anything about 8 feet tall will be nice - not not really as "impactful" as added width.

All said - make the most of what you have avail - 4:3 aspect ratio image at 10feet wide will only project about 7&1/2 feet high so the higher screen will be blank in any case. A 9:16 would be even shorter at well under 6' tall.

[GullLakeMi]

There are a couple perspectives:

• Virtual/visual experience - bigger is better, but many of us are space constrained. I have a 10' wide setup using 4:3. My image is slightly less than 10'x7'. It's good enough, because that is all the space I wanted to commit to it.
• Ball dispersion - Have to consider desired distance from screen you intend to tee ball and then where could ball possible go. Smaller the screen and further the ball position, easier it is to miss the screen. I tee about 11' feet back. This felt better to me and allows contact dispersion on screen meaning my screen lasts longer. I made my cage as high as I could under garage door, which is only about 8'6" (ceiling 9'6", but needed room for overhead door to move in track when open). Wedges can hit ceiling of cage. I put a baffle (fabric strip handing down) in front of bar that holds screen to slow/deflect high balls headed at bar. Ceiling and sides are netting covered in black out fabric. Sides and ceiling of cage about 6' deep. Right side does get hit occasionally by righty golfers (shank, kids goofing around, etc.). Folks hitting at center of 16' wide screen or from closer position, probably don't have to worry about side walls as much.

[ALAW]

Which launch monitor are you planning to use? If you are going to use an optical model (like the GC3) then you can hit close to the screen and 9ft wide is totally doable. For example, I use a GC3 in my garage and hit into a 8ft x 8ft Net Return with zero issues. However my hitting distance to the net is around 6-7ft. If you use a radar model then you will need way more distance from ball to screen and then having a narrow screen can be an issue unless you are consistent in your hits.

[dlow206]

Which launch monitor are you planning to use? If you are going to use an optical model (like the GC3) then you can hit close to the screen and 9ft wide is totally doable. For example, I use a GC3 in my garage and hit into a 8ft x 8ft Net Return with zero issues. However my hitting distance to the net is around 6-7ft. If you use a radar model then you will need way more distance from ball to screen and then having a narrow screen can be an issue unless you are consistent in your hits.

also will be using the GC3 (actually the Launch Pro)

[ShooterMcGav]

Hi @dlow206 it would be best to check https://thesportscreen.com/golf/ since it's retractable and can be easily installed.

[dlow206]

i've landed on doing the Sportscreen Golf Studio 11 foot version. It states "11" feet but is 120" max viewable width