Impact Screen 101

[Bubba22]

The impact screens for golf simulators are critical for its realism. The ideal impact screen will be durable, project well and not have a big bounce back. Most folks will have their sim room double as a theatre room so a good quality projector and impact screen are important. The impact screen may be flat, curved or have 3 screens to present a simulator surround experience. Full swing also has a Pass through screen that is very cool.

Most screens are built with an enclosure or stand alone. often side panels or netting is used to prevent stray balls from doing harm as well as cosmetics of the room. Make sure the screen is loose to prevent any big bounceback.




Certainly one can make an impact screen however various companies make high quality screens.

here are some links:

Protee Screen www.proteegolfsimulator.com/?option=com_virtuemart
HQ Screen at par2pro www.par2pro.com/shop/index.php?cPath=23_35
Par-20 screen West Coast netting www.westcoastnetting.com/
CDG screen www.customdesigngolf.com/the_affordable_...deo_impact_screens_1
Allspostsytems www.allsportsystems.com/golf-simulator-hitting-screen.html
Net return www.thenetreturn.com/practice-golf-nets/simulator-series.html

[Maverick]

Good thread bubba22. I do have some experiences with 4 of the screens you mentioned.

The HQ screen offers the most brightness. Great for when you want some ambient light in the back of the Sim room. The most expensive screen I believe.

The Protee screen is an excellent screen. Slightly less brightness than the HQ screen. Its a double screen, which doubles its life and also helps lessen the rebounds. Still requires a net behind though. As for durability, mine is 2 years old and has finally shown some ware. Got some scuffs and one little hole. I will have turn it around soon, otherwise that hole could get bigger. Hopefully I can get two more years out of this screen.

The CDG $300 screen is much dimmer then both the HQ and Protee screen. Fine for those on a budget. Definitely need a net behind it for support. I still have it hanging behind my Protee screen, and the net is behind the CDG. So, basically, my net and CDG are currently support Protee screen. I have practically no rebound at all. Balls just drop straight down.

The PR-20 is what I would call a net screen. It has the lowest brightness and picture quality of the four screens. Very inexpensive. Does a decent job of stopping balls.

[bcgc0918]

I have the HQ and it has stopped real balls for 3 years now and is still in like new shape. Other than the dirty spots you would think I just hung it up. I have to turn it around one of these days. And as for the price I don't think they are the highest. I got mine from Cory and it was a steal I thought. I have nothing backing it up. Just the screen bungee'd to the frame at the top and 2 spots down each side. My bounce back is about 2 foot on a driver and nothing on a iron. if I have to get another one some day I hope they still sell these. I would buy another.

[mmlincon]

Here is another one. I've had this sucker for about 8 years. It shows the ball impacts over time but is still going strong. I can't comment on the brightness compared to other screens though. The image does look pretty good when the room is dark.

P3Proswing
http://www.p3proswing.com/index.php/hanging-impact-screen.html

[Maverick]

mmlincon, the P3pro screen is more of a vinyl material right? How is it with rebounds?

Thanks

[mjbgolf]

The Protee screen is an excellent screen. Slightly less brightness than the HQ screen. Its a double screen, which doubles its life and also helps lessen the rebounds. Still requires a net behind though. As for durability, mine is 2 years old and has finally shown some ware. Got some scuffs and one little hole. I will have turn it around soon, otherwise that hole could get bigger. Hopefully I can get two more years out of this screen.
.

Is this the screen that comes with Protee Base 2? Why does it need a net behind it?

[Maverick]

Yes, it is. It doesn't really need the net but it will help prolong the the life of the screen and really help lessen the rebounds.

[Libbing]

Is this the screen that comes with Protee Base 2? Why does it need a net behind it?

I used the Protee screen without a net and it worked fine- no issues with rebounds or anything. That said, anything you can do to prolong the life of the screen will be better. As you will see from heavily used screens, these things get indents in them that over time have the effect of just stretching them out in the main impact areas. Having something behind the screen will in theory reduce the amount the screen will stretch back in the impact area. I had purchased a net with the idea of putting in front of the screen, but really didn't like that. So i put it behind the screen. Not sure it is helping that much on the stretching issue. I think the net has to be really tight again the screen to really help. I'm not sure my net can get tight enough to help much. I think a thick strip of upholstery foam behind the center of the screen (that stays right up next to the screen) might be a good idea. Could increase bounce back too much? Wouldn't need to have it cover the entire back of the screen- just cover the center 6' vertical strip (which is where 95% of fast-moving shots would hit).

[mjbgolf]

Sounds like I need to plan something behind the screen. I have a bunch of extra 1" insulation foam sheets that I was going to take back to Lowes.

See pic.

I plan on placing the screen 8" away from the back wall in the picture. Would it be good to place 8 of these sheets behind the center of the screen so that one sheet actually touches the back of the screen. I would think this would absorb all of the impact.
Another issue, I'm trying to figure out the size I need. I'm going to use slotted angle iron to attach the screen to the wall. I'm not sure what type of bungee I need and what the gap would be between the grommet and the angle iron. See pic.

[Maverick]

I would suggest you leave some gap between the foam and the back wall. Maybe 5-6". If the foam is up against the back wall, you might get some serious rebounds.

[mjbgolf]

What type of bungees do you use?

[Maverick]

I use 6" bungee cords from home depot. I don't think they will work if you're using angle irons.

[HWoods]

Hey Matt,

I just installed my screen last week with angled iron, same design as yours. Here is how I did it:

-Angled iron 1 1/2" in width
-Gap between angled iron and screen was 3" (i measured it all around as I installed it.)
-I used 10 inch bungee cords with small hooks. If you get 10 inch bungees with huge hooks it could be a bit long.
-I was advised to not use grommet, to hem up the sides and so I did. 2 Inch double stitched on the perimeter.
-I have an extra foot of screen hanging at the bottom

It works great.

[mjbgolf]

I just installed my screen last week with angled iron, same design as yours. Here is how I did it:

I'm doubling mine as a home theater and want to attach something to the angle iron to create a nice look. I want to look like the simulator on the aboutgolf website. I'm thinking of building a triangular vertical tube out of plywood, then wrapping it with a carpet or padded fabric and attached it to the iron to create a frame. The triangle is so the face is at an angle and would deflect a ball to the screen if a stray ball hit it. For the ceiling, I was thinking having a heavy fabric drooped from the screen to about 4-feet away almost like you see at movie theaters, to catch those wedge shots. Kinda like the picture. Are you planning on doing anything like this?

[HWoods]

Hey Matt,

You mean to cover up the bungees? If you want something professional you can talk to Cory from Par2Pro. He has some nice ones he can have custom made for you. What I did is put black foam all around my angled iron so you can't see it at all. After that I will put black curtains along the sides and the top. It will look like a home theater. I haven't done the curtain part yet, its the only thing left in my setup.

Bottom line is how much you are willing to spend. If you are willing to spend 500 or more, you can have something custom designed but from images I've seen of other people's setups, black curtains work nicely.

Cheers,
Rick