Outdoor Simulator Setup

[jake]

There are some beautiful sim room build outs done by forum members - I've really enjoyed looking through all the different approaches.

With 2 young kids, I decided it was time to look into a simulator at home in lieu of at least some of the 50+ rounds I've enjoyed annually in the last several years. However, we live in a small home without space or ceiling height necessary to swing a club indoors. So instead, I dreamed up a design for a "3-season" outdoor simulator setup where I could stay sharp without leaving my wife at home with the kids every weekend. I live in Seattle, so persistent heavy snowfall in the winter was not a major concern, but I definitely needed something that would shelter me from the rain from early fall until early summer.

Has anyone else built their simulator room outdoors? Lots of different challenges to an indoor facility -> ambient light for projector, moisture and drainage, debris from trees and yard, wind and weather, grading land, clearing vegetation, etc. Also lots of benefits too, like being outdoors, doesn't cost indoor square footage, super-fun barbeques with friends and neighbors.

I think it turned out pretty good, I've put a slideshow depicting the process from start to finish together here if you're interested: http://1drv.ms/1Q4mqYu

If you built your golf simulator outside, I'd enjoy hearing about the process and seeing the end result.

[Snaphook]

Very nice idea. Have been thinking of something like this for my backyard.
Don't know if i am doing something wrong but i only se one picture?

[jake]

sorry about that, full set is here: http://1drv.ms/1Q4mqYu (also fixed the link above).

[Snaphook]

Wow thats great.
I think i need something similar:-)

[jake]

If and when you decide to break ground, PM me if you want to bounce ideas around.

[Ironstrokes]

That's awesome! Gotta love when you see the problem of no simulator space, most back off, but you said nay and made it happen anyway. Great work

[jake]

Thanks. Once I got the nod from the wife, nothing was going to deter me.

[TheCoupe]

That's awesome... You've clearly put a lot of thought into it... This is my first post lol but had to contribute as I'm in Northern Ireland... Most courses have been closed due to heavy rain from December, so I'm looking at doing something similar... Only starting with a 10x10x5 cage, and a high quality archery net, covered in a black 20mm netting, with a good tarp over that, then rather than having an open front, have a drop down 10ft canopy that can close everything up, but act as protection from the rain when I want to practice.

Only ordered my bits and bobs over the weekend, so hope to have it ready by the weekend

[jake]

Very cool. Safe to say we can empathize with one another weather-wise.

Is the 5-foot dimension on the depth (direction the ball will travel) or width (size of the front opening)? I found more width was required than I had anticipated to fit the lateral span of a driver swing.

I originally mounted two adjustable fishing pole holders at the base of the structure's front entrance. They ratcheted about 90 degrees from upright to perpendicular with the ground. The intent was to seat the poles on either side of the front wall the rod holders, allowing the entire front wall to bump out to about 60 degrees, creating a sort of awning that would keep it dark for projection with enough clearance for a driver backswing. First wind storm proved that the adjustable fishing pole mounts were not strong enough to withstand the force from the tarp acting like a sail with all the wind resistance.

Still looking for a better solution. Would love to see what you come up with!

[TheCoupe]

I believe most cages at golf clubs are 10x10x10 but I don't have the room for a large permanent structure, so I cut the depth in half, so it's only 5ft deep with my archery net set 1ft from the back.

I haven't quite worked out the 'awning' as yet, but intend for it to be able to drop down over the front... sort of folding up so the storage size is no bigger than the main cage, but can expand out by at least another 10ft for cover on a rainy day. Love we projects like this, but this is only temporary as we're planning on moving house in the summer, so I'll build a proper 'man cave' cinema / sim / poker room at the end of the garden lol

[TheCoupe]

Hi... what projector did you end up going with and how do you find it in normal daylight... or does your tarp cut out enough light for it not to be an issue?

For mine, as I'm very restricted on space... I'm thinking of building 'gates' onto the front of my frame, so that I can open them up, then lift the 'roof' that would be hanging over the gates and lock them into place for when it's in use... that way when I'm not using it, it will only use up 10ft x 5ft ground space, but will open up to a 10ft x 10ft area when in use... still a lot to determine and also waiting on a few other fittings to get the main frame sorted and tighten up the netting etc with a few additional grommets and turnbuckles.

[jake]

Lookin good! Zip ties make the net look nice and neat and I like the concept for the gates that extend the enclosed area for the golfer.

The projector I use is a Hitachi CP-X251 circa 2006. A friend of a friend works for the school district and just replaced a bunch in one of the schools, so I got mine free of charge. Its 2000 lumens and bright enough to use during the day when the tarp walls are lowered, but not when they are rolled up. Cloudy days are no problem, bright days can be a bit of an issue around midday when the sun is directly behind the front of the structure with the front wall raised. It works out ok if I just lower the front wall a few feet from the top of the cage to block the direct light. Definitely pay attention to how you position the structure to minimize direct sun exposure through the front, or figure out a way to shade the front entrance without inhibiting the path of a driver swing. This is where a 45 degree "awning" overhang off the front would help a lot.

Keep me updated as you progress!

[jake]

Here's a good look at how the projector works out during the day...

https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=5DA8B74A3920EFCE!6373&authkey=!AK9Sya0A5N7wax8&ithint=video%2cmp4

[TheCoupe]

Cool... I've got my eye on a few different projectors on eBay... one is an NEC rated at 5200 lumens think that could do the job nicely... and got a new tarp on order that will cover the current cage perfectly in one go

[MontyKristo]

Wow, great setup! How has it held up over time?
What were the dimensions of the space?
I would love to build something similar.

[jake]

Wow, great setup! How has it held up over time?
What were the dimensions of the space?
I would love to build something similar.

Hi Kris - the outdoor sim setup is still going strong. It's been just over a year since I completed construction, and I've found I really look forward to working on my game whenever I have a few minutes after work or while the kids are napping on the weekend. Not many changes so far - a few additions including a fan to circulate the air inside, a heater for the winter months, and a cable line run off the antenna on the roof of our house, which makes it the best seat in the house for watching a game while beating balls on the range. Oh and cup holders - these are vital.

This link still seems to work for the slideshow - https://1drv.ms/a/s!As7vIDlKt6hdsWOvUsmtAOTe8Gsf - if not, let me know and I'll zip up the files and send them to you.

A couple of earlier lessons learned along the way.

(1) Be conscious of water and drainage. This is true both on the ground and on the top of your structure. If you're going to build a retaining wall to create a level surface, slope the surface slightly for runoff and incorporate a French drain. Not sure this is absolutely necessary given the covering of the structure, but a good bit of 'over-engineering' at worst in my opinion. Also think about the materials used to build the frame and the shape of your roof so that it properly diverts rain. My initial structure was build using weak 1" aluminum conduit with a only a slight tilt to the roof. Well, this didn't work so well when we got our first significant rain, the give in the roof tarp allowed water to pool on top and eventually the weight brought down the weak frame. I redesigned using stronger steel fence poles with a gabled roof and now the structure is rock solid and diverts all water when it rains. Make sure the roof tarps extend down past the corners of your structure so that the water runs off the top and to the outside (rather than the inside) of the sidewall.

(2) The dimensions I thought would matter most, probably mattered least. The surface area dimensions are 12 x 18, including 6-inch timbers that form the boundaries of the retaining wall I built to level the surface. The walls are 10ft high, with the roof reaching about 14 ft. at the apex. I'm 6'2" and have plenty of overhead space for a driver swing. It's actually the width dimension that seems to be more important. If you want to center your teeing spot so that you don't need to offset any simulation projection on the screen in front of you, you'll probably want more than 12ft of width. With the ball at the midpoint, that would leave you 6 feet of lateral clearance before you risk striking the sidewall/posts. If you stand about 3 feet away from the ball with a driver, you won't have enough room behind you to make a swing. Not really a problem given that most of the simulation software has an option to offset the aiming reticle to the side of the projection, so I just tee the ball up a bit right of center (for right-handed golfer) and align my sim projection aim point accordingly, works great. Similar consideration for the depth of your structure. If you're going to build a putting surface in front of range mats like mine, your mats need additional clearance behind you (probably another 3 feet at least) or you won't have enough clearance for a full swing without hitting the front tarp wall.

(3) Keeping out light and debris (and critters). Where we live, its amazing how many leaves and pine needles find their way into an almost entirely enclosed structure! There are some gaps between the tarp walls and at the base of the rear of my structure, and if I had it to do all over again, I'd be more conscious about sealing floor to ceiling by ensuring all the walls overlapped so less debris would get in. Would save me a 10 minute cleanup job with a broom and leaf blower every couple of weeks. Light is also a big consideration if you're going to project a simulation image. Again here, gaps in the walls that let in relatively little ight can significantly degrade the image contrast. Then again, I'm using a 15-yr old projector I got for free - I'm sure a high lumen projector would handle light leaks better, but I just didn't want to spend much $$$ on a projector that was going to stay outside most of the time (btw, I fashioned some weather protection for the projector using a hinged "rubbermaid" type storage box and a rubber gasket that encloses the projector mount, just in case some moisture finds its way in through the roof tarps).

Last thing I'd say is that I think the decision to create a proper putting surface with cups was extremely worthwhile. Being able to alternate between simulation and the tangible feeling of hitting actual short chips and putts to regulation cups has really extended the appeal of the setup. I'm sure there were probably other realizations made midway through the project - but honestly, the project was probably just as much fun as using the simulator. I'll be really interested to see how yours takes shape - if you want a second opinion on anything as you go, send me a note. I'm on the forum once every week or two. Good luck and keep us posted on your progress!

Jake

[MontyKristo]

Thanks for the great tips jake - I have plenty to think about!

[Thinman]

Did you anchor down the cage? Also, are the straps anchoring the tarp to the cage, or an anchor in the ground? I plan on installing 14" spiral anchors at each corner and then running a strap from the far corner, across the top and then down to the anchor to hopefully keep the top of the structure from swaying in heavy winds.

[jake]

That's looking awesome - what are you using for the covering, a tarp?? I bet the black will do wonders for the projection image.

My cage isn't going anywhere - once I rebuilt it with 1-5/8in steel fence rail, it was considerably heavier than when it was built out of 1-in conduit. Just to be safe, I used metal straps to tie the bottom of the frame into the wooden retaining wall I built to level the putting surface. The straps for the roof tarp also offer some amount of security to keep the frame in place and minimize sway in the wind. The straps are are anchored into the wooden retaining wall as well using these:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Keeper-Stainless-Steel-Light-Duty-Anchor-4-Pack-04520/204063301

I used these bungee balls through the grommets in the tarps to attach to the frame:

https://www.amazon.com/Kotap-BB-6B-Bungee-6-Inch-25-Piece/dp/B00DPLM5YU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473899525&sr=8-1&keywords=bungee+balls

Your covering looks like a single tarp or sheet though, so anchoring to the ground might be better in your case (mine has a separate tarp for each side of the frame, so they stretch between all edges of the frame using the bungees).

Nice work! Hope we get a tour of the final setup.

[Jerryb]

Just getting into this now! Very curious of your building dimensions. I want to do something similar and just concerned about exterior lighting. I picked up a 4200 lumen projector off a friend. The dimensions I am thinking of are 10’ W x 10’ H and a covered depth of 7’ I am planning on tee being 10’ or so from screen. Need to play with that. Projector would be mounted off ceiling. I would be hitting due west so screen would block sunlight in afternoon and evenings. What do you think?

[sbacon33]

Hey Jerryb...curious to what you ended up doing. My wife has "gifted" me our side yard during our backyard redesign. I have approximately 14'w by 20'L to work with. My issue is the height of the Enclosure as my HOA Gestapo will be after me if I do anything over 8'. My THOUGHT process has been to get a 8ft x 10.5ft Enclosure with 10ft side/ceiling enclosure with the ground projector sitting around 6' from the Impact Screen. All of that works fine. The ISSUE is that my hitting area would be OUTSIDE the enclosure and 14-15ft from the screen, which means any iron below a 6-iron will probably hit the ceiling instead of the screen. Any input into this? Happy Holidays!

[sbacon33]

Albeit old, this thread has been entertaining to read through. I have an area on the side of my house that I'm TRYING to build an Outdoor SIM with an Enclosure and ground projector. Without writing a book here, my issue is height as my HOA will completely lose it if I have an Enclosure that it higher than the Roof Line, which is 8'. SO...any setup will have me hitting outside the enclosure instead of inside it. If I go with a 8'H X 10.5W enclosure with 5 foot sidewalls/ceiling, that means the projector will sit outside the enclosure and I'm worried about both direct and ambient sunlight. Can ANYONE here offer advice on this setup? I've literally talked with 4-5 different companies (Indoor Golf, Gung Ho Golf, etc) about is and they can't offer much help as all of their designs are built for indoor use. Anyone?? Thanks!!!

[Brettster]

A picture is worth a 'book' of words, please snap us a shot of where your putting this?