My Fold Up Golf Sim build V2 UK

[p3eps]

Back at the beginning of 2015, I had a go at turning my 2 car garage into a simulator room. One of the main issues I faced was that I had to have it collapsable... so that the room could still get 2 cars in if required. It took me several months to get it to where I wanted, but I was never really happy with it. I did a build thread here: http://golfsimulatorforum.com/forum/...lator-build-uk

Due to the fact that I'd already spent a load on a GC2, I was trying to do the room on a small budget. Unfortunately, you get what you pay for, and as a result I had a pretty low quality setup.
The screen was only attached to the ceiling, and was made of the archery weave netting. The image quality was pretty poor, and the screen continually looked warped, wrinkled, and out of shape.


Having spent a lot of time on this forum, I saw lots of other peoples build ideas and got envious! There are some fantastic examples out there, and mine was pretty poor. I hardly used it because it was a hassle to hook and unhook my curtains all the time, and I also felt like I had to tidy away my astroturf boards when it wasn't being used.

There was some severe flooding in my town at the beginning of 2016. Thankfully I was barely effected, but there was still enough water for my screen / curtains to get soaked - as well as my garage floor getting damaged. This gave me the incentive to start again.
Firstly - the water had got in under my "up and over" garage door. By replacing this with a roller door, I could ensure that I had a tight seal, which water wouldn't be able to penetrate. The added bonus being that it removed the requirement for runner rails inside the garage. Much more room to swing!

The next step was to get the floor replaced.
In order to prevent me needing astroturf or similar, I went with a "wet pour" floor, which is a safety surface. Essentially it's a covering of crumb rubber, and looks really good. I had it done in a dark grey colour with a silver speckle through it. They usually use this type of surface in kids play areas as it's soft when kids fall off the swings etc. I had them lay a thinner layer (20mm) so that a bouncing golf ball stops after a bounce or two - unlike my previous concrete floor which acted like a ping pong table!


From reading everyone else's build threads, I realised that the best way to attach a screen was to a frame - not directly to the ceiling!
The problem for me was getting a frame that I could make disappear. I spent a lot of time thinking about this and eventually came up with the idea of hinging it to the ceiling. This was only made possibly by the removal of the garage door runners - so another benefit for changing the door! I spent a lot of time deliberating between timber and steel for my frame, and eventually decided on 26.9mm tube clamp from https://www.themetalstore.co.uk/products/tube-clamp. It's very similar to the 1" EMT piping lots of people on here use, but the ends clamp together using a hex bolt.
As I wanted the frame to be hinged from the ceiling, it had to be pretty sturdy. I drew loads of sketches, and finally came up with this:


I was going to use the wall mount brackets as ceiling mounts. If I didn't tighten the hex bolt inside them, they would act as a hinge. I checked with the manufacturer, who confirmed this would work. I ordered it slightly lower than my ceiling, so that I could attach it to a giant piece of timber. That way I could ensure that I got ceiling joists. The good thing about themetalstore, is that you can specify the exact lengths you want, and they cut them for you. All I had to do was assemble it like meccanno when it arrived! I used a torque wrench to ensure that all the bolts were tightened to the same level. The last thing I want is something coming undone when its folded up against the ceiling and my car is underneath it!!!

[p3eps]

Over the last week I've done another few updates...

I tried adjusting the tension of my screen by playing with the bungee cords, and tightening / loosening the zip ties on the back net. Nothing seemed to help with the speed the balls were coming back at me. I spoke to Cory at Par2Pro, who gave me a solution.

I purchased a Super Kingsize memory foam mattress topper, and a kingside duvet cover. The topper was put inside the cover, and I then purchased a grommet kit. I put grommets along the top of the cover and also down the sides, and then hung it behind my net with some giant 1m zip ties. It's fitted pretty loosely, so that it absorbs the balls.
The result is amazing, and now the balls just drop to the floor rather than flying back at me!



Another thing I've done is fitted some huge hooks onto my back wall to hold my curtains up when the screen is retracted. I got some velcro strips to tie the curtains into a bundle. Once they're in a bundle, I can simply lift them over the hooks, and they're out of the way. Now the back wall looks completely clear when I have the setup retracted.

[FirGir]

p3eps,
This post is really well done, thanks for putting in the time. Do you think the netting behind the screen would be a necessary purchase if the mattress topper was the same size as the screen? Maybe two toppers hanging side by side with overlap down the middle area where the ball usually hits the screen? I'm new here and planning out my build and hoping my ignorance isn't showing. Thanks.

[p3eps]

I could probably take away the net, and just have the topper to be honest. The only benefit from me having the net is that it's stopping the topper pressing against the screen - which might show some ripples. I guess it also helps the foot and a half below the topper... if I hit a stray bad low shot, it would prevent it hitting the skirting board behind!
As I'm slightly offset (not hitting the centre of the screen), I only need the one topper.
In theory, you should always be hitting at the same area no matter how big your screen was... so a single super king size (about 6ft by 7ft) should be more than enough.

[Ironstrokes]

Very nice, always hear about people using the memory foam backer but cool to actually see a picture of how it actually can be hung and all. And still retractable too, awesome set up

[p3eps]

Very nice, always hear about people using the memory foam backer but cool to actually see a picture of how it actually can be hung and all. And still retractable too, awesome set up

Thank you! I'm soooo much happier with this than my previous setup. I'm actually using this one more frequently, and look forward to playing / having friends round.
The memory foam on my setup is offset to the right... as I hit off centre due to size constraints. I may have to pull the zip ties that attach it to the top a bit tighter to raise it up slightly. It makes a huge difference though - the balls pretty much drop to the ground.

[p3eps]

Another little modification over the weekend. My GC2 previously sat on some MDF that was wrapped in astroturf.
Recently, I stripped off all the astroturf and covered it with green felt to give it a much more stable surface. My astroturf was quite fluffy, but the felt leaves a solid surface.

I spent a lot of time working out where the optimum position for the GC2 was on this platform... and where it sat straight. I then got some thin strips of pine, and painted them black.
I nailed them onto the MDF with some panel pins, down the sides of the GC2.



The block of MDF sits parallel to my mat, pressed against the rubber surround. I marked the point where the MDF needs to sit on the surround, so that it's always in the same place. When I slot the GC2 between the pine 'rails', the GC2 is straight.



This makes it easier for me when I retract everything, or take the GC2 to the range... as I know exactly where the GC2 is meant to sit in seconds.

I've also put an SSD into my PC. I don't know if it makes any difference with the simulation software... but it makes the PC start up within 5 seconds instead of about a minute!!

[cspin]

Nice setup p3eps! What is the top trim piece made out of, and how does it react when a ball hits it? I have a 1.5' open area above my screen that I might use something like that to cover. I too have Velcro along the top of my screen that I could attach to. Thx!

[p3eps]

Nice setup p3eps! What is the top trim piece made out of, and how does it react when a ball hits it? I have a 1.5' open area above my screen that I might use something like that to cover. I too have Velcro along the top of my screen that I could attach to. Thx!

Thanks!
The top trim is basically some thick 'fluffy' velcro. It's the same as my side trim too. I've attached a photo of the side trim (easier to get off!) to let you see how thick it is. It's double sided of the fluffy side, so allows you to stick it to the screen, and then have curtains / top net stick onto it.
I have my bare metal frame covered in the 'hook' side velcro, and it sticks to that.
I've only had one stray ball so far that's hit the frame... and the side trim pretty much killed it dead. It gently rolled back at me like it would have if I'd hit the screen.

[Misike]

Fantastic build! Some really great ideas in here.

[p3eps]

Fantastic build! Some really great ideas in here.

Thank you! A lot of the ideas have been inspired by seeing other people's great work on here. The difference between my first build and second attempt is massive due to taking more time to research and do it right.

[p3eps]

Over the last few months I've had several PM's from people asking about sizes and distances of my setup. Each time, I measure the bit they ask about, and send them the info. I never managed to remember any of it... so I thought I'd do is write a list here of all the sizes / distances so that they're available for anyone that needs them.

Everything has been measured in meters... but google can convert it into feet if you need!!!


Room (garage) has a few oddly shaped bits to it - but at the widest part is slightly over 5m x 5m... and is 2.85m tall.
Because there is a door into the house along the back wall, I only have a little over 3m to play with

Frame:
3.10m wide x 2.7m tall, and 0.30m deep. There is a sketch of it in one of the first posts... although I changed the sizes slightly.
The front part with the screen attached to it is 0.40m from the back wall.

Screen:
The visible area of the screen is 2.78m wide x 2.15m tall. Hidden behind my top trim is another 0.50m of white screen.
Round the entire edge of the screen is 0.05m of Velcro for attaching the side / top trim to.

Hitting Mat:
My mat is 1.52m x 1.52m. From the tee position, it is 2.65m to the screen.
I am right handed, so when I'm standing on the mat playing a shot, I have 1.15m from the edge of the mat to the wall behind me - and 1.25m from the edge of the mat to the garage door (at my right hand side - opposite screen).

Due to my offset position, I am aiming approximately 1.78m from the left hand side of the screen, and 1.00m from the right hand side.

Projector:
My projector is almost directly above the centre of my hitting mat, at about 2.65m from the screen. As it's directly above me, it doesn't interfere with my swing path and there is zero chance of me hitting it!

[lefty42]

thanks i've read your post 4 or 5 times, i,m left handed and my son is right handed and most of my friends are right handed . do i need 2 v- cams one for side or just one

[p3eps]

thanks i've read your post 4 or 5 times, i,m left handed and my son is right handed and most of my friends are right handed . do i need 2 v- cams one for side or just one

I assume by v-cam, you're talking about a ProTee system? I use a GC2, and have very little knowledge of ProTee. I suggest you ask that in the ProTee section to get someone who knows to answer that!

if you're wanting left and right handed use with a GC2, the ideal scenario is to buy 2. Not cheap though. There is a turntable device available that spins the GC2 round for left / right handed use... but you need a lot of width for that.

[cooke23]

Wondering what drapes you have. I need drapes with the Velcro on the sides and I don't see them on the Par2Pro website. Excellent build man.

[p3eps]

I asked Cory @ Par2Pro about drapes when I was ordering my screen. I got the choice of the HQ ones that I have, or a cheaper option. Although the HQ cost more than the curtains in my lounge, the quality of them speaks for themselves. They are really heavy and thick. No way a ball is even making them ripple!

[agresset]

Hey @p3eps I have a quick question regarding your floor. Do you feel like the rubber damages the ball when it bounces? How soft is it?
Can you drive a car on top of it easily?

Thank you.

[p3eps]

agresset My floor has a soft feel to it, yet has very little give when standing on it. I've been on the same surface in playparks etc, and it's felt almost bouncy!

I checked with the installation company before proceeding, as I wanted to be able to put 2 cars in the garage on top of this surface. They said it's fine - just try not to do too much 'dry steering' as I might damage the floor with the rubber on rubber friction.
They put down a specific depth of rubber depending on your requirement. A playpark may get 50cm to make it soft for when a child falls off the swings. I got about 2cm - which is enough to soften the blow of a golf ball... yet still hard enough to drive a car on.

I use Bridgestone E6 balls, which only tend to get cut up when I hit full wedge shots. The floor doesn't mark them at all.