Your best ideas for "dual purpose" use of simulator

[fluxcapacitor]

I'm 3/4 of the way through my mancave/simulator build and have to say thanks to all for participating here - it has helped a lot so far.

I'm in a big debate as to making my room both optimal for golf - but also not losing out on the opportunity to have a nice, spacious theater room. I think I can get the best of both worlds if I think creatively. Dimensions of the room are basically 20' long, 15' wide, 10' high. (some pictures attached of current state)

One idea that has sort of stuck is to have a simple system of tracks on the ceiling to "slide" nets and screens into place when in use, and to slide them out of the way when not in use to take advantage of a uniquely designed painted wall for theater experience. (chicken scratch plan attached) The projector looks good on my current impact net, but looks amazing on the painted wall. Secondarily - its nice to not have to deal with a permanent "cage" like structure I had originally planned on as I make the move to hitting real balls.

So to me priorities are safety (being able to attach and close things off so real balls don't damage anything), looks (room still looks nice when simulator is in or out of use), and functionality (relatively easy to switch from theater to golf and vice versa).

Anyone with thoughts/experience/advice?

Thanks in advance!

[wbond]

It is doable, but may not look the greatest. You can make all pieces slide out of the way. I did this with an earlier setup. Use steel cable with turnbuckles. Then you can use carabiners to hang the netting and the impact screen. For the sides, i also used carabiners to hold the sides to the back netting. Pull the sides around the back and then attach, this way no ball gets through. Then you can use a bungee cord on the sides to tighten the impact screen. It would take me 5 mins at most to slide two nets in place, screen in place, attach bungees and carabiners.

Instead of steel cable, there is also a nicer option of using a rail system. I've seen it before, but can't remember the thread.

[BlechBOX]

I was going to say the exact same thing. Using i-hooks with steel cables and carabiners is the way to go. I also used bungee cords from the steel cable to hold the screen in place.

[fluxcapacitor]

Thanks wbond - that makes sense.

BlechBOX - hmmm - I think I get what you are saying, but could you upload a video/picture for me to get the full understanding? I think the main thing is the part about holding the screen in place. I may use a rail system, but am concerned it wouldn't be secured well on sides/bottom

[FaultyClubs]

I use one large U shaped curtain rod system.
Takes less than 30 seconds to pull out or push back. Works great. Good HQ impact screens are almost as good as dedicated theatre screens so you may not feel the need to switch all the time.

[fluxcapacitor]

I'm starting to think the same thing - the screen part might not be worth the hassle and/or having screen/net bunched up on the edges might not be as aesthetically pleasing as I would like. But I am interested to see exactly how yours works. And...are you using real golf balls? I'm concerned about "hanging" things (whether thats a net or curtains) not having any stopping power for shanks, etc

[BWJones]

I use the HQ screen from partopro and it works great for both golf and movies. The picture quality is very good, and the screen catches the ball well with little bounce back.

[fluxcapacitor]

Hi BWJones - thanks for the reply. Yeah I am starting to reconsider the need to use my wall. I do notice a difference, but this extra work and sacrifice for safety/convenience might be a little too much. I've researched some interesting stuff on "layering" (screen, net behind, sheet/etc behind that) that seems to be the way to go for stopping - even though you say the net alone does well. What kind of tension are you using? Do you attach all 4 sides to a frame, or leave the bottom detached?

[BWJones]

I am using "bungie" type cords connected to hooks on the rafters to hold it up mainly from the top. I have some cords on the side but only a few. I have none on the floor. It is a matter of ensuring the screen is just hung right to get rid of any wavy spots, and still allow the screen to catch the ball. Even my driver does not bounce back. My initial installation was too tight and I had a moving pad and blanket behind the screen. I now have nothing behind the screen and am very happy.

[BlechBOX]

BWJones I do not have personal experience with this as my screen is supported by a tight net but i have read that it is risky to not support your screen because you will more quickly wear it down and put a hole through the screen. There was another thread on it (I think in December) and people mentioned putting holes in their screens in as little as 6 months unsupported. They might have been using softcover balls or they might be long drive champions but from what i have read you should support the screen somehow. FYI I have the same awesome par2pro screen as you do.

[BlechBOX]

Hi Flux,

I found some old set up photos which aren't great but hopefully this helps with what I was talking about. Basically you use steel cables like in the first picture. They are a a foot or so wider than the 4 corners of the screen. Then you add two more the the ceiling on the boarders of the hitting area. Then you use carabiner hooks to hang the net and bungie to hang the screen. Works great for regular tv and sim stuff. I also attached my then final picture. Since then i have added a few more things in the room.

-BlechBOX

edit: If you want the same cables, nets, clamps, i hooks etc as me then contact the people at par2pro. They are real good quality and performance nets and as you can see i don't have much room to the right, not that i ever shank in.

[BlechBOX]

Thanks. I worked hard on it. I will say drilling into my concrete floor and cutting out the old carpet was a bitch but the rest wasn't too bad. You might be able to tell but i angled my nets inward to create a little more room to stop the ball. To be honest nothing has come close to hitting the wall but i don't take full swings into the side netting. When I do shank a ball it still hits the screen before the net. At most the ball bounces off the screen and then hits the net and it stops dead. The extra netting on the ground does help with that. I have 8.5 foot ceilings and a 10 foot net.

Regarding ceiling protection, yes i have thought about it but I think it takes away from the home theater look so i haven't put it in. I'm good enough to know what shots i can and can't hit but it becomes an issues for friends and family who want to hit my 58 degree. So far i have put one half swing 64 degree over the screen and it resulted in next to no damage. If anyone does come over a put a hole in the ceiling I'll just do some patchwork. Having said that I don't have kids yet which might change things. BTW I hit from between 8 and 10 feet from the screen.

[fluxcapacitor]

This is great - thanks for helping out. Hopefully last questions - any special tips/tricks on screen fasteners? Not sure if some form of bungee or some more "stiff" fastener would be better.

Also seams of screen/netting - I think I can figure that one out, but did you overlap seams for a snug fit or just fasten everything to the grommets on the screen itself?

[BlechBOX]

I and many others use bungee cords. You need to make sure your screen will give enough so that you don't put a ball through it. For the netting I made sure to wrap the side nets around the back so that it would be impossible to hit the side walls. I've had no issues doing that.