Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Help with new simulator build questions

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Help with new simulator build questions

    Hello,

    I have started researching golf simulators to put into the room above the garage in the house we are buying. The room is 27’ wide by 20’ deep. At the center the ceiling is about 12-13’ high, and then it slopes off on the sides. On one side down to ~8’, on the other down to ~4-5’. You can see the diagram and pictures attached showing all angles of the room. I’d like to make it a multi-use room, with a couch/seating, a gym area, and a golf simulator. I’m thinking about putting the golf simulator using an enclosure that is 5’ deep and the hitting screen where the tv is hung in the picture now. That’s the gray block in my diagram (a 16’ deep by 13’ wide space for a full simulator setup). Part of the reason for doing this is due to the sloped ceilings - I can have it 1-2’ off the wall there and still get a full 9’ high frame setup, whereas that will be touch in other parts of the room without being in the center.

    I’m debating whether I try to put a couch and seating around it and also use it as a tv/movie projector as well, or whether I put a flatscreen on the other side of the room with the couch/chairs over there.

    I’ve used trackman’s a bit, GC2 and GCQuad a ton (at Golftec), and never used the EYE XO. I haven’t completely decided on a budget, but was thinking in the $20-30k range. I must say I love the club analysis feature on the GCQuad and am leaning towards that, although it is quite expensive, the righty/lefty thing is a bit annoying, and FSX isn’t the best simulator software out there. I’m not sure trackman is worth it in my budget, plus it would likely also take up the full depth of the room and barely fit, so wouldn’t leave space for anything else, which isn’t ideal. I’m intrigued by the idea of the EYE XO, which I didn’t know about until starting some research on the forum here.

    Would love some advice/input from folks if you’re up for it on a few different fronts:
    • As someone who really likes the clubhead analysis for game improvement, is it worth considering the EYE XO or not - is their club analysis close to as good as the GCQuad? And on the flipside, is the cost, ability to use non-FSX software, and no righty/lefty challenges a big enough advantage?
    • Given the ceiling height would be ~12-13’ above where I swing from, do you see any challenge with hanging a projector or the EYE XO from the ceiling there? And hanging them low enough (I.e. is it fairly straight forward to get a longer projector mount extension)?
    • How good is the movie/tv image quality on an impact screen? I can’t seem to think of a way to have a removable screen and enclosure that’s easy to use if I wanted a theater screen behind it. Saw some folks trying that, but not sure it would work for me given I need an enclosure
    • For frame enclosures, I’m wondering if I could work out a way to make the left side more of a curtain that can be pulled back when using tv/movie, so people in other half of the room could see - ever seen that?
    • Are the DIY kits from someone like Carl’s place worth the value if going with an EYE XO? Or the “eagle” package from foresight (saw it on Costco for $20k) vs. getting individual components. Seems like it could save a fair amount of money.
    • If doing DIY - any perspectives on something like a Net Return Simulator Series Golf Net & Screen (seems quite expensive at $4,000 for 12’ wide) vs. a DIY Enclosure Kit from Carl’s Place for $1500 for the 16:10, 5’ depth, 8’x12’ premium kit with netting (plus an unspecified amount to get tubing at Home Depot)
    • Is 4k for projector (plus the graphics card horsepower) going to be worth it, or is the software not good enough?
    Sorry for the deluge of questions, and thanks for entertaining/helping me . We won’t actually close on the house for another 1.5 months or so, but I am deep down the rabbit hole at the moment and dreaming of keeping my swing going over the long winter ahead.


  • #2
    I've been using my EyeXO for about 6 weeks now, and have been happy with all the data and numbers provided by the unit.

    I'll let others comment on your other questions, but to answer the ceiling height/hanging question...I have 12' ceilings in my garage, and went with threaded black pipe and flanges to mount to the ceiling, drop the projector/LM as needed, and then flanged to a small piece of plywood to mount the brackets. Its a pretty clean setup and rock solid for my needs, and was a lot cheaper than getting projector extensions and other ad-hoc solutions to mounting the hardware at the correct height.

    Good luck with the build!
    Attached Files
    Last edited by chrisward3; 08-19-2021, 04:54 PM.

    Comment


    • ozzy
      ozzy commented
      Editing a comment
      Thank you!

  • #3
    so you want the screen on wall just right of door opening and where the tv is?

    With vaulted ceilings, its always a little tricky to get the enclosure setup properly and where to swing

    looking at it quickly, you should have no issues with RH, but RH/LH might be an issue since the wall in the right is sloped.

    If you use a portable unit like the GCQuad then you can easily do RH/LH.

    Can you fit a 12 long x 9 high screen? that would give you an almost perfect 4:3 ratio screen.

    Give me a couple days and I will get you a quick layout.

    You could do a 5 ft side/top and run curtains another 5 ft or so for added protection.

    thx

    Chip
    Spectrum Golf




    Comment


    • #4
      Yes - was thinking screen on the wall right of the door opening where the tv is. I hear you on the LH swing because there is less ceiling height all the way on the right side. That could be an issue - will need to double check next time I get in the house (which might not be for a few weeks) based on the slope amount. I think it could be ok, but not 100% sure.

      Another option is rotated 90 degrees with screen on the right side where the windows are, but set off the wall 1-2' (both for impact and for ceiling height). See attached diagram. These diagrams are actually to scale for the distance space required

      I could do 12' wide by 9' high. Although I'd probably prefer a 16:10 type aspect ratio (so more like 13'x8' or 13'x8.5' or something like that).

      I think 5' side/top would probably be plenty. Especially if I have some temporary netting I could pull out in case I have people playing who are not so good at golf. I'm just wondering if I could do even less than that on one side and use curtains instead, so you could push them all the way back to the wall when you are using it as a movie or tv screen.
      Attached Files
      Last edited by ozzy; 08-19-2021, 09:26 PM.

      Comment


      • #5
        Love my EYEXO and the software. It’s all you need to get really good.

        My experience is that you won’t want to watch movies on a used impact screen. Any significant use (granted, I hit 26000 balls in two years on my old SkyTrak), will destroy your image quality. Get a retractable screen for your movie watching or don’t bother…but I’d lean towards don’t bother. Your hitting area will be in the way of prime seating area for movies anyway.

        I’m gonna take it one step further. Consider not even getting a screen and hit into a net. I know this is sacrilege, but I am alway fussing with my screen, it’s loud, and for most of my practice sessions I don’t even turn the projector on.

        I helped my buddy set up a budget system in his garage with just a mat, a SkyTrak, a Rucker SPDR net, and an iPad and a TV. It was like going on stealth mode. No loud crack when you hit the screen - and you could practice without disturbing other people in the house.

        I’m tempted to downgrade to a large TV beside the simulator and sell my projector at this point.

        Anyway, here was my solution to the projector and EyeXO mounting problem.
        Attached Files

        Comment


        • ozzy
          ozzy commented
          Editing a comment
          Thanks - helpful perspective and love the photo. My original plan was to just put a big TV on the wall in a different part of the room for movie/tv watching for that reason. I couldn't figure out how to get seating to work well and thought sight lines might be obscured.

        • golfsimulatorsite
          golfsimulatorsite commented
          Editing a comment
          Why is they a big vertical line in your screen?

          cool setup with vaulted ceiling

        • GutterSnipe
          GutterSnipe commented
          Editing a comment
          To answer about the vertical line, that was a rug I hung up there. Cannot recommend, it created all kinds of fluff and dust in the room when I hit it.

      • #6
        I think I've finally figured out the projector situation and it is far more complicated than I thought. Essentially, some of the very short-throw projectors (0.5) like the Optima GT1090HDR that look great, likely aren't going to work for me for two reasons: 1) for a 14' wide screen they will likely conflict with the EYEXO mounting point; and 2) If I use an enclosure with a 5' overhang, the vertical offset is just too much and the overhang will pretty significantly cut into the image. So ideally I need a projector with a throw of more like 0.8 - of which the only real good options I can find that aren't crazy expensive are the BenQ TH671ST-W or BenQ TK700STi (for 4k). I'm slightly worried these won't be bright enough though, given there are a lot of windows in the room and I'm not going to be able to control ambient light that well. And if I want 4k I'm going to have to pay ~$600 more for a graphics card (assuming I can find a 3070TI or 3080 anywhere for a reasonable price).

        The other challenge I'm facing at the moment is that I was originally thinking about a 16:10 enclosure, but 16:10 projectors are quite expensive/rare - all the ones I'm finding with the right throw ratio are ~$4000. On the flip side, I think I might have space for a 16:9 enclosure, but those are also a bit harder to find/more expensive, so it's a bit of a trade-off. I guess if I didn't do an enclosure and instead put curtains up and padded the ceiling/walls maybe I could just do a custom screen size I wanted and get a shorter-throw projector like the Optima that will be brighter.

        Would a 7.7' enclosure be too short do you think? I could do a 7.7x13' 16:9 enclosure. I could also do a 4:3 enclosure I guess and just not worry as much about the TV/movie usage of it - that would make it easier to get a 16:9 projector and not have to pay crazy amounts for a larger 16:9 enclosure. Decisions decisions...

        Comment


        • #7
          Sorry can’t help with projector questions other than that most projectors have a range of mounting distances so you should be able to avoid conflict with the eye xo.
          what I would say is that for versatility of the space the eye xo is perfect as when you’re not playing golf all you have is an area of green flooring that can still be used for whatever else you’re doing in the room

          Comment

          Working...
          X