Simulator Build/Equipment Questions

[ncube]

First post on the site.

So I decided I "needed" a golf simulator about two months ago. Since then I've been reading posts on this forum, it seems like constantly. The information I have gained from reading posts on this site has been instrumental in helping me make build/equipment decisions. Thanks to everyone on this site for that. I, however, still have some unanswered questions and am hoping to get confirmation that the equipment I am planning to purchase is appropriate for my build/space.

The first decision I had to make was whether to build the simulator in my basement or my garage. I ultimately decided on the garage because the 9' ceilings in my basement are really only 8' 7"... bummer. Lesson learned. If I ever build another house or add to this one I'm going deep. By contrast, my garage has ceilings that are 14' 7".

I opted to build a 2x4 enclosure with the following dimensions 13W x 10.5H (9.5H where the screen will be mounted) x 14L. Here's some pictures of the area "pre-build" and build so far.



I plan to cover the framing with plywood. With the plywood up I'll then crown staple 1/4 inch cork sheet underlayment and a black indoor/outdoor carpet recommended by the folks at GSA and purchased at the Home Depot to the plywood. It looks like others that have used carpet covered plywood panels covered each panel and then secured those covered panels to the wall/ceiling. I plan on putting up all the plywood and then covering the panels based on the 1x6 linear feet carpet strips from HD. Hopefully this works well. Ideally, I won't be able to see where the carpet strips abut each other and things will look very uniform and professional.

I plan to purchase the par2pro HQ2 custom screen with a viewable area of 142" x 107". These screen dimensions give me a perfect 4:3 aspect ratio for complete screen coverage. The area I've framed out for the screen is actually 156" wide x 114" high. I had to angle some plywood panels down (as you'll see in the picture above) from the 10'6" ceiling to decrease the height of the area where I plan to mount the screen to angled iron with bungee cords. The reason I did that was to ensure the screen valence/cover that will velcro from the angled iron to the screen is uniform on the top and sides, i.e., 7" all the way around. I guess that's my OCD getting the best of me.

Has anyone purchased the screen valence/cover from par2pro? I plan to, but would be interested in feedback before I do if possible. I'm guessing it'll be a quality product like most everything else they sell (based on feedback on this site).

I purchased the GC2a about three weeks ago and haven't even got it out of the box. I'm waiting til the simulator build is complete.

I plan to use the GC2a with the ProTee and TGC software.

For a CPU I plan to purchase an Asus G11 currently being sold at BestBuy for $799. The Model Number and SKU are:

• Model: G11CD-B11/B
• SKU: 5070700

Based on my research, this mid-range gaming computer will do a great job of running the software with the 970 GTX graphics card and i5 6th gen processor. That said, I am not a computer expert and would like confirmation that this will work based on its specifications. Am I missing anything here?

For a projector, I am fairly set on the Optoma EH415ST. This HD projector appears to remain fairly bright even after running it in a 4:3 mode, as opposed to it's native resolution of 16:9. That brings up another question. Will a 4:3 image being projected from a projector with a native 16:9 aspect ratio still be HD? Am I wasting money trying to buy a full HD projector if I'm going to project a 4:3 image? Should I be buying some other projector? Based on the projector central calculator, I'll be mounting this projector 7'11" from the screen to get an image of 142" x 107". I plan to hit 9-10' from the screen. Will the projector being mounted 1-2' in front of the ball striking area, on the 10'6" ceiling, be in harm's way?

Lastly, I am having a hard time deciding on a hitting mat. I'm inclined to purchase the single stance fiber built mat and use the sand/rough inserts (these are the same material except color) with two fairway inserts. From what I've read, it sounds like the fiber built is a pain to putt off of. The question I have is whether the GC2 would allow me to hit off of the fiber built and then putt on the stance mat without moving the GC2? If I have to move the LM everytime I need to putt that's a deal killer for me, no matter how nice the fiber built mat is. I'd be interested in hearing what other GC2 owners use to meet in the middle with respect to a good hitting area and a good putting surface.

I appreciate any feedback.

[mthunt]

I like everything you said except the Mat. I'm not a fan. Try the true strike or CCE.

[mbwhite]

What don't you like about the Fiberbuilt mat?

[mthunt]

It's too forgiving, doesn't give great feedback IMO and most I've used cake the bottom of the club in plastic. Add to that it is terrible to putt off. If your expending pain, it's more likely you're going too deep. True strike is gel filled and real easy on the elbow.

[mbwhite]

I've learned the hard way with the mat....The CCE is great as a stance mat but it is very firm to hit from. After and evening hitting from it everything hurts. I just ordered 2 fairway inserts from Fiberbuilt to use to hit from. Will let you know how it feels in comparison when i try it out. The two 1ftx1ft squares just arrived today.

[andygg1986]

The GC2 has a decent size hitting area, but I doubt you could putt off of a different section of the mat. I maybe have 5 or 6 inches side to side that it will read. Personally I didn't like putting on the CCE. The ball tended to bounce sideways on softly hit putts. I went with the DIY truestrike solution. There is a thread on here with detailed instructions. It works much better for putting and is easier on the wrists and elbows

[ncube]

I've learned the hard way with the mat....The CCE is great as a stance mat but it is very firm to hit from. After and evening hitting from it everything hurts. I just ordered 2 fairway inserts from Fiberbuilt to use to hit from. Will let you know how it feels in comparison when i try it out. The two 1ftx1ft squares just arrived today.

So what do you think of the fiber built inserts after having had a chance to use them? At this point I'm leaning toward the MK7 true strike mat, but haven't ruled out the DIY solution.

[aeroburner]

the protee system comes with the fiberbuilt and its the next best thing to sliced bread with my bad elbow joint, and my M2 have hit a thousand shots on it and still look like off the showroom floor. I here what MT is saying on the not friendly aspect of a launch monitor but for protee its sensational as we have a separate area that we putt from.

[mbwhite]

i've only had a chance to hit a few balls from them....its different. definitely softer but it really makes you focus on hitting ball first, if you hit before the ball the club goes deep into the surface and the ball hits the top of the club face. maybe it will take time to adjust, where on the CCE it didnt matter how hard you hit down into the mat. will keep you posted once i get a full evening hitting some balls.

[ncube]

Plywood is up. 1/4" sheet cork arrives tomorrow. Had to order cork off Amazon as it wasn't available at the local HD. I should have the cork and carpet up soon. I've ordered the screen and software from Preston at Par2Pro. Still exploring options on projector, computer, and turf.

Can anyone confirm 2.7 Gigahertz is fast enough to run TGC? Again it's an i5 6th generation processor.

[aeroburner]

its the graphics card that needs to be identified

[p3eps]

Why are you boxing off the ceiling when there is much more height above it? I've read alot of people complaining that they're not able to hit full wedges as they hit the ceiling. By creating a false ceiling, you're actually creating a problem for yourself!

[aeroburner]

I agree with P3 is this for storage as some of your foot print is being taken away for the sim..

[ncube]

its the graphics card that needs to be identified

The graphics card is a GTX Nvidia 970. Will the 2.7 GHz processor be enough to get maximum use out of the 970? I've read conflicting reviews on this point. A lot of people say an i5 processor is enough, but then I've seen posts that say you need 3.4 GHz. Isn't it the speed of the processor that matters. 2.7GHz seems slow in comparison to others. I can spend the extra $200 or so to get a better processor if it'll make a difference.

[aeroburner]

I5 will be fine and on the processor speed I really do not want to steer you wrong on this there are others on this site that have a lot more knowledge on this matter, the 970 is bare bones though it will work but you may have to lower settings if you struggle but I would get input from a few more on here who are running a similar set up..

[ncube]

Why are you boxing off the ceiling when there is much more height above it? I've read alot of people complaining that they're not able to hit full wedges as they hit the ceiling. By creating a false ceiling, you're actually creating a problem for yourself!

I assume you're referring to the ball hitting the ceiling, not the club? I don't anticipate an issue if the ball hits the ceiling with a full wedge shot, which I don't think will happen based on striking plastic balls with a 60 degree lob wedge from where I plan to hit real balls relative to the HQ screen once it's up. Also, I will have carpet and corksheet on the ceiling plywood panels so that if a wedge shot were to strike the ceiling it would simply ricochet into the screen and drop which I don't have an issue with. Am I missing something here? Do the people that have the problem you reference above have protection on their ceilings? Most impact screens max out at 10' tall. Given my available width and desire to project a full 4:3 image my screen height was limited to 8'11". I'll have another 7 inches of impact screen valance on top of the screen giving me a total height of 9'6" before the ceiling comes into play. How far are those with the ceiling problem you mentioned away from the screen when they hit?

But to answer your question another way, I am losing a lot of storage space by making the golf simulator a dedicated space as noted by aeroburner. I have approximately 4' above the simulator that I can use for storage. This was part of the "pitch" to the wife when the plans were approved... lol. The other benefits of doing it the way I have are, at least from my perspective: (i) a cleaner look with the cords and power that I needed to run for the projector, and (ii) reducing the amount of ambient light that can reach the screen. Hopefully the black carpet with also serve to produce a crisper image.

[aeroburner]

I figured as much for the ceiling, that it was needed for storage, I think if for just the convenience of a sim all that you did was not needed as the space the way it was, was next to a perfect scenario for a sim set up. I think some were scratching there head on an undo cost until now. Good luck its looking good.

[ncube]

I figured as much for the ceiling, that it was needed for storage, I think if for just the convenience of a sim all that you did was not needed as the space the way it was, was next to a perfect scenario for a sim set up. I think some were scratching there head on an undo cost until now. Good luck its looking good.

Just curious. With the storage issue aside how would you have gone about setting up a golf simulator for the space differently?

I kind of had two problems besides the storage issue with the height of the concrete foundation walls and a man door on the other side.

[aeroburner]

to each his own on that, there are so many options that you could have done lets say storage is necessary, so what you built is all you could do. I do not know your swing or your height on this. But I will say this everyone wants 10' in ceiling height but get by with what is existing, your circumstance is that people are drooling over what was existing and you put it to where they are struggling, and the walls you put in had to support the storage so don't stress if it works for your life and your happy with it that's all that matters correct.......