Complete Start to Finish Simulator Build

[mikejuly]

Synopsis: I’ve wanted to be able to play indoor golf for a while, but nowhere in my house is there enough space to confidently swing a golf club inside. So I installed a golf simulator and impact screen in my office. Here’s how I did it.

BTW, I’m not going to mansplain everything in this breakdown. Many things are self-explicit, and others won’t apply to you simply because your setup is vastly different than mine. I can be reached at mike@moxiemeninc.com if you have any questions.



Contents
List of Materials
Measurements
Part 1: The Space
Part 2: The Frame
Part 3: The Hitting Bay
Part 4: The Projector
Part 5: Sides and Top
Part 6.1: What I learned Part 1: Impact Screens
Part 6.2: What I learned Part 2: Short Throw Projectors

List of Materials (prices are approximate)

Screen* $250-$750*
Frame Conduit $68.90
Canopy Hardware $103.82
Projector $600
Mount $22.95
Wood $100.00
HDMI Cables $14.99
USB Extension Cables $10.00
Drop Cloth Material $192.72
Curtains $288.63
Optishot 2 Simulator $299.99
Magnets $83.25
Misc Hardware including extension cords, fasteners, hooks, etc. $100.00
Puck Light $12.00
Anti-Fatigue Puzzle Mat $190.00
Soundbar $99.99
Laptop Cart $69.99
Power Strip $22.00
Synthetic Hitting Surface $50.00
SKLZ Golf Net $99.99

Total Material Cost: $2954.25


*In the interest in preserving the anonymity of the supplier of the impact screen, this line item is expressed as a range. I’ll explain at the end of this document.

Tools Needed: Ladder, utility knife, drill/bits, adjustable wrench or ratchet/socket, hacksaw/sawzall, circular saw, hearing protection, eye protection.
Suggested tools: Miter saw, table saw, drill press, jigsaw, grill ignitor.

Measurements

Overall Enclosure: 16’ wide x 16’ deep* by 10’ tall.
Screen size: 14’ wide by 8.1’ tall (187” diagonal).
Frame size: 15’ wide by 10’ tall.
*Measured to the wall behind the screen.

Part 1: The Space

At 6’4” tall (in tennis shoes), I personally need about 10’ of clearance to swing a driver confidently. The ceilings in my loft office are 14’ high, and the steel beams that run the length of the room are exactly 10’ off the floor.

People of average or below average height may not need as much clearance.

This corner of the room was chosen for its proximity to power outlets, and because it allows enough space from both a height, width and depth standpoint to install a proper enclosure.
The OSB flooring made for an ideal surface to mount the permanent fixtures to.



Part 2: The Frame

The frame for the impact screen is constructed of 1” aluminum electrical conduit hardware from Lowes* and miscellaneous fittings and hardware from canopiesandtarps.com. This was chosen because:

• It is lightweight;
• Sturdy;
• Easy to cut and assemble;
• They are sold in 10’ lengths.

*If you decide to go this route, I suggest that you purchase your conduit from Lowes, as their product is stamped with 1” hashmarks which make it easier to line up the holes you’ll need to drill for the j-hooks.



Assembly:
The pads were marked and subsequently bolted to the OSB floor in three positions: two on the outside of the frame and one in the center, recessed approximately 9” behind the sides. These serve as the posts, with the center post providing stability.

A horizontal piece was also installed at the bottom for added stability. The impact screen does not attach to this piece at all.

The 1” conduit pieces, each 10’ long, simply drop into the pads and are secured using the set screw.

The screen is attached to the frame with bungee cords and j-bolts, with a threaded end. Once the bungee is attached to the hook, the nut is tightened until the hook ‘closes’ against the conduit.





The impact screen was laid out across two clean tables, and each piece of conduit was marked where the grommets lined up. Since the grommets in the impact screen were not evenly spaced, all three conduit sides needed to be marked this way.

Once marked, the conduit was drilled all the way through using a drill press, and subsequented sanded with 100 grit sandpaper to remove any burrs.

The j-bolts were then inserted through the conduit with the hooks to the inside and the nut to the outside.


Attach the top first, then do the sides and bottom.





The bottom edge of the screen was secured to the OSB floor using traditional j-hooks and bungee cords.

To take the wrinkles out of the impact screen, the bungee cords were attached to the j-bolts and the nut tightened all the way, closing the hook against the conduit so the bungee cord cannot come loose. Then (with the set screws on the corner fittings and pads loose) the conduit was twisted 540 degrees, winding the bungee cord around the conduit.

Once the wrinkles were satisfactorily removed from the impact screen, the set screws on the pads and corner pieces were tightened, securing the conduit in place and maintaining tension on the bungee cords.

Pro-Tip: A miter saw is a pretty effective method for quickly cutting the conduit, but keep in mind by the time you’re done you’ll probably need a new saw blade. Always use proper hearing and eye protection.

[mikejuly]

Part 3: The Hitting Bay

The hitting bay was designed to accomplish a few key objectives:

• Provide ample room for both right and left-handed golfers;
• Conceal all wires as best as possible;
• Dampen noise of golf balls hitting the floor;
• Ensure that synthetic grass hitting surface is level with golfers’ feet.

Building Materials:

• 2x4s
• 7/16” OSB sheeting
• Double-sided tape
• ¼” ‘diamond plate’ anti-fatigue mat
• 3” construction screws

First, the Optishot unit was perfectly centered about 15’ away from the impact screen. Then, two identical platforms were built* and installed directly in front of and behind the unit. The total width is 10” and the total length is exactly 4 feet. Laying the synthetic grass over the unit makes it a total of 3” tall. The mat is 10”x48” and is the Ultimate Matzilla from All Turf Mats. They’re also available on Ebay.

*If you look at the pictures closely, you can tell that these were constructed using four, 5” wide OSB strips. These were the cutoffs from the full 4x8 sheets referenced in the next section.





Next, 2x4s were cut to lengths of exactly 4 feet and ripped to a width of 2 5/16”, spaced evenly and screwed to the floor, ending 7’ 7” away from the Optishot unit.

Notes:

• 2 5/16” (2x4) + 7/16” (OSB) + ¼” (anti-fatigue mat) = 3” – same as the height of the Optishot area with the synthetic grass on top.
• My entire hitting bay is 16’ wide, so the two sides had to be 5” less than the full 8 feet to allows for the Optishot to be perfectly centered.

A full 4x8 sheet of OSB was crosscut to 91” and secured onto the 2x4s using construction screws.

Finally, the anti-fatigue mat was assembled and attached to the OSB sheeting using 2-sided tape.



The other side was constructed the exact same way, with the only difference being notches that were cut out of the 2x4s to allow for Optishot’s USB cable to run underneath the platform toward the wall.



Not pictured: Once fully assembled, the OSB had considerable flex when standing upon the platform in certain places. For this reason, four additional 2x4s were ripped to the appropriate width and inserted into the gaps between the other 2x4s on both sides. There are a total of 9 ripped 2x4s spaced evenly under each sheet of OSB. This added much needed stability.

A triangular wood frame was constructed using 2x4s and OSB, and subsequently placed directly in front of the bottom of the impact screen, concealing the bottom horizontal conduit and the bungee cords that attached the screen to the j-hooks in the floor. The frame was designed to butt right up to the bottom grommeted area of the impact screen.

The purpose of the frame is to conceal the bungees and serve as a ball return of sorts.

The rest of the hitting bay including the triangular frame was then covered with anti-fatigue mat. After considering many options, the anti-fatigue mat was chosen because of its durability and ease of assembly and replacement, as well as price. A quantity purchase from an Ebay seller resulted in a cost of less than $1/sq foot.



Pro-Tip # 1: a table saw is a surprisingly effective tool for getting consistent, clean cuts on the anti-fatigue mat.

Pro-Tip # 2: With this setup, the Optishot unit can shift slightly causing misreads. To solve this, I simply squared the Optishot unit in the space, then wedged cutoffs from the anti-fatigue mats to keep in from moving around.

Pro-Tip #3: The synthetic grass strip had to be cut out for the Optishot sensors. To accomplish this, I took the plastic cover off the Optishot unit and placed it face down on the back (rubber) side of the strip where the sensor lines up. I then ran a couple screws through the existing screw holes into the rubber to hold in place. I then drilled a pilot hole in the rubber where the sensor holes lined up and used a jigsaw to cut the rubber out. After the main sensor holes were cut out, the holes were flared using a utility knife and a grill ignitor was used to singe* the loose grass pieces so the sensor could read properly.

*Keep a fire extinguisher handy so you don’t burn your house down, kids.


Part 4: The Projector

The projector I chose was the Optoma GT 1080 – a popular choice for golf simulators and gamers alike.
Because this short-throw projector does not have a zoom function, I couldn’t mount it in a static position. For this reason, I built a box out of ¾” birch plywood and inserted a piece of plexiglass on the bottom of the box so the remote could still be pointed at the sensors. The projector is mounted (using a standard projector mount) inside the box hanging downward.
The box slides back and forth freely along a 2x10 plank that spans the length of the hitting bay, positioned in the center directly in line with the hitting strip. To ‘zoom’ the picture in or out, the box is simply moved forward or backward along the plank accordingly.

Not pictured: A soundbar is mounted on the bottom side of the plank directly behind the projector. The wireless subwoofer was placed behind the impact screen between the screen and the wall.

Not pictured: An LED ‘puck light’ is mounted on the bottom side of the plank directly overhead of the Optishot unit.


Part 5: Sides and Top

The sides are comprised of two curtains made from what is called Commando Cloth – which is available from Chicago Canvas. They were hung using two pieces of 1” conduit that threads through a loop that was sewn in the cloth. The conduit is made from two separate pieces approximately 15’ long and joined by a union, with the looped set screws replaced with a lower profile screw so the material won’t snag.





The top of the hitting bay is covered with a black canvas 10 oz drop cloth, also from Chicago Canvas. The cloth is draped over the top of the entire enclosure creating a blackout effect.
The sides and top of the frame are wrapped with cutoffs from this material and secured to the frame with magnets.





Part 6.1: What I learned Part 1: Impact Screens

You may recall I was vague about the impact screen in the list of materials. The reason for this is because I had a poor experience with the product I bought.





If you look closely at the above images, you can see several black marks clustered in the center of the impact screen. The second image shows what the screen looked like from a side angle – the light reflecting off the impact points created the appearance of dozens of white spots. This was the result of only a couple weeks’ worth of use. Perhaps it’s normal for these products to show marks after some use, and if so maybe someone can chime in with their experience.

The golf balls and clubs I used were clean, and the retailer had no explanation for why this was happening to a premium product.

This is set up in my office, and the projector area’s primary use is for presentations, training sessions, etc. We also use the screen to watch movies and hockey games, and the spots were a horrible distraction and didn’t make for a professional appearance.

The retailer was gracious enough to send me a replacement product, and the purpose of this piece isn’t to review the products as much as it is to illustrate how I built out my setup. Furthermore, I’m not really interested in posting statements that might hurt someone’s business, so I the retailer in question won’t be disclosed.

Despite installing the replacement screen, I didn’t have much confidence that I’d get a different result* than before. For that reason, I bought an 8x8 SKLZ net from Amazon. While not an ideal solution, it serves the intended purpose of protecting the screen from additional blemishes.

*These concerns were not unfounded. Some time later, an errant shot hit the impact screen directly. Sure enough, after I turned off the projector, I noticed a round dark circle on the screen from that single impact.



Part 6.2: What I learned Part 2: Short Throw Projectors

The projector I chose has excellent brightness, picture quality and features at a very reasonable price point. All in all, I couldn’t be happier with the purchase.

What I didn’t know that I wish I’d know is just how difficult it can be to get a short throw projector to display a straight image. I’ve since learned that ST projects must be pretty much perfectly square to the center of the screen, and the screen must be perfectly perpendicular to the ceiling (or floor) as well.

Since my office is in a century-old building, achieving this level of precision is pretty much impossible. The keystone function helps, but I’ve pretty much given up getting all four sides perfectly parallel to one another.

Having said all that, I can’t say that knowing this ahead of time would have ended up changing my buying decision, but it would have been nice to know what I was signing up for.

[wbond]

Cool write up. The next thing will be upgrading from the opti shot to something else. It's a crazy addiction and you learn a lot along the way and there is a lot of hindsight. Nice job. I wonder though, is the black flooring picking up a lot of dust/dirt and when the ball lands are they getting dirty and contributing to the screen issue? Do you have a room to mount another screen in front that you could use for your presentations?

[mikejuly]

Thanks Man. I've learned a lot from this forum - thought it was time to give something back.

Moving on from Optishot is in the works - Skytrak is sort of the next step up but I'm also planning on checking out Opti's new product when it comes out, Ball Flight.

As to the screen, yes the anti-fatigue mat does get pretty dusty but that wasn't the issue - if that were the case you wouldn't have the side angle issue. What I think was happening was the spin from the ball was loosening the fibers in the screen or some such - and repeated impacts may have been stretching the fibers too. It's also possible that I had too much tension on the screen - however no guidelines were provided as to how tight the bungee cords should be.

I've thought about another screen... I could theoretically mount a retractable screen to pull down for work stuff but the additional expense is a turn-off. I think for now I'll stick with the net even though it defeats the purpose if the impact screen.

[wbond]

You may want to jump on the next order for the direct from mill screen, you shouldnt have this problem. It won’t break the bank either, it is quite reasonably priced. Enjoy your setup, they are lots of fun.

[mikejuly]

It's impossible to miss unless you don't have a lot of ambient light in your space.

[wbond]

Well, I went out to the garage last night to check and sure enough I have similar marks to what you mention. It's not that noticeable unless you are up close, then you can see them plain as day. I think the more light that you have they may stand out more. It's not noticeable with the projector on.

[mikejuly]

My office has multiple LED utility lights thoughout the space, which probably accentuated the appearance of the marks on my screen. Most people don't have a lot of lighting in their garages so I can see where it'd be easy to overlook, especially if you weren't aware of the issue.

[gnomike]

Awesome detail, Mike... thanks for posting! Clever slider solution for the projector... I may have to borrow that idea (and claim it as my own of course... j/k). Question: any issues with the remote for the projector & the plexiglass?

BTW - although I don't know from experience (my sim is still in the planning phase), I seem to remember reading posts about marks on screens due to ball spin etc and that they occur more on more tensioned screens rather than free hanging ones. Hopefully someone with more knowledge will respond

[mikejuly]

Thanks so much for the kind words! To answer your question, no the plexiglass does not affect remote operation for the projector at all. The only issue with this setup is that since the box is more or less hanging freely from the plank, errant shots that hit the box can actually move the picture, so you need to readjust from time to time. The box and plexiglass have taken a few impacts so far and protected the projector perfectly, but it it's still inconvenient whenever I sky a tee-shot

I like the projector being up high for cable management reasons, but if I had it to do over again, I'd probably give stronger consideration to a standard throw projector... or putting it on the floor as I've seen others do.

Thanks for your feedback on the screen... I suspect the tension on the screen is at least part of the issue. The problem is if the wrinkles in the screen aren't smoothed out, it significantly affects the picture.