New sim build: Help/Ideas/Suggestions

[amoney]

Hi all. I have been debating setting up something at my house for a while. Finally i decided to do some homework and see if sim build would be feasible. I live in a townhome with shared walls and have an area may be just big enough right at the entrance. I am 6 ft 2" and right handed.







I have attached a few pictures to show the area i am working with. I believe i will be about 4-5ft from the screen/net.

So i am tying to determine if a screen would work or if net would be better for the space i have.

If have looked at https://www.allsportsystems.com/golf...s-microbay.php (8x10) as an option. I am thinking the only logical place to put the projector would be on the wall above the stairs which would be at least 8 ft high.



But since i am so close to the screen, i am not sure if i will have issues with shadows. Looking at the the options at https://www.projectorcentral.com/ with a throw distance of about 13-14ft i see some reasonable options such as https://www.projectorcentral.com/Opt...ro.htm?id_=180.

Not a fan of the floor mount for the projectors so trying to see if that can be avoided. If i go floor mounted one place i am thinking is around where my feet would be and it would have to be off center.

Still have to do deep dive into projectors to see what all i need. I only expect it to be used fror golf sim and nothing else. So might not need all the fancy features .

Another thing i was concerend about is sound. Since i do have a shared wall i can always look into buying some sound dampening foam/panels. I was curious if there is a noticeable difference in the noise levels between a net and a screen.

Also hopfully i dont hit shanks to the right . Will definitely be looking into side nets. The microbay above comes with them and with me being so close the screen it should provide enough protection.


So far i am leaning towards Skytrak as that is in my price point and should work for the space.

What do you guys think? Am letting all this shelter in place get the best of me or a screen should be doable .

[3on3putt]

4-5 feet from the screen or net is a bit close. You have to figure that your driver is almost 4 feet long and then when you're extending your arms on the follow through you'll easily be making contact with the screen. You may be able to swing short irons and wedges. I'm 7 feet from my screen and don't think I could go any closer. Any chance to back it up a couple feet?

I wonder if you could hit toward the 4'6" wall next to the fireplace. Would be a very small screen though. Could maybe just hit into a net in that corner and mount a large tv on the other wall for your graphics. Then you wouldn't have to worry about a projector.

[amoney]

So i did my measurements again. The table you see in the picture is about 2FT. If my left foot is about 7FT from the wall i can swing freely and not hit the table. I think there are like 2-3". I agree too close. I can move back 4-6" witouth any issues to give me more room. If i move back further i hit the wall in the back and if i center myself more in the room then i think i will be too worried about hitting the stairs on my down swing. Should never be swinging in that path but i think it will play mind games with me .

[Lynchdpm]

Unfortunately I would say the sound alone would be your major issue. My sim is on the second floor of my barn 50 yards from my neighbors and they can hear me hitting balls daily. IMO the sound would be significant

[amoney]

ouch good to know .

[3on3putt]

Maybe could get away with foam balls or the "almost golf balls?" The other way to reduce the noise would be to flip it around to hit the other way so you aren't hitting in the direction of the shared wall? Might be a tough space for it but keep thinking on it!

[amoney]

Ya will do some research on how skytrack data works with almost golf balls. I do see quite a few threads on them.

I think i can hit it the other way if i use a collapsible net.

[amoney]

Found an interesting post from a while ago where user did an acoustics analysis of the sound

https://golfsimulatorforum.com/forum/build-your-own/enclosures/44634-how-to-quiet-your-impact-screen/page2

So seems like different screens have different sound profiles. There is a video there that shows the difference between HQ and Carls screen.

Since the bay i am looking at will be 2FT from the wall i can certainly look at adding eggcrate foam to the wall to deaden the sound.


So far looking at almost golf balls i am seeing multiple posts where people talk about a loss of distance and lower spin and carry numbers. Not sure if i want to do all this work to only be able to hit almost golf balls lol.

Will continue to research on sound acoustics and projector setup,

[3on3putt]

When it comes to sound, it's not just the ball hitting the screen. It's also the driver hitting the ball. Using a net instead of a screen would eliminate any screen noise at the very least. But you would still have the driver sound to deal with.

Some people hit only irons and wedges with their setups due to a lack of space. And while that's certainly not ideal, it's better than nothing.

[amoney]

Thats a valid point. I can do all the research i want but can only test this out once i have the setup in place lol. So a net might be less risky investement if sound becomes a big issue for my neighbours. Would certainly be cheaper setup lol.

Whenever i am playing movies etc in another room the sound is pretty loud. May be i can always be playing loud music when i use the sim to drown out the noise

I was thinking i would strart with foam/almost golf balls and upgrade to real balls and start adding some sound dampening.

Time to start on some googlefu for diy net setups. I had found a one that even some one who is not handy at all was able to follow through: https://gunghogolf.com/blog/diy-impact-screen-enclosure

Hopefully i can find something simple of net setup as well.

[3on3putt]

One thing you could do is just hit some foam balls in there to sort of test the space out a little. At least see what you're working with as far as noise and ball bounce and swing room. Once you get comfortable with foam balls you can graduate to real balls with half swings and if you're comfortable there you can graduate to real balls with full swings. Just gradually dial up the noise level little by little to see where the threshold is.

[amoney]

yup that is what i was thinking as well and i think net might be the way to go as it will be cheaper initial investement in case this does not work out. Can always graduate to the screen