Garage setup complete!

[JayJo13]

That's a good question. The way it worked out for me was actually a bit lucky because I originally didn't plan to hang the sim in front of the garage door, I was going to hang in near the back of the garage. Anyways, it worked out way better and I got lucky because everything fit perfectly.

I couldn't really make the frame or screen any bigger, I don't think because when I setup the frame/screen I need a bit of room on each side to insert the vertical EMT poles into the top and bottom poles. I leave the 90-degree corner fittings on the vertical poles.

If anything I could maybe shorten the length of the top and bottom poles to give me a bit more room to play with on each side when I set it up. However, I like to have the gap between the screen and the side poles to allow for a nice stretch to pull the screen tight horizontally. So it's probably good the way it is.

I would also probably increase the length of the side panels (poles) to 6' instead of 5'. The reason I went with 5' was to just cut one length of EMT in the middle. If I had bought one more length and went 6' it would allow me to install the ceiling hook and chain in a stud rather than a plug in the drywall. It seems to be okay right now but eventually it will probably dislodge. Anyways, that's something I can do anytime.

The black mesh banner I used for the top is a bit big. It's 6.5' x 20' so it hangs over the back (which is good) and the sides. I wish it was 14' x 6.5'. I may cut it down.

I should mention the steps I have found the quickest and easiest to setup the sim:

1. Hang the screen from the ceiling (I use a ladder and hang one side at a time)
2. Affix the left and right poles to the top and bottom poles to complete the frame (I use a level)
3. Stretch the screen horizontally with bungee cords (tarp clips stay on the screen)
6. Hang white sheet behind screen (clamp it to the screen)
5. Hang the side panel poles and fasten to the top bar (the side panel material stays on the poles)
6. Drape the top mesh over the side panel poles and fasten to the garage tracks (stretch it nice and tight)
7. Hang the projector on the ceiling mounting bracket and adjust image on screen
8. Roll out collection area turf
9. Put down stance and hitting mats
10. Turn on laptop and load program
11. Tee it up!

Good luck and let me know how it goes!

[Tilly67]

Thanks for the details! Do you feel that you could have gone any bigger with the screen/frame sizes in the space you have between the garage door rails? Is there anything you'd do different having completed your first build? I'm ordering EMT fittings today and can source the 1" pipe locally here at Lowe's or Home Depot. Thanks for posting this as I was going round and round on how to come up with something that I could break down somewhat easily after playing. Garage space is important here!

[JayJo13]

The dimensions of the screen is 156" wide x 108" high. The dimensions of the frame is 168" wide x 108" high. When hung from the ceiling my screen sits right under the garage door track that runs down the middle. Speaking of garage door openers, the absolute best thing to do would be to convert your opener into a Jack-Shift opener, so then you don't have the track running down the middle, it's a side unit. Cost is about $400.

For the frame, both the top and bottom pieces are a 10' piece of 1" EMT and a coupler joining another 4' piece. The corners are just 90-degree fittings to connect the side pieces and then I have a "T-bar" fitting on the top corners where the side panels are connected to. That's basically it for the frame. If you look through this thread I have a lot of photos showing how it's constructed.

I'm going to shoot a video soon showing how it's made and showing how I set it up and dismantle it.

If you have any ore questions let me know.

[Tilly67]

Hi JayJo13,

Your build looks awesome and has given me some great ideas on what I can do in my own garage. Couple quick questions for you if you don't mind. What are the dimensions of your frame, I did see you mention it is 108" tall, how wide is it? My garage door is 16' wide and I have 110" of vertical space until I would run into the garage door rail that is connected to the opener. Can you list out the top and bottom rail assembly order and where the couplers come into the picture? How much cutting is involved? I believe I can source the EMT and fittings here locally in the Twin Cities. Thanks! Corey from Minnesota

[xfactor989]

Thank you, greatly appreciated

[JayJo13]

I will, for sure. Cheers!

[bubbtubbs]

I finished my garage golf sim last night after patiently waiting for everything from various suppliers. The challenge I had was I needed to be able to park two cars in my garage most of the time so I needed to design something I could dismantle and setup in a reasonable amount of time.

It worked out pretty good and overall I'm happy with the setup. It takes about 15 minutes to dismantle and store and about the same amount of time to setup.

The screen hangs from the ceiling but also sits flush with the floor I had it custom made and has a 3" sleeve running along the top and bottom. The side panel poles are also hung from the ceiling on one end.

Details:

All pricing in CAD

Screen - 13'x9 12oz Sawdust mesh - ordered from https://www.heavydutytarps.ca/ - $307
Projector - Optoma GT1080HDR 1080P DLP Short Throw from Costco - $1,049
Projector ceiling mount https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B01014WET4 - $26
Side panels - Photo studio backdrop cloths - https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07QW67NY5 - $22 each = $44
Top tarp/ netting - https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07WFTBHNL - $29.99
(6) 10'x1" EMT Conduit from Lowes - $16.00 each = $96
6' x 1" Pipe insulation to cover all EMT conduit from Lowes - $2.99 each x 10 = $29.99
EMT fittings from https://www.carlofet.com/ (4 corner brackets, 2 "T" brackets, 2 1" couplers) - $150 including shipping
Collection area turf (12'x10') from Lowes - $94
Tarp clips - https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07XFJQR2R ($16.99)
Bungees - https://www.amazon.ca/Keeper-Corpora.../dp/B000SZNPWC - $7.35
Hitting mat from https://www.dwquailgolf.com/dura-pro...-golf-mat-4x5/ - $175
Other hardware - Chain, carabiners, eye bolts, ceiling hooks, nuts, bolts, etc - $50


Total - $2,075 CAD ($1,454 USD)

I still need to build a proper stance mat and countersink a hitting mat as well as a putting mat - that's the next project. I also need to hang something behind the screen to reduce transparency of screen as it is fairly see-through.

I'm using an Optishot I purchased in March ($500). I also purchased a Mevo+, which will hopefully be here by the end of June. Then i'll get TGC2019 and E6 Connect Basic.

Thanks to everyone on this forum for all of the valuable information! This is a great resource when building a golf sim! Let me know if you have any questions and I'm happy to answer.

I'm bookmarking this so that I have some Canadian-friendly DIY sources for when I tackle my own space.

Let us know how things go when you get the new launch monitor as well.

[JayJo13]

xfactor989 The one thing that bothers be a bit is if someone opens the garage door when this thing is setup - I don't know what's going to happen! The door would run right into the chains hanging the sim. I always unplug the garage door opener when it's setup so that doesn't happen.

I store everything in a plastic bin and then completely remove the screen, lay it on the floor and roll it up (with the EMT still in the sleeves) and then hang on our garage wall with some brackets. It's pretty easy. I also roll up the side panels the same way. The only downside I'm noticing is the screen is getting a bit dirty with dismantling and setup so I just have to be a bit more careful and make sure the garage floor is clean.

I've posted a few pics below of the sim stored in my garage.

[JayJo13]

You're welcome

[xfactor989]

Thanks for the great write up. I'm looking for a similar build this winter. How do you dismantle to allow the cars in? Do you flip the screen up? Does it interfere with the garage door?

Thanks again

[Kareem Brown]

Thanks for the info. Great post and set up

[JayJo13]

I didn't pay duty but shipping was not cheap. The fittings I ordered were $66 USD and the shipping was $60 USD. I looked everywhere but I couldn't find those EMT fittings in Canada so I had to bite the bullet.

The side panels are pretty light but they should help. I haven't hit one yet. If I do I'll let you know haha

[Kareem Brown]

Did you have to pay duty on the things u bought from carls?

will the side panels stop my shanks lol?

[JayJo13]

Get moving on it! It's the best thing I've ever done!

Let me know if you have any questions. I'm happy to help out.

[JayJo13]

No problem! Yeah it's pretty difficult sourcing supplies in Canada, unfortunately. Dome of the items I ordered took 6 weeks to arrive (which is understandable). I will say the parts I ordered from Carls (https://www.carlofet.com/) arrived in like 3 days.