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Hi everyone,
Been following this forum for years and have building my garage sim in my head ever since I was living in a condo. Last year finally bought a home and the idea was slowing becoming a reality.
A lot of planning was involved and changes were required, but it all started coming into place once I put down the orders and it became "real" that it was going to happen.
Here is a rough breakdown of my list of costs and products and how the setup went. Couple of little pieces of advice.
Part 1: Description of my setup (Photos to come)
I long ago made a deal with my wife that my garage setup needs to be done in a way where she can always keep her car while we can quickly put in the other car since we live in Canada and there is tons of snow / we need to have the snow plowed in our driveway. After a lot of planning, I literally switched 3 times which wall my simulator was going to go on. Originally I was going to go with a EMT structure, but ultimately to keep the space I discovered the Stealth Elite retractable screen via Par2Pro.
Essentially my setup is that the screen is right in front of the garage door and I have two side panels coming down on each side. I chose the 10 foot option for the side panels as if I want the additional car to remain, I cannot take a chance! This also means for the retractable screens I need to have the velcro side protectors in order to make sure those 0.1% shots don't get through.
The biggest complication I had was involving my garage door opener. As its a traditional overhead at 8.5 feet, I need to remove and install a jack shaft. I called 6-7 places and they all said due to code you cannot use the existing tracks and I needed to change the entire thing which cost $1,800 CAD. The complicated part was that my contractor had supplier issues and there were several delays, problems as they had to custom build the tracks. Fortunately the door goes literally 1-2 inches underneath the ceiling so it was extremely precise. One tip for those doing this is to make sure when they finish the job to ensure the top and sides are properly tight to the wall. I currently have an issue with insulation which they are saying is due to my worn down weather stripping.......
Another big development was in January I was extremely happy to hear about the MEVO+. I was originally looking to get the Skytrak, but I was hesitant because of the 2-3 second delay and I am a lefty vs. everyone i know is a righty. The Mevo+ ALMOST solves all of that as I have ~ 11 feet width which is not enough to play in the middle. Still looking to find a solution for this as the Mevo+ is a pretty sensitive machine when you move it during mid-play......
Part 2: Setup Process
I first purchased the Mevo+ in May and knew about the 14 week (16 in reality) lead time. Afterwards I put the order to change my garage tracks and wanted to wait until that was complete before buying all the other gear (in case for wtv reason i couldn't and the dream was dead). A month and a half later my garage tracks were done and I ordered from Par2Pro the following:
1) Stealth Elite Retractable screen -- 10 feet (~$1,900)
2) 2x Side Panels (all motorized) -- 10 feet (~$1,660)
3) Velcro Side Connectors (~$133)
4) Wall mounts (Note: Did not need in the end and returned it) ($350)
5) Super High Impact Mesh ($688.50)
6) Wall mount (You can probably fine your own via amazon but I thought it was easier to just buy bundled and it wasn't too costly) ($48.99)
7) Shipping ($215)
8) Had a little bit of a bundle discount but I won't disclose in respect to Par2Pro
Here were the other items I purchased
1) Lightning to HDMI Adapter ($20): Disappointed with this as it works for my IPAD but for my iphone its really touchy as first 15 minutes it goes on and off repeatedly......should have just bought the official one from apple
2) HDMI Cable (25 feet) (~$20): I have this going from the projector all the way on the ceiling down to right next to where my ipad / future computer will be.
3) Wire conceler (3x$30 = $90): I used this to hide the HDMI cable and some power cables that are on the wall
4) Two foot step ladder (~$30): Instead of taking a big ladder up and down I use this to put on the velcro straps
5) Tartan turf (~$1000): I bought a big 5x9 mat which I am so far VERY impressed with. Right mix of grab and forgiveness. My back is sore from simply playing too much, but my arms and wrists are feeling great. Also bought a 3x5 for the MEVO+ to hitting mat, 3x5 for hitting mat to landing mat and a 10x3 as a landing mat to go across the landing pad. It is all fairly flush with maybe 0.25 inch height difference between the hitting mat and other mats. They are all fairly easy to roll up and put away, but the hitting mat is heavier.
Other Expenses
1) Electrician ~ $350. He added a 4 plug outlet where my jackshaft, side screen and one side panel plugs all go to. All right next to each other.
Part 3: Installation
Par2Pro was great with the service to answer all my questions. Also if I had any follow ups in terms of questions for the setup they were always there to answer. In addition the entire shipping process they were very responsive. I think if you are buying something for a project like this where its by nature DIY, it is always great to have advice and service....definite value in that. Highly recommend. The other feedback I would give is that often I would have questions and then there was a PDF where they had all the info needed, but I never received it. For example to connect the bottom of the impact screen to the sports screen Par2Pro gives you 2 pieces of black velcro in a zip lock.......but I had zero way of knowing that black velcro goes on the impact screen which connects to the sportsscreen.
The first step was to create wood support systems for all the screens/side panels. I had a contractor friend who helped me and he basically created the supports and it wasn't that complicated. Only complicated part was make sure the garage door on the way up did not go against it. Also my garage goes from 11 foot ceiling to 14 feet, so it was complicated to get to the 14 feet on the ladders we had available since its in the middle of the room and nothing to lean on....
The most complicated part of the setup was for sure the ceiling mesh. Because i have a garage door that comes on top, I could not simply nail it on the ceiling. So what we did was put tension wire along the outside of the wood supports and put tie wraps through the impact mesh onto the tension wire. I still haven't put it where it looks "professional", but I feel its tight enough and safe enough where there is virtually zero chance balls will go outside. I wish I had more advice on this topic on how to make it look nice with my unique situation.
The other piece of advice I would have given myself is to paint my wooden support BEFORE putting them on the wall. I didn't have the opportunity as my contractor friend purchased all the material on his way to installing.......but it would have saved me 1-2 evenings of uncomfortable painting high up.
Part 4: Putting the Simulator Up and Down
I think for the time being it takes me a good 20-25 min to have the setup all ready to go. The reason is because I have no clue what is the best order. But I think after trying 1-2 times here is the order to go with:
- Turn on projector (1 sec)
- Put all mats down in desired spots (2-3 min)
- Put front panel down followed by side panels (10 sec)
- Put on velcro side connectors (2-3 min)
- Turn on Mevo+, log into FS Golf and ensure tilt is correct (3-4 min)
- Log into E6 and put the course on (3-4 min)
Total Time = 10-15 min total setup time
For putting the sim away, it should be much faster
- Turn off projector (1 sec)
- Put all mats away (2-3 min)
- Take off velcro (1-2 min)
- Put side panel up and then front (10 sec)
- Turn off Mevo + (10 sec)
Total Time ~ 5 min
Part 5: Early Observations of my setup (And advice if anyone has)
1) Using the driver in my garage is LOUD. Also I need a lot of space and hitting offset to use it. I actually for the time being enjoy playing on higher up tees and simply playing 4 iron and going from there. With irons my baby can be sleeping right above the garage and she has not woken up once! Thank god!
2) So far I have had ZERO issues with the Mevo+. Took 20-30 min to get used to it, but otherwise it has been working well. I would say for the time being I am not going to doubt the numbers since I have a brand new setup also a brand new unit. But after tinkering.......I am able to get to my iron numbers when all works well to what I see outside.
3) Putting so far I find has been reading 19/20 times.......so i would say its accurate. But honestly putting is shakey as my turf I need to hit it almost 2x the speed in order to get the distance.
4) So far I have been playing until the battery runs out and its a good thing because it makes sure I don't overplay
5) Need to figure out how to play with RH golfers as it seems pretty complicated to move the unit back and forth and keep the tilt and alignment each time........
6) I need to put some sort of lighting where its near my hitting area but not at the screen. Not sure how to set it up because directly above me the ceiling goes up to 14 feet and don't feel like mounting all the way there a light fixture.....
I'll be writing more on a separate note for the Mevo+, but so far I am enjoying my setup!
Here are the photos of my setup. I'll be moving all the items around my turf....just need to find room You can see how it looks when its all rolled up vs. when its all down.
Been following this forum for years and have building my garage sim in my head ever since I was living in a condo. Last year finally bought a home and the idea was slowing becoming a reality.
A lot of planning was involved and changes were required, but it all started coming into place once I put down the orders and it became "real" that it was going to happen.
Here is a rough breakdown of my list of costs and products and how the setup went. Couple of little pieces of advice.
Part 1: Description of my setup (Photos to come)
I long ago made a deal with my wife that my garage setup needs to be done in a way where she can always keep her car while we can quickly put in the other car since we live in Canada and there is tons of snow / we need to have the snow plowed in our driveway. After a lot of planning, I literally switched 3 times which wall my simulator was going to go on. Originally I was going to go with a EMT structure, but ultimately to keep the space I discovered the Stealth Elite retractable screen via Par2Pro.
Essentially my setup is that the screen is right in front of the garage door and I have two side panels coming down on each side. I chose the 10 foot option for the side panels as if I want the additional car to remain, I cannot take a chance! This also means for the retractable screens I need to have the velcro side protectors in order to make sure those 0.1% shots don't get through.
The biggest complication I had was involving my garage door opener. As its a traditional overhead at 8.5 feet, I need to remove and install a jack shaft. I called 6-7 places and they all said due to code you cannot use the existing tracks and I needed to change the entire thing which cost $1,800 CAD. The complicated part was that my contractor had supplier issues and there were several delays, problems as they had to custom build the tracks. Fortunately the door goes literally 1-2 inches underneath the ceiling so it was extremely precise. One tip for those doing this is to make sure when they finish the job to ensure the top and sides are properly tight to the wall. I currently have an issue with insulation which they are saying is due to my worn down weather stripping.......
Another big development was in January I was extremely happy to hear about the MEVO+. I was originally looking to get the Skytrak, but I was hesitant because of the 2-3 second delay and I am a lefty vs. everyone i know is a righty. The Mevo+ ALMOST solves all of that as I have ~ 11 feet width which is not enough to play in the middle. Still looking to find a solution for this as the Mevo+ is a pretty sensitive machine when you move it during mid-play......
Part 2: Setup Process
I first purchased the Mevo+ in May and knew about the 14 week (16 in reality) lead time. Afterwards I put the order to change my garage tracks and wanted to wait until that was complete before buying all the other gear (in case for wtv reason i couldn't and the dream was dead). A month and a half later my garage tracks were done and I ordered from Par2Pro the following:
1) Stealth Elite Retractable screen -- 10 feet (~$1,900)
2) 2x Side Panels (all motorized) -- 10 feet (~$1,660)
3) Velcro Side Connectors (~$133)
4) Wall mounts (Note: Did not need in the end and returned it) ($350)
5) Super High Impact Mesh ($688.50)
6) Wall mount (You can probably fine your own via amazon but I thought it was easier to just buy bundled and it wasn't too costly) ($48.99)
7) Shipping ($215)
8) Had a little bit of a bundle discount but I won't disclose in respect to Par2Pro
Here were the other items I purchased
1) Lightning to HDMI Adapter ($20): Disappointed with this as it works for my IPAD but for my iphone its really touchy as first 15 minutes it goes on and off repeatedly......should have just bought the official one from apple
2) HDMI Cable (25 feet) (~$20): I have this going from the projector all the way on the ceiling down to right next to where my ipad / future computer will be.
3) Wire conceler (3x$30 = $90): I used this to hide the HDMI cable and some power cables that are on the wall
4) Two foot step ladder (~$30): Instead of taking a big ladder up and down I use this to put on the velcro straps
5) Tartan turf (~$1000): I bought a big 5x9 mat which I am so far VERY impressed with. Right mix of grab and forgiveness. My back is sore from simply playing too much, but my arms and wrists are feeling great. Also bought a 3x5 for the MEVO+ to hitting mat, 3x5 for hitting mat to landing mat and a 10x3 as a landing mat to go across the landing pad. It is all fairly flush with maybe 0.25 inch height difference between the hitting mat and other mats. They are all fairly easy to roll up and put away, but the hitting mat is heavier.
Other Expenses
1) Electrician ~ $350. He added a 4 plug outlet where my jackshaft, side screen and one side panel plugs all go to. All right next to each other.
Part 3: Installation
Par2Pro was great with the service to answer all my questions. Also if I had any follow ups in terms of questions for the setup they were always there to answer. In addition the entire shipping process they were very responsive. I think if you are buying something for a project like this where its by nature DIY, it is always great to have advice and service....definite value in that. Highly recommend. The other feedback I would give is that often I would have questions and then there was a PDF where they had all the info needed, but I never received it. For example to connect the bottom of the impact screen to the sports screen Par2Pro gives you 2 pieces of black velcro in a zip lock.......but I had zero way of knowing that black velcro goes on the impact screen which connects to the sportsscreen.
The first step was to create wood support systems for all the screens/side panels. I had a contractor friend who helped me and he basically created the supports and it wasn't that complicated. Only complicated part was make sure the garage door on the way up did not go against it. Also my garage goes from 11 foot ceiling to 14 feet, so it was complicated to get to the 14 feet on the ladders we had available since its in the middle of the room and nothing to lean on....
The most complicated part of the setup was for sure the ceiling mesh. Because i have a garage door that comes on top, I could not simply nail it on the ceiling. So what we did was put tension wire along the outside of the wood supports and put tie wraps through the impact mesh onto the tension wire. I still haven't put it where it looks "professional", but I feel its tight enough and safe enough where there is virtually zero chance balls will go outside. I wish I had more advice on this topic on how to make it look nice with my unique situation.
The other piece of advice I would have given myself is to paint my wooden support BEFORE putting them on the wall. I didn't have the opportunity as my contractor friend purchased all the material on his way to installing.......but it would have saved me 1-2 evenings of uncomfortable painting high up.
Part 4: Putting the Simulator Up and Down
I think for the time being it takes me a good 20-25 min to have the setup all ready to go. The reason is because I have no clue what is the best order. But I think after trying 1-2 times here is the order to go with:
- Turn on projector (1 sec)
- Put all mats down in desired spots (2-3 min)
- Put front panel down followed by side panels (10 sec)
- Put on velcro side connectors (2-3 min)
- Turn on Mevo+, log into FS Golf and ensure tilt is correct (3-4 min)
- Log into E6 and put the course on (3-4 min)
Total Time = 10-15 min total setup time
For putting the sim away, it should be much faster
- Turn off projector (1 sec)
- Put all mats away (2-3 min)
- Take off velcro (1-2 min)
- Put side panel up and then front (10 sec)
- Turn off Mevo + (10 sec)
Total Time ~ 5 min
Part 5: Early Observations of my setup (And advice if anyone has)
1) Using the driver in my garage is LOUD. Also I need a lot of space and hitting offset to use it. I actually for the time being enjoy playing on higher up tees and simply playing 4 iron and going from there. With irons my baby can be sleeping right above the garage and she has not woken up once! Thank god!
2) So far I have had ZERO issues with the Mevo+. Took 20-30 min to get used to it, but otherwise it has been working well. I would say for the time being I am not going to doubt the numbers since I have a brand new setup also a brand new unit. But after tinkering.......I am able to get to my iron numbers when all works well to what I see outside.
3) Putting so far I find has been reading 19/20 times.......so i would say its accurate. But honestly putting is shakey as my turf I need to hit it almost 2x the speed in order to get the distance.
4) So far I have been playing until the battery runs out and its a good thing because it makes sure I don't overplay
5) Need to figure out how to play with RH golfers as it seems pretty complicated to move the unit back and forth and keep the tilt and alignment each time........
6) I need to put some sort of lighting where its near my hitting area but not at the screen. Not sure how to set it up because directly above me the ceiling goes up to 14 feet and don't feel like mounting all the way there a light fixture.....
I'll be writing more on a separate note for the Mevo+, but so far I am enjoying my setup!
Here are the photos of my setup. I'll be moving all the items around my turf....just need to find room You can see how it looks when its all rolled up vs. when its all down.
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