Ready to take the Sim Plunge - assistance needed

[AndyC]

Hello fellow Golf Sim fans,
First of all, great forum. I have learned so much. I am finishing my basement and including a golf simulator/home theatre room. I’d like your collective input into this setup. Please let me know what you think. Thanks.

Room Dimensions
Length – 20+ feet
Width – 16 feet
Height – 8 feet 9 inches from concrete to bottom of floor joists
Dimensions of ceiling header running across proposed sim room. 34 inches x 16 feet x 11 inches high

Proposed Layout
Impact screen would be positioned 12-16 inches from back wall
Golf ball positioned 8-9 feet from impact screen, centered in room with Short Throw projector overhead.
Back of Header is ~1 foot in front of screen and Front of Header is 4 feet from ball along the horizontal.
I will cover the header with a black, cushioned carpet, but the rest of the ceiling in the sim room will be painted black and open to the joists to give me maximum vertical room.
I’m particularly concerned about the Header running across the ceiling.

1. Will it obstruct my image projection onto the impact screen and how to best mitigate this issue? I would prefer not to reduce the vertical size of my projected image by the 11” of the header. Can I lower my projector ceiling mount to compensate for this? Should I consider a floor projector?
2. Will the header get hit by high lofted shots?

Equipment:
Simulator – Protee United BasePak with lifetime TGC 2019
Impact Screen – Retractable impact screen and black Sport screen to fill most of my width
Projector - Optoma GT1080HDR

I’ve got an unfinished part of the basement for storage behind the back wall so I’m putting in a door behind the impact screen which I will need access to, hence the retractable setup appeals to me.

[JayJo13]

I hope I understand the description of what you are trying to explain but it sounds like you want your screen to sit behind that header so basically the header will be between the hitting area and the screen?

If it was me I'd be building a 13'x7.7' enclosure, which would fit almost perfect underneath the header. If you went with a 5' depth enclosure the header won't even matter but you may want to install some padding or something on the bottom of the header where the enclosure sits. You should have 94" from floor to bottom of header so using the specs from Carl's 16:9 enclosure you would have to modify very slightly but you can get that to work.

Do you already have your retractable screen? Why would you put a retractable screen in that space? It looks like it would be more permanent. But you could still build an enclosure for the sides and top and just have the screen retract down behind the enclosure.

Also, as far as the projector goes, I have the same projector as you and it has a 14" vertical offset, which means the top of the projected image will start 14" below the middle of the lens (without using keystone correction). So your space should work perfect to mount the projector as close to the ceiling as possible and the header shouldn't be in the way.

[JayJo13]

Edit: Sorry, I just read the part about the storage behind the screen so that answers my question about the retractable screen. You could also install some side curtains and then cover the header in thick peel-and-stick carpel tile or foam tiles from Home Depot.

[3on3putt]

1.) Why not flip the setup so that your impact screen is on the wall opposite the door? That takes the header out of the way and also allows you to make a permanent setup and still use the door.

2.) I also think you would have room to put the screen in front of the header with a permanent setup and then still access the storage door by going around the screen on the side.

3.) Have you tried swinging in there? 8 feet 9 inches is pretty short, and will get even shorter with a hitting mat.

[AndyC]

Thanks so much for the opinions. I considered an enclosure, but I think I'd prefer the open approach with padding/carpeting on the walls. I forgot to mention I've got HVAC ductwork running along the ceiling as well so I'm limited on where I'll be able to swing the golf club. Glad to learn about the vertical offset on the projector. That will be useful.

[Joe M]

Hi, I had similar 11-1/2 engineered floor joists at about the same height. I replaced the wood joists with a 3-1/2 steel I beam which was rated higher in support strength and that gave me a tray ceiling where my backswing was comfortable in a 9’-6” space. The I beam were cut to length and delivered to me in New Jersey from PA for $200/ each

[Joe M]

Here is a picture of the steel I beam installed

[AndyC]

Joe M,

Great idea. I swing my driver in the basement and no interference thus far, but after I add flooring I'm not so sure. I think I will pursue your idea. Did you just add one metal beam? How difficult was it to install?

[Joe M]

Hey Andy, because of a header and plumbing/ HVAC ductwork , I was only able to replace one beam which gave me a 32 inch by 16 ft tray ceiling. The beam was about 17 feet long and it took 3 of us to install. We had it done in less than 2 hours.

[dwise2613]