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  • Planning New Build

    Hey all, planning out a new build and have endless amounts of questions so I’m putting all my thoughts and questions together here. I’ve included pics of the room and I’m looking at as well as a quick sketch with dimensions.

    My max budget is 10-12 k, but I will spend a bit more if it will ensure I can turn this into a room where lefties and righties can play. I’d like to spend less if I can obviously.

    The room is in a high traffic area so I’d like it to be clean when all said and done.

    The constraints I have right now are:

    If I want a two way set up I have to have offset hitting areas due to the 12 ft room width
    This will be a home theater room as well so I’d like my hitting area 6-7 feet max back from the bulkhead/loft so I can fit a couch at the back of the room
    The open area behind the room sim room under the loft will be used as a sitting room.

    I’ll try to categories all my questions for the build by category

    Screen:
    Hanging screen – I was looking at retractable options I can lift up and down like par2pro’s stealth screen so I can open up the room. Will these hanging screens wrinkle and be distorted? I’d like this to be a movie room as well. How are they weighted down at the bottom.

    Is there a way to “tighten” retractable screens when dropped, or since this will be a media room will building a permanent frame with EMT be the better solution. If I go framed/permanent option any ideas for “dressing up” the back of the screen?

    Thoughts on mounting to the front of the bulkhead, or get the extra 2.5 ft of space and mount to the 8 ft ceiling before the doorway shown in the picture?

    At 4:3 and I’m assuming 7.5 ft of useable screen height if attached to a 8 ft ceiling my I’d have 10 ft wide picture. I also have the room to consider mevo +. Full wedges may hit 8 ft ceiling before screen at 45 degree launch.

    If I mount to the bulkhead and lose some depth I can get a higher picture height (8.5 ft) and fill out the screen (~11 ft +), but I will be 6-7 feet away from the screen, and am limited to skytrak or more expensive options.

    Any thoughts on immersion and enjoyability related to screen size and distance to the screen?

    Side Wall Protection:
    Curtain rods or tracks on each side of the room I can pull out and push back.

    How far away from the sidewall should they be? Rods are only about three inches away but I can shim them out with blocks .

    Any good link to good curtians.material for this application?

    Do I need to weigh the bottom or how do you secure them so balls don’t get under?


    As for around the screen area I thought just put Velcro strips on the side of the curtain and back of the screen and attach. Is this strong enough to capture balls?

    I’d prefer not to get holes in the drywall or have to build padded side walls, but will if no choice.

    Roof protection:
    Regardless of where the screen goes, I figure I have to have something sticking out about 3 feet from the bulkhead to stop flop shots or topped drives Only thing I could think of was put a 12’ long emt on tracks at each side wall with some material spanning across that I could pull out and push back. Been looking for some kind of hardware to accomplish this.

    Any other ideas?


    Also how would you protect that bottom corner of the bulkhead from damage/ball bounce back?

    Sim:
    If I want left and right golfers they have to hit from about 4.5-5 feet from the wall they are facing. So that’s potentially 2-3’ between the ball positions. I suppose another option is to just have iron only games with the righty’s. I suppose we could hit center of room but I’d like 12" of give then so I can still hit driver playing on my own.

    Would the mevo+ be able to pick both positions up without moving. I could potentally build a mount on a rail to slide it back and forth 1-2 feet.

    I read a topic where they were putting directly in front of the mevo+ and hitting full swing about 11 inches offset so maybe?

    https://golfsimulatorforum.com/forum/flightscope/309151-putting-and-chipping-issues-resolved-on-mevo-plus-using-tgc-2019

    Any sims not $25k with a 2-3’ wide ball hitting area? If I consider it how would you mount a uneekoor here with no ceiling and 5-6 feet from the wall?

    Projector:
    I can mount to a telescopic pole off the bulkhead and go short throw. But even better would be a wall mount between the windows on the back wall in the pictures. Will shadows be an issue based on the hitting location? Could get the projector up to about 11’ high.

    If mounted off the bulkhead centered in the room, with the offset ball position of a foot over, is the projector in danger?


  • #2
    Just really thinking about your space here... I think there are a few options that I would consider.

    1. Simulator... I think a Uneekor could be used... I'm sure there is a way to mount it at a 10ft height in your hitting space. (You could put a 12' span of boxed 2x6 in the area you require at the appropriate height and run your cables through the channel) .There is also a new FullSwing Kit system forthcoming. But its very sparse on true details yet.
    2. I would look into using a theater screen for your regular screen and then mount a drop net in front of it to hit balls into. That way you can retain a nice image on the screen for the theater and move the net out of the way when watching movies.
    3. Have you considered hitting away from the bulkhead and have the seats in the area that is 8ft instead? This would likely be a little more involved since you will need some protection for the window above the simulator hitting area, but I think you would have the ability to put in a surround that is around 9-10 feet high and use the full (or almost full) width of the 12ft.
    4. If you are committed to hitting towards the bulkhead, you mentioned protection... I would recommend having the enclosure encroach into that sitting area at least 2 feet (3-4 would be optimal I think) For ceiling projection from flop shots, you are really going to need to either use a baffle system or hard/foam tiles. I would go with a widescreen setup as well instead of a 4:3 aspect given your width will be greater than your height by a considerable margin.
    4.For sidewall protection. i think think you will be fine with heavy curtains. Do a search here, several people have used those theater curtains to great success and they are moderately priced.



    Comment


    • Slydermv
      Slydermv commented
      Editing a comment
      1. Wow, I'm glad I posted. Ran into the room. I can swing driver full bore towards the window at about 2 feet away from that bulkhead. Changing direction would give me anywhere from 9.5-11.5 feet ball to screen rather then 6-7. If I went uneekor, I could mount it directly to the railing above the bulkhead saving that headache as well. Also gives me tons of space behind if I do mevo plus. Thanks so much for this.

      2. Are the impact screen not that great for picture quality then?

      3. Yes thanks again. I could mount a roll down screen 1 foot from that wall (18" from the window) up to about 10.5 feet high and 11 wide (assuming I'd need some space on each side of the screen). I could fill ~8x11 at 4:3, 6x11 at 16:9, and 7 x 11 at 16:10. With the width constraint I'm looking at 8 feet hieght for viewable area looks like.

      I think in this case roof protection is much easier. Get some nylon net. a 11.5 foot pole. Attach the netting behind the screen on one side and around the pole. Pull the pole out along the curtain rods 6-8 feet when I play.

      4. thanks will look it up!

    • fortner28
      fortner28 commented
      Editing a comment
      I am in the middle of installing in a simulator that I wanted to use as home theater and experimenting with things. Unfortunately I just found this site. It would have helped me with some of these trial and error things. I bought a premium impact screen. That gives you the best possible image for an impact screen. It is not great for use as a movie screen. Its not bad but if you get a nice 4k projector you are not going to get the best images with that screen. Placing a net in front of a projection screen is a good option but be sure you have enough room from the hitting area to the net. You will need to have the net at least 16" away from the screen to make sure balls don't hit it. What are your plans for speakers for surround sound? I used in ceiling speakers and that worked pretty well but they are not nearly as good as forward facing setups. Just another thing to consider. On my current path I will have a great golf room but I can't say it will be that great for movies.

  • #3
    fortner28,

    I'm not sure I will go 4k. While my budget is healthy enough it's not unlimited and I see mixed reviews on how much more you get for the money with 4k versus your 1080p. 4k means a better gaming computer and a premium projector. I might want to put that towards an upgraded simulator instead (a bit selfish, but the kids won't know the difference hehehe).

    Do you have any experience here?

    That's a good idea for netting. If I have people over hit into the screen but for my daily practice it might not be a bad idea to have something to stretch across to protect the screen and get more life out of it. I should have plenty for room as I believe I'm taking the above suggestion and hitting towards the window. I have some netting I'll be ordering for stop sky balls and flops so I could make a netting screen to clip across the hitting area on the cheap.

    I haven't thought of sound yet. Nothing is prewired so I'd hope I could find some kinda of bluetooth/wireless option for the satilite speakers if they exist. I have outlets all over the room. Ideally I could have them placed in the corners of the room then move them back along the sidewall while golfing but I'm not sure this option exists. For the front speaker I'd have to place behind the screen, maybe on the window sill. That'll be a foot behind the impact screen. Sound will be hard becasue I think the front two story room will be echoey. I may have to look at something simpler for sound like a sound bar in front of the couch with a couple rear speakers and a sub. Lots to explore here.

    Comment


    • fortner28
      fortner28 commented
      Editing a comment
      I wanted to buy a 4k but I really needed a short throw projector to work in my room. Also good gaming projectors have low lag. There are some pretty fair priced projectors that are 4k and low lag but they need more space to project. This setup can create a problem where the golfer gets in the way of the image being projected. A lot of these projectors have adjustments that can work around problems but my space isn't as tall or as open as yours. You are right in that you also need to spend more on a computer. 4k is nice to have for movies but most things are still 1080. The kids will be so impressed to see shows and movies at that scale and won't really care about it not being 4k. If they play video games they will enjoy playing on a big screen too. If you were going with 4K it would be better to not buy a golf impact screen at all. The premium impact screens are good but are not great for getting the best picture. There is still a lot of texture to them where as a quality screen is far more smooth. This is where you can actually save money. You can buy a nice projector screen for a good bit less money and put a net in front of the screen. If you would rather hit balls into an impact screen then I would go with premium. The basic impact screens make the image look really rough and there is no insulation to help kill the sound.

  • #4
    I hit into the 16' sq screen from Par2Pro. It is very quiet and has a very good picture quality. It is also retractable so when we aren't using it, it rolls up. I also have the 2 side panels that roll up as well. We have been watching football games on it and are very happy with the results. This pic is from the first day I set up screen. Didn't attach the bottom bungee yet so there is a bit of a wave in it and my ceiling protection panel is not pulled all the way up so I have a bit of the top edge cut off but I really am impressed with the quality of the product.
    Attached Files

    Comment


    • kirkemg
      kirkemg commented
      Editing a comment
      I'm anxiously awaiting my 16' stealth screen. couple of questions if you dont mind
      - how did you split the projector screen up like that? Range and TV is perfect for me. I cant find anything on here how to accomplish that

      - what projector did you go with? How "high" off the ground is it?

      - do you have any top protection? Does it protect the stealth bar? I want to DIY this but not sure how to put something that sits in front of the bar and still protects it.

      thanks!

    • fortner28
      fortner28 commented
      Editing a comment
      I didn't even think about splitting the screen to watch other things while practicing. I just hope my computer can run the 2 things without any issues.

  • #5
    So, regarding 4k vs 1080p. For Simulation, its not a massive difference, but for watching movies on a 120" screen, oh yeah its a huge difference. Even a faux 4k with upscaling is a lot better than a standard 1080p projector. I just upgraded to an Epson 5050UB in my theater, replacing what is now my simulator projector (a roughly 10 year old Epson Home Cinema).

    If you are truly looking for a multi-functional space... I'd try to get a 4k projector and a nice screen) There is no comparison between my impact screen (which is top notch quality) and my steward 120" theater screen. The detail, the uniformity, and picture quality is unmatched.

    Comment


    • #6
      Awesome David. I will be doing the stealth screen, I believe 11' wide. I won't be doing the sides. I think I'll be buy curtian rods and curtains, blocking them out so the rod is 5-6 inches from the wall, and velcoing the bottoms to the floor so I can pull them out and back.

      How does the celiing protection work? Would it work without the side protection?

      My plan was to buy an 11'-12' foot curtan rod and zip tying some netting to it then attaching the back end of the netting to the wall behind the sreen. The rod would just rest on the screen supports when not in use, and I could pull it out along the rods on both sides of the room when in use.

      And thanks Skeet, I will keep that in mind and see how it fits into my budget.

      Taking your advice skeet, I've mocked up a new plan, that allows me to swing driver, and maybe allows me to have some games with my right handed friends, however irons only. I've included dims, the mat is 20" x 36". Also figured out I'm gonna have to change out those wall sconces with something low profile.

      Any further thoughts? Is that projector gonna be in the way? Would like to mount it at about 8'6", but can go up to 9-10 feet if needed.
      Attached Files
      Last edited by Slydermv; 01-13-2021, 07:33 PM.

      Comment


      • SkeetShooter
        SkeetShooter commented
        Editing a comment
        Go high with the projector... It would really suck if you or someone else in their backswing accidentally hit it...

      • kirkemg
        kirkemg commented
        Editing a comment
        I am attempting to also DIY the side protection and envision something similar to what you describe. How do you get the "curtain rod" into the wall such that it can be removed and put up as needed?

    • #7
      kirkemg

      are you talking about the roof protection?

      so I have a two story room. I’ll have to wall mount the stealth screen. I figured I can just rest the rod on the supports of the screen when not in use... and when I need to use it just guide it along the wall curtain robs with a club when in use. Not an elegant solution but I think it should work.

      Comment


      • #8
        The ceiling protection is a very high quality mesh material. It has a baffle about a foot from the screen that hangs down to stop balls from hitting the roller tube that the screen is attached. The baffle is adjustable in height. I don't see why it would not work with your curtains. You just need four points to be able to attach the panel. I cable runs through a sleeve along the front and rear side that you have to attach to something to be able to tension the cable and pull the panel tight.

        Comment

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