New build, some advice would be appreciated!

[discodanman45]

I have been lurking on the forums for awhile and have wanted to put in a golf simulator for a long time. I have an entrance room in my house that has 20 foot ceilings, but my wife refused to let me use that room for the simulator. The only place I can build it is in my garage. I do have a three car garage, so I think I can fit the golf simulator in there. I am limited to the one side of the garage which I show in the picture below. The only concern is a vertical beam that is 11 feet from the back wall and 12 feet from the opposing wall. My ceilings are a little over 9 feet tall and I am 6’1”. I should be able to swing my driver in the room comfortable with my swing plane. I am a righty and don’t have any lefty friends. I put in an order for the SkyTrak launch monitor, so I probably have about 3 months before it is delivered. That gives me plenty of time to set things up.



My questions are as follows.

1. I am thinking to get a 4:3 format 8.5’ by 11.5’ impact screen. That seems like a great match for my 9’ x 12’ wall. Would it be better to get a 16:9 screen that wouldn’t fill the wall space as much?
2. The vertical beam has me concerned where I should place the center of the hitting mat. I was thinking 6’ to 7’ out from the impact screen and 5’ out from the wall opposite of the beam. I wish I could just swing in my garage right now, but I can’t move all the stuff I have sitting there right now because of a kitchen remodel.
3. Where would be the best place to mount the projector on the ceiling? I have some friends that are bad golfers. I don’t care if they hit the dry wall on the ceiling, but the projector I want safe. I think I want to keep it on the ceiling because I do have outlets up there.

Item	Cost
SkyTrak Launch Monitor	$2,332.63
9' x 12' Premium Impact Screen	$759.95
Total	$3092.58

Thanks for any advice!

[3on3putt]

1. I would probably just stick with 4:3. That's a nice size image and will be very immersive.

2. You will definitely need to be offset a little bit with your hitting spot (pushed over to the right side) to avoid hitting that beam on your backswing or follow through. You won't be able to really know how far until you can take a driver in there and make some swings. It's different for everyone. Your estimate of 5 feet is probably about right. You will probably want to hit from at least 7 feet away. 6 is too close. Most people are 8-10.

3. The fact that you will have to be offset from center makes the projector a little trickier because a projector that is centered to the screen is then in the way of your backswing or follow through if you are positioned to the right of center. Check out some short throws that you can mount pretty close to the screen with longer vertical offsets so you can mount it flush to the ceiling which will get it as far out of the way as possible from the club head and golf balls.

[discodanman45]

Thanks for the reply! I am getting the 9' by 12' 4:3 screen from Carl's place. My wall is 12'1" width and 9'4" height. Since I have to be a little off center I am now thinking a floor mounted projector might be the easiest. Any recommendations for artificial turf for the garage floor, projector housing, 4:3 short throw projector, and a good strike mat? I will be updating this thread with exact purchases, prices, and pictures of the process.

[3on3putt]

1. Turf --- tons of options. Just do a google search and compare prices and sizes and what not. You can buy thicker turf (like "rough") to put under the screen which helps deaden the bounce of the balls a little more while using shorter turf (fairway or green length) for other parts of the room.

2. Projector case --- You can find a few here but they seem a bit pricey for what they are in my opinion. I would probably just DIY one by screwing together some wood to make a box and then lining it with turf.

https://www.google.com/search?q=golf...iw=966&bih=520

3. Projector --- A floor mount isn't a terrible idea for your space. The trouble is that since you have a screen that is practically floor to ceiling and want to fill it all, it's tough to find projectors that can do that with your dimensions. A floor mount needs to go in front of the hitting mat, so say around 6-8 feet or so. And to produce a floor-to-ceiling image it needs a very short vertical offset.

That's sort of no man's land for HD projectors as the ones that have that short of a throw ratio tend to have larger vertical offsets (10 inches or more). And the ones with very low vertical offsets (3 inches or less) tend to have longer throw ratios and wouldn't fit in front of the mat. If you go with a standard resolution you should be able to find plenty of options.

That's why I would go for a ceiling mount that you can mount flush. If your ceiling is 9'4'', a flush mount would put the bottom of the projector around 8'10'' high (figuring around 6 inches for the height of the projector). 8'10'' high should be safe from any club heads. Look at the BenQ models as a lot of them have vertical offsets that place the image at the right height for your screen. You may have to back up your hitting spot a little to closer to 10 feet so the projector isn't so far behind you that it's casting a shadow.

This might work for you. Would have to mount 11'7'' back but if you back up your hitting spot to about 10 feet you might be okay with shadows.

https://www.projectorcentral.com/Ben...ulator-pro.htm

I would do anything I could to find an HD resolution that would work before resorting to a standard def option.

4. Mat --- Variety of options. Fiberbuilt is very popular (albeit expensive). Quattro is also popular as is TrueStrike. CCE mats are widely used at driving ranges but have a reputation among sim users for being tough on the joints.

[discodanman45]

That's why I would go for a ceiling mount that you can mount flush. If your ceiling is 9'4'', a flush mount would put the bottom of the projector around 8'10'' high (figuring around 6 inches for the height of the projector). 8'10'' high should be safe from any club heads. Look at the BenQ models as a lot of them have vertical offsets that place the image at the right height for your screen. You may have to back up your hitting spot a little to closer to 10 feet so the projector isn't so far behind you that it's casting a shadow.

This might work for you. Would have to mount 11'7'' back but if you back up your hitting spot to about 10 feet you might be okay with shadows.

https://www.projectorcentral.com/Ben...ulator-pro.htm

I would do anything I could to find an HD resolution that would work before resorting to a standard def option.

4. Mat --- Variety of options. Fiberbuilt is very popular (albeit expensive). Quattro is also popular as is TrueStrike. CCE mats are widely used at driving ranges but have a reputation among sim users for being tough on the joints.

Awesome advice! That throw calculator is great. The last time I bought a projector I had to calculate it myself. The screen will be 171" diagonal for the 4:3 ratio so that would be 11'5" throw distance. I think the best thing for me to do is take it step by step before I buy the projector. Installing the impact screen and artificial turf will be step one. Once I figure out how that vertical post hinders swings and can find out where the hitting mat needs to go then I can worry about the projector. I will have to wait for the Sky Trak to come anyway.

Do you think this projector would work better? It has a 7'7" throw distance for a 171" image. Would placing the projector right above your head be safe?

https://www.projectorcentral.com/Optoma-GT1080HDR-projection-calculator-pro.htm

[3on3putt]

As kolky noted before, that projector (as is the case with most Optomas) has a large vertical offset. Vertical offset is the distance between the lens and the top edge of the image (for a ceiling mount) or the bottom edge of the image (for a floor mount). With such little room between your ceiling and the top of your screen, you can't afford to have much vertical offset. BenQs are good for those situations.

As for putting it above your head, as long as it's mounted flush you'll probably be okay.

[kolky]

Awesome advice! That throw calculator is great. The last time I bought a projector I had to calculate it myself. The screen will be 171" diagonal for the 4:3 ratio so that would be 11'5" throw distance. I think the best thing for me to do is take it step by step before I buy the projector. Installing the impact screen and artificial turf will be step one. Once I figure out how that vertical post hinders swings and can find out where the hitting mat needs to go then I can worry about the projector. I will have to wait for the Sky Trak to come anyway.

Do you think this projector would work better? It has a 7'7" throw distance for a 171" image. Would placing the projector right above your head be safe?

https://www.projectorcentral.com/Opt...ulator-pro.htm

I was looking at that same projector. I think the issue you will have with it if you have 9' ceilings is that is has to be 16" above the top of your screen to get that image size. The BenQ recommended earlier only has to be 2"-3" above the top of your screen.

[discodanman45]

I got the BenQ projector and the impact mat is on the way! Below is the picture of the garage. As you can see from the picture I have some garage door issues to deal with. The two tracks nearest the wall are going to be cut down. I will only be able to open that manual garage door by 80%, but ducking once in awhile for a golf simulator is well worth it! The bigger issue is the track for my main garage door. I didn't take it into consideration, but it is going to be a pain to deal with. I can cut it down by a foot and it will still be able to open 100%. That should be enough with the offset I will be using. I don't have another place to put the simulator so it will work one way or another! Attached is the crowded and messy garage. This weekend the impact screen will be going up and some indoor/outdoor carpet for the ground.

Any recommendations for flush ceiling mounts? Trying to find one for a decent price is difficult!

[discodanman45]

I am in the process of installing the screen. The 12 by 9 foot screen fits my space perfectly. I will be mounting pipe on both sides of the screen and then pulling more tight. I have a few questions below.

1. I put zip-ties up as a temporary fix, but after attaching I was thinking if they could be used instead to bungies. Has anyone used zip-ties to attach their screen?
2. For the bottom I was thinking about weighing it down instead of attaching it to the cement. What would be better?
3. My screen is for 4:3, but I was thinking about using my projector in 16:9. I got the screen because it fits perfectly. If I go 16:9 could I attach black felt to the screen to frame in that ratio. Has anyone done that before? I was also thinking the 16:9 ratio would be nice for the kids to watch movies in the garage as well.
4. What graphic cards are people using for the simulator software? I am not doing 4K so I don't think I need anything that crazy.

Still have plenty of time before my SkyTrak comes... Thanks again!

[3on3putt]

1. I'm not so sure about zip ties. Bungees allow the screen some give when it absorbs the impact. I don't know how the screen would behave with zip ties attached. I would also wonder about how long they will hold up. They don't have the elasticity that bungees do to stretch and give the screen some good tension while also allowing it to stretch back with a shot. Bungees are very cheap and have been proven to work. No need to reinvent the wheel here.

2. Weigh down the bottom of the screen. Don't attach it. Allow the bottom to hang free to reduce the bounce back but weigh it down to pull the screen down and flatten the image. If you attach it you might get some nasty bounce back.

3. 16:9 will give you a little sharper image. But it will also leave a ton of empty space. Image height would only be 81 inches. You're looking at a 12-foot mount for 4:3, which may not work with your space(?) 16:9 puts it at 9 feet which might work better. Typically I would say go 4:3 and fill your screen (since you have a 4:3 screen so you wouldn't have to manipulate the resolution in order to fill it). But given your projector and ceiling height, there are benefits to both options. It doesn't sound like you could really do 4:3 with that projector anyway given the limitations of the space with the ceiling and beam.

4. NVIDIA graphics cards are the most common. The skytrak website lists all the specs you will want for your computer for any compatible software. Are you going with TGC19?

[discodanman45]

Well I finally got my SkyTrak unit and spent some time in the garage today. Projector is up and I am running it in 16:9 mode. The 4:3 was in a weird spot for my setup and the distance away from the screen works better. Plus my kids would love to have movie nights in the garage.

Now I need to cut the rails down on my garage doors, put heavy curtains on both sides with a curtain track, get a nice hitting mat, put foam tiles on the ceiling, and get a computer to run the simulator software. Should be fully complete in another few weeks!