New Sim Build. Need Help/Redommendations

[todthames]

Just ordered SkyTrak and am now officially on the waitlist. Ordered FiberBuilt 4X7 hitting mat. Ordered Cimmaron 5X10X10 with net and impact screen.

planning on using one bag of my garage. 10 ft wide. 20 ft deep. 15 feet high.

I’ve read so many threads looking for someone with a similar setup to get some ideas. If possible, Ineed help with the following:

Based on screen 10X10 with 5k’ side net as well as the size of my garage how, far should hit area bee from screen? Looking for ideal area with minor adjustments as necessary.

Based on that answer what projector is recommended?

Finally what is best for landing zone?

im certain I’ll have more questions. I’m trying to have everything setup and fully operational as I wait on the arrival of the SkyTrak.

Thanks in advance for your assistance.

[todthames]

Opedog16 Thanks so much for this post. Seems like we have very similar setups. The information you provided along with the others on this post is invaluable. If it isn’t too much to ask, can you send ,e a couple of pictures of your setup? I love looking at what others are doing. Since I have such a long wait for my SkyTrak I’m probably going to go overboard on research. Plenty of time to plan. Can’t even use my net as my hitting mat is also delayed.

[Opedog16]

Hey todthames,
Feel free to peruse my build here:

Basement Sim Build... what has and has NOT worked.. - Golf Simulator Forum

Before I mentioned that I had no complaints with the BenQ. I did think of one.. :-)

The higher end projectors will most likely have a digital aspect ration that you can scale to fit your screen. this BenQ does not have that. It's keystone features are great, and it has the usual aspect ratios.. but you can only do so much in that regard. I had to walk around with the projector to find the best placement (you'll see in my build..) and then that was where it lives. I keep my laptop at 1920x1080 and select 4.3 aspect on my firestick. The vertical is a bit tall for my setup, but with the sim screen it's not noticeable. With movies I get more hung up on a ripple on my screen than I do the aspect ration. :-)

You're right.. I think we we are going through similar motions to similar setups. I was hitting into my curtains with foam balls waiting on my impact screen, and then hitting real balls into a still shot of the 7th hole at pebble beach while waiting for my launch monitor. lol.

[3on3putt]

You could've bought the 671 for the same price as what you paid for that one. And the 671 is a far higher resolution. The 1920x1080 on your computer means nothing because you're only getting what the projector gives you, not what the computer gives you. Not trying to ruffle any feathers, just trying to help out that's all. You have a really sweet setup by the way!

[preludesam]

Are you using a fire stick to cast to the projector?

[Opedog16]

No feathers ruffled. I understand what you're saying about the computer resolution and I that it basically gets "necked down" coming out of the projector. I was mentioning that because I know sometimes people try to adjust their computer res to get the projector to fill in the screen better or differently.

I don't doubt for a second there are better projectors out there and probably for a similar price. As I've said.. I don't get too hung up on 4k, high-def, premium pictures. I'm displaying it on a golf impact screen, after all! LOL!!! I'm just letting people know what I went with on the budget I had and what works for my setup.

Are there better pictures to be had out there? For sure. Do I care? Not really. Does my sim picture look good on my screen? Good enough! :-)

Thanks for the 671 reference. Always good to know options out there!

[cgdavis_2]

This sounds a lot like the setup I am planning on doing here in a couple months. I have a space about 10W X 15'H X 13-15' Deep that I want to "reclaim" when Im not using the simulator.

1. SkyTrak w/ TGC2019 and Game Improvement plan (w/protective case). Probably will get both through Ebay. Are there any issues buying these used?

2. Fiberbuilt 4X7 studio mat. I will set this back about 13 feet from the screen. When I miss, I miss fat. I hurt my shoulder this winter at a simulator place here in town and reading everything on the forum it seems like the FB mat is a good one for us fat hitters who dont wanna destroy our shoulders. Also - I think I have to use Birtees off this?

3. 10X10X10 golf net with 9X9 screen from Spectrum Golf (golf simulator cages and golf enclosures (virtual-golf-simulator.com)). I will set it up fixed against the wall (with a buffer) and set a pulley system up to pull the top/sides of the net up and out when I want to use the simulator. I'll probably have to put some sand bags down on the sides to ensure errant shots dont fire through and hit a car or my fridge or something.

4. Projector is where I struggle a lot. There are so many details and honestly - they all sound like greek to me. I will be floor mounted due to wanting to have the space back when Im not using it and honestly hanging one sounds like a pain in the rear end.

I could probably push my price to 1200-1500 but cheaper is always better. I just want a good resolution with a throw of no more than 8-8/12 feet. Im not real thrilled about having the 9X9 screen with a 4:3 aspect ratio. If I could find one that would throw a 1:1 aspect ratio on a 9X9 screen from the distance I want I'd be thrilled. I just dont know how to tell which projectors you can adjust aspect ratio.

I was looking at the BenQMX819ST, but looking it seems like the InFocus IN138HDST might be cheaper/better? Or are there 1:1 aspect ratio 4k projectors that are short throw that dont cost $5k?

Also - I assume I can just hook this up via USB to my computer?

5. Projector protector I can buy on Ebay pretty cheap I think.

6. Cheap "grass" from Lowes to catch shots off the screen

7. Anything else Im missing here? Any thoughts or recommendations not included above?

[3on3putt]

cgdavis_2

1. I think the used prices for Skytraks are still mostly above retail. If you still have a couple months to go, I would go ahead and order new right now to get the waiting process started. I believe direct orders from Skytrak are at about 8 week waiting times right now. Brand new unit at 2k vs. a used unit at 2k+.

2. If your space is only 13-15 deep, that mat will have to be much closer than 13 feet away from the screen. You'll need to hit from about 7-8 feet away to feel comfortable. I may have just misunderstood your description though.

4. Hanging a projector is a pain. However, it's a pain that you only do once and then you're done with it. If you do a floor mount it's just one more thing to set up and put away every time you play. You can get a projector with a long vertical offset that you can mount up pretty high so it won't really be in the way when the sim is not in use. Just something to consider. Although I see you are planning on having an overhead net extend 10 feet out, which would complicate a ceiling mounted projector in many cases.

I also have a 9x9 screen and run 4:3. I don't mind it at all. There's some blank screen space obviously but the image is still very tall and I hit from only 7 feet away so it's plenty big from that close. You can set a custom resolution with your graphics card to fill the screen but I highly recommend not doing that. It will degrade your image quality so much that it just won't be worth it. I tried it on mine and lasted about 3 rounds before I switched back. I actually have the InFocus that you mentioned. I love it and I think it's a tremendous value. I paid $900 brand new. The Optoma 1090HDR and BenQ671ST get a lot of attention here but I would put that InFocus up against either of them.

That BenQ you referenced is only 1024x768 resolution. The InFocus blows it out of the water.

You can adjust aspect ratios for nearly all projectors, but you won't find 1:1 as an option except for slide show projectors. To my knowledge it doesn't exist in the world of movie/gaming projectors.

Just familiarize yourself with projector central and how to toggle between aspect ratios and use the sliders to see throw distances and image sizes.

The projector will connect to your computer via HDMI.

I think you've hit all the basics.

[cgdavis_2]

Thanks for your detailed response - very helpful!

The space is much deeper than 13-15 feet, I probably wasnt super clear. Its a 3 bay garage and Im going to set it up across two of the bays. I'll back my truck out to play. At 13 feet from the wall with the mat, I have plenty of space before I ding my wifes car with a driver.