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Thanks to the many folks on here who have posted and continue to post. I looked through this and lots of other forums/blogs/facebook groups etc for ideas. Here is my build -- happy to entertain any questions. A bit long but figured it could be helpful. I tried to do things on a reasonable, but not too frugal of a budget. Total cost was approx 5500 (not including mat which I already had). Hope this helps someone.
Space: 12feet wide (from soffit to wall), 8’8” ceiling height (I can swing a driver but it is close to hitting the ceiling, wish I could offset it a few inches but that is a huge project beyond my DIY abilities – I may cut an inch off my “sim” driver if I end up hitting the ceiling on occasion), depth – 20+ feet.
Launch monitor: Mevo+
Enclosure/Screen: Carl’s Enclosure & Premium Screen, 4:3 ratio, 8x10.5, Frame: 130” wide, 100” tall
Projector: Optoma GT1090HDR Laser
Ipad Air (4th gen - newest) with USB-C – have it connected to HDMI, wired Ethernet, and charger. FYI – the output via HDMI from the newest Ipad Air is 1960x1200 (so 16:10, not 4:3 like Apple said it would be) – may be different in Airplay. This is perfect for me – better resolution than 4:3 or 16:9 overall and not an issue that I have about 10 inches of space on the top of the screen that doesn’t project.
I ordered the Mevo+ in early Dec and received it in late Jan – in that time I was able to get this set up as well. Ordered the enclosure at the same time and that came in 3-4 weeks.
As with all DIY, I had several problem solving steps but love the way it turned out. Here are some of the things that may be helpful to others.
Enclosure – I wrapped the enclosure with pipe padding – relatively cheap at Lowes. I wish I had used the “corner” pipe padding pieces but didn’t and so I have some bulging at the corners – this just made it harder to Velcro the enclosure to the frame as it barely fit and I needed help stretching the enclosure in order to match up the Velcro. I also noticed a slight “sag” at the center of the enclosure where the connector is – I installed a hook into the joist above the center to pull the enclosure up at the center. Used a pipe cutter (hand held device) to cut the EMT which was easy and precise. I purchased the side nets but the one side was too close to the wall so I ended up purchasing foam flooring tiles at Sams ($25 for 4 x 8 feet, used two).
Launch monitor: I chose Mevo+ due to the fact that I had the space for it. Skytrak has a “lag” from hitting until processing/seeing it on the screen which I didn’t like.
Projector: Tough choice here both in quality, budget, and features. Ultimately I went with the Optoma 1090HDR Laser and it is great. I was originally going to floor mount the projector but then decided to ceiling mount it as my kids are learning golf on it (ages 10, 11, 13) and have very little accuracy at present so having anything in front of the hitting area I decided was not a good idea. The issue with the ceiling mount for Optoma and relatively low ceilings is that the picture vertical offset is around 1 foot – and I only had a few inches from the top of the screen to the ceiling. The BenQ monitors have much less vertical offset, however had to be further back from the screen (would have been ceiling mounted over the hitting area – which in some respects is a safe place but I was concerned that my kids would end up hitting it with a club at some point). I also realized that I would have the extra foot of vertical space as my screen is 4:3 and the output from ipad air is 16:10. BUT, I had to recess the projector into the area between two joists as even “flush” mounts place the projector 6+ inches below the ceiling. I cut a hole in the drywall between two joists and placed a “access panel” and cut the door off –(WB Doors, WB Basic 300 16 x 20, $40). I also used the access to run the HDMI and create a power source in the finished part of the ceiling. For anyone who hasn’t used projectors – it takes time to position it well so expect it to be hours not minutes to do so – I also had to make a mounting trey to mount it about 7” into the joist using a Qual Gear ceiling mount (I found this to be good quality, adaptable for the 3 hole Optoma projector, and robust all for a reasonable price on amazon - $26, QualGear PRB-717-WHT Universal Ceiling Mount Projector). I finished it with a cage purchased at Lowes.
Projection quality – laser quality is great, very bright, although don’t have a lot to compare to. Projector also uses HDR which is sent from my ipad (but only with an apple usb-c to HDMI adapter, did not do HDR with anker brand USB-C to HDMI dongle so returned that and bought the apple version).
I can also watch TV and play video games in 16:9 format by “zooming in” on the projector which works great. Makes it multifunctional which is icing on the cake – I thought I would have to purchase another screen to put closer to the projector if I wanted to use a 16:9 source.
Green “turf” – Lowes, 78 cents per sq foot, 12 x 16. Cheap, ok quality.
Mat – always a popular discussion point. I had my mat from 5 years ago for a net setup (used both indoors and outdoors) and it is great value. A bit squishy on the feet, but if you hit a shot fat it will definitely reduce the distance. It has not been hard on the elbows from my experience. It doesn’t have a trey or backing so a bit more “unfinished/raw”, but that is fine. Very durable also. 4 ft x 5 ft is $190 on Amazon (All Turf Mats 48" X 60" XL Super Tee Golf Mat). I may ultimately get a Fiberbuilt mat but this cannot be beat at this price point.
Other touches: the finished basement was pre-wired with speaker wire for sound – so purchased 5 in ceiling speakers to use. This made it reasonable to run HDMI through the ceiling joists as I had made several speaker holes. Also purchased a relatively inexpensive (Yamaha Rx-V385, $180 open box at Best Buy) receiver which everything is connected to.
Finishing touches: mounted a TV to play sports, youtube golf instructional videos. Mounted ipad to create a clean look. Blackout curtains (Target). Overhead light dimmers. Portable charger for Mevo+. Mevo+ protective case – purchased from Facebook $100 (can adjust easily, quick adjustment for 12 degree to 17 degree angle). Rack to hold clubs (instead of in the bag) – used fishing pole rack. Went with Rapala as the “clips” are actual clips and not just foam (thinking of durability here). Two racks does 12 clubs – so I was 1 short. I have also seen folks use pool cue racks which you can buy in 6, 8, and 12. Artwork - purchased off Etsy from golfprintstudio, shipped from the UK to me in Virginia.
Space: 12feet wide (from soffit to wall), 8’8” ceiling height (I can swing a driver but it is close to hitting the ceiling, wish I could offset it a few inches but that is a huge project beyond my DIY abilities – I may cut an inch off my “sim” driver if I end up hitting the ceiling on occasion), depth – 20+ feet.
Launch monitor: Mevo+
Enclosure/Screen: Carl’s Enclosure & Premium Screen, 4:3 ratio, 8x10.5, Frame: 130” wide, 100” tall
Projector: Optoma GT1090HDR Laser
Ipad Air (4th gen - newest) with USB-C – have it connected to HDMI, wired Ethernet, and charger. FYI – the output via HDMI from the newest Ipad Air is 1960x1200 (so 16:10, not 4:3 like Apple said it would be) – may be different in Airplay. This is perfect for me – better resolution than 4:3 or 16:9 overall and not an issue that I have about 10 inches of space on the top of the screen that doesn’t project.
I ordered the Mevo+ in early Dec and received it in late Jan – in that time I was able to get this set up as well. Ordered the enclosure at the same time and that came in 3-4 weeks.
As with all DIY, I had several problem solving steps but love the way it turned out. Here are some of the things that may be helpful to others.
Enclosure – I wrapped the enclosure with pipe padding – relatively cheap at Lowes. I wish I had used the “corner” pipe padding pieces but didn’t and so I have some bulging at the corners – this just made it harder to Velcro the enclosure to the frame as it barely fit and I needed help stretching the enclosure in order to match up the Velcro. I also noticed a slight “sag” at the center of the enclosure where the connector is – I installed a hook into the joist above the center to pull the enclosure up at the center. Used a pipe cutter (hand held device) to cut the EMT which was easy and precise. I purchased the side nets but the one side was too close to the wall so I ended up purchasing foam flooring tiles at Sams ($25 for 4 x 8 feet, used two).
Launch monitor: I chose Mevo+ due to the fact that I had the space for it. Skytrak has a “lag” from hitting until processing/seeing it on the screen which I didn’t like.
Projector: Tough choice here both in quality, budget, and features. Ultimately I went with the Optoma 1090HDR Laser and it is great. I was originally going to floor mount the projector but then decided to ceiling mount it as my kids are learning golf on it (ages 10, 11, 13) and have very little accuracy at present so having anything in front of the hitting area I decided was not a good idea. The issue with the ceiling mount for Optoma and relatively low ceilings is that the picture vertical offset is around 1 foot – and I only had a few inches from the top of the screen to the ceiling. The BenQ monitors have much less vertical offset, however had to be further back from the screen (would have been ceiling mounted over the hitting area – which in some respects is a safe place but I was concerned that my kids would end up hitting it with a club at some point). I also realized that I would have the extra foot of vertical space as my screen is 4:3 and the output from ipad air is 16:10. BUT, I had to recess the projector into the area between two joists as even “flush” mounts place the projector 6+ inches below the ceiling. I cut a hole in the drywall between two joists and placed a “access panel” and cut the door off –(WB Doors, WB Basic 300 16 x 20, $40). I also used the access to run the HDMI and create a power source in the finished part of the ceiling. For anyone who hasn’t used projectors – it takes time to position it well so expect it to be hours not minutes to do so – I also had to make a mounting trey to mount it about 7” into the joist using a Qual Gear ceiling mount (I found this to be good quality, adaptable for the 3 hole Optoma projector, and robust all for a reasonable price on amazon - $26, QualGear PRB-717-WHT Universal Ceiling Mount Projector). I finished it with a cage purchased at Lowes.
Projection quality – laser quality is great, very bright, although don’t have a lot to compare to. Projector also uses HDR which is sent from my ipad (but only with an apple usb-c to HDMI adapter, did not do HDR with anker brand USB-C to HDMI dongle so returned that and bought the apple version).
I can also watch TV and play video games in 16:9 format by “zooming in” on the projector which works great. Makes it multifunctional which is icing on the cake – I thought I would have to purchase another screen to put closer to the projector if I wanted to use a 16:9 source.
Green “turf” – Lowes, 78 cents per sq foot, 12 x 16. Cheap, ok quality.
Mat – always a popular discussion point. I had my mat from 5 years ago for a net setup (used both indoors and outdoors) and it is great value. A bit squishy on the feet, but if you hit a shot fat it will definitely reduce the distance. It has not been hard on the elbows from my experience. It doesn’t have a trey or backing so a bit more “unfinished/raw”, but that is fine. Very durable also. 4 ft x 5 ft is $190 on Amazon (All Turf Mats 48" X 60" XL Super Tee Golf Mat). I may ultimately get a Fiberbuilt mat but this cannot be beat at this price point.
Other touches: the finished basement was pre-wired with speaker wire for sound – so purchased 5 in ceiling speakers to use. This made it reasonable to run HDMI through the ceiling joists as I had made several speaker holes. Also purchased a relatively inexpensive (Yamaha Rx-V385, $180 open box at Best Buy) receiver which everything is connected to.
Finishing touches: mounted a TV to play sports, youtube golf instructional videos. Mounted ipad to create a clean look. Blackout curtains (Target). Overhead light dimmers. Portable charger for Mevo+. Mevo+ protective case – purchased from Facebook $100 (can adjust easily, quick adjustment for 12 degree to 17 degree angle). Rack to hold clubs (instead of in the bag) – used fishing pole rack. Went with Rapala as the “clips” are actual clips and not just foam (thinking of durability here). Two racks does 12 clubs – so I was 1 short. I have also seen folks use pool cue racks which you can buy in 6, 8, and 12. Artwork - purchased off Etsy from golfprintstudio, shipped from the UK to me in Virginia.
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