STL Detached Garage Sim Build

[kolky]

Thank you all for the great advice on this site. My sim is not up yet but I thought I'd start my build thread and update as it progresses.

I just built a 26x26 detached garage to park my cars (obviously) but to also use as a workshop, golf sim room and general place to hang out. Drywall should be in in a couple of weeks but I've started picking up all the stuff for the golf simulator. So far I have the following.

Simulator: Skytrak
Impact Screen: Par2Pro Stealth 16'x9'
PC: Dell laptop w/ AMD Ryzen 7; RTX 3060; 16GB RAM
Hitting Mat: Quattro
Projector: BenQ TH671ST
Landing Mat: .8" turf (16'x8') from Amazon


I'll continue to update as I progress.

[AndersonRains]

This will be awesome. Can’t wait to see

[DejaVu]

Looks like a lot of awesome potential. Once your sim is done, don't forget you can always find another place to park your cars.

[kolky]

Been a bit since my last update I've been doing much of the work myself. Finally have drywall, paint, and installed my mini-split for cooling and heating (it is awesome).

Just got the Par2Pro Stealth up and the projector mounted. Still need to clean up some wiring but very close to being able to hit some balls. Just want to get the side curtains up and hopefully the ceiling protection as well. In the meantime the kids are really enjoying it for movies.

[DuffHouse]

looks great!!!
What kind of split did you install?

[kolky]

I put in a Mr Cool DIY 24K. Probably could have gotten by with an 18K but I was on the edge. I am absolutely amazed at how quiet it is. Especially the outdoor condenser.

[Stlcardinals08]

I’m in St. Louis as well and am looking to convert my 22x19 detached garage into a simulator room plus home gym.

I’ll be following closely and would love to continue to hear your lessons learned here.

[kolky]

Well, finally got the sim up. It's awesome! Need to get some ceiling protection up asap as driver shots and wedges like to climb the screen and bounce off the ceiling. Also have some shades ordered and window tint for the garage door to darken things up.

I also got TGC 2019 installed so looking forward to playing some courses. Install was a bit of a pain but thanks to someone on this site for recommending using a download manager. At first it said it would take 5 days to download. Once I installed the download manager it completed in minutes.

For the ceiling I am planning to do 1/4" OSB with a strip of heavy duty fabric for a baffle next to the screen and then acoustic panels covering out about 4ft from the screen.

Thoughts on the Par2Pro stealth so far are:
- Much quieter than I thought it would be.
- Picture quality is pretty good. I do need to take a steamer to it to get the wrinkles out.
- Bounce back is minimal except for the screen climbing mentioned above.
- I need to give sports screen tech support a call as I am having issues getting the motor to reset and set upper and lower limits.

The projector (BenQ TH671ST) is also very good but it needs to be fairly dark in the garage to get the best out of it. I've included some day and night shots here.

I can also tell I am going to need to work on overcoming some indoor swing syndrome. I am cutting off my follow through pretty bad.

[Stlcardinals08]

Looks incredible; keep us posted on any updates as you get it dialed in!

[JohnnySim]

Looks great! How far is the stealth screen from the wall? Any idea on the minimum distance between screen and hitting area? Looking at this screen and trying to get answers from Par2Pro but it has been a slow process.

[kolky]

Mine is about 18" from the wall but I believe Par2Pro says it needs to be a minimum of 14". I'm guessing you could get away with 12".

As fas as minimum distance from hitting area to screen that would depend on your launch monitor and not the screen. Mevo+ I believe needs 8 or 10 feet between the hitting area and the screen to track the ball. SkyTrak has no minimum distance distance but you need at least enough room to swing a club and not hit the screen. Also need to be concerned if there is bounce back depending on how close you are. I hit about 10' from my screen.

[huntsaver]

May I ask what kind of curtains and where you picked them up?

[kolky]

They are room divider curtains I picked up on Amazon. Here is the link

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0816FK396/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Stlcardinals08]

Who did you contract with to build your garage? Would you recommend them? I'm thinking of tearing mine down and building new vs trying to make the existing one work.

[kolky]

I went with CoachHouse Garages and yes, I would recommend them. They do really good work.

[Jaysim]

I’m considering a retractable screen from gung-ho golf. Saw this thread - looks awesome BTW! question: Do you notice the wrinkles in the screen… Seems like this is the downside to a retractable, that you’re not able to pull the screen tight. Just wondering how much do you notice the wrinkles with lights off and sim on. And, do they get worse the more you hit into it? Thanks!