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I completed my garage build here in Cleveland about two weeks ago and have absolutely loved playing! In truth, tinkering with the setup and researching how others have approached issues is almost as fun as playing. Prior to the golf simulator, we had remodeled the garage so it could be used as a 3 seasons hang-out space for our 3 boys. We had a shed built onto the back of the garage that you can access through barn doors. I always had the golf simulator in the back of my mind. We had to go with a retractable screen so that we could utilize the space for gatherings and other games when the boys had friends over (see picture without simulator below). We’ve given up on parking cars there (buy cheaper cars and spend the excess on a really fun garage)! Here are the details on the setup and some pictures.
Thank you to so many of the folks on here who are patient and spend the time addressing questions. There are so many excellent solutions on this forum! If I can address any questions for anyone I’m happy to pay it forward!
Construction
Hired a carpenter to remove the beams that ran across the garage and reinforce the roof towards the top of the ceiling. He also did some basic carpentry so I could run the curtain track and had a place to install the projector. Total was probably 2 days work.
Hired an electrician to run electrical to the garage so we could install two 6,000 watt infrared heaters from Infratech. They are expensive (to buy and run) but we like having the connection to the outdoors whenever we can so infrared doesn’t let the heat escape. It’s working awesome and I have a forced air Mr. Heater unit I can turn on to blow some heat if I need to get things started. I’ve even found myself turning these off once I get warmed up with a lot of swings!
I installed basic roller shades I got here over the windows in the garage, which is helpful if I play during the day.
Simulator Setup
I use SkyTrak and have purchased TGC 2019.
Screen
Par2Pro 10-foot retractable screen, wall mounted – My wife and I managed to get this up after some trial and error but the support team was really helpful. The screen is roughly 8 feet from the ball.
Foam Protection for SportsScreen bar – I purchased 3 of these from Home Depot, which I’m placing between the impact screen at the SportsScreen to prevent immediate shots hitting the bar at the bottom of the Sports Screen. Still tinkering a bit with them.
Mat and Landing Pad
Mat – 5x5 SwingTurf mat from Rain or Shine
Garage Carpet – Garage Grip with contractor-grade carpet pad underneath (doubled up in a 10 x 6 area right in front of the screen as a landing pad)
Computer and Projector
Computer– MSI Gaming Laptop purchased from NewEgg
Projector – Optoma 1080HDR which is a touch over 8 feet from the screen. Thanks to GungHoGolf for the help figuring out how to get the image to fill the screen.
HDMI Cord – 25-foot cord from Amazon to connect the computer to the projector
Computer Stand – Ordered this for the computer to sit on and I’ve been happy with it
Floor Controller for TGC 2019 – Purchased this and followed this post to set it up…my computer is close but this is much easier with guests and for $40 is fantastic
Side Protection
Curtains – Went with white blackout curtains to match the décor, they work great
Curtain Tracks – Went with these
Curtain Hooks - secured to the back wall so when I pull the curtains pack they stay out of the way
Curtain Weights – magnetic shower curtain weights used on the bottom of the curtains to just add a little extra weight
Sew On Velcro – My amazingly supportive wife busted out a sewing machine she hasn’t used in 10 years to sew this velcro on to the curtains. The curtains are then able to securely attach to the side of the impact screen. Nothing is getting through there.
Adhesive Strip Foam – Covered the sides of the curtain tracks with this just in case
Ceiling Protection
Net for Ceiling Protection – Bought this standard size net from Amazon and cut it down to make it work, I highly recommend attaching this with screw-in hooks as opposed to staples or anything so it can be adjusted
Issues being Worked
Still investigating the best option that keeps the mat from shifting but allows the mat to easily be picked up and moved. I tried guerilla grip and I got less shifting but there’s got to be a better option. I’m investigating the various options on this forum.
Longer-term we will replace the garage door and at that time I’ll probably side mount the garage door opener. It is out of the way of the swing but I’d rather have the space open.
I’m investigating options to protect the screen roller. I only have hit it with my sand wedge but it can cause a ricochet. I have one of these on order from Amazon that I’ll play around with and send it back if it doesn’t work. If it does work I’ll spray it white and cut it open so it goes over the screen roller.
Thank you to so many of the folks on here who are patient and spend the time addressing questions. There are so many excellent solutions on this forum! If I can address any questions for anyone I’m happy to pay it forward!
Construction
Hired a carpenter to remove the beams that ran across the garage and reinforce the roof towards the top of the ceiling. He also did some basic carpentry so I could run the curtain track and had a place to install the projector. Total was probably 2 days work.
Hired an electrician to run electrical to the garage so we could install two 6,000 watt infrared heaters from Infratech. They are expensive (to buy and run) but we like having the connection to the outdoors whenever we can so infrared doesn’t let the heat escape. It’s working awesome and I have a forced air Mr. Heater unit I can turn on to blow some heat if I need to get things started. I’ve even found myself turning these off once I get warmed up with a lot of swings!
I installed basic roller shades I got here over the windows in the garage, which is helpful if I play during the day.
Simulator Setup
I use SkyTrak and have purchased TGC 2019.
Screen
Par2Pro 10-foot retractable screen, wall mounted – My wife and I managed to get this up after some trial and error but the support team was really helpful. The screen is roughly 8 feet from the ball.
Foam Protection for SportsScreen bar – I purchased 3 of these from Home Depot, which I’m placing between the impact screen at the SportsScreen to prevent immediate shots hitting the bar at the bottom of the Sports Screen. Still tinkering a bit with them.
Mat and Landing Pad
Mat – 5x5 SwingTurf mat from Rain or Shine
Garage Carpet – Garage Grip with contractor-grade carpet pad underneath (doubled up in a 10 x 6 area right in front of the screen as a landing pad)
Computer and Projector
Computer– MSI Gaming Laptop purchased from NewEgg
Projector – Optoma 1080HDR which is a touch over 8 feet from the screen. Thanks to GungHoGolf for the help figuring out how to get the image to fill the screen.
HDMI Cord – 25-foot cord from Amazon to connect the computer to the projector
Computer Stand – Ordered this for the computer to sit on and I’ve been happy with it
Floor Controller for TGC 2019 – Purchased this and followed this post to set it up…my computer is close but this is much easier with guests and for $40 is fantastic
Side Protection
Curtains – Went with white blackout curtains to match the décor, they work great
Curtain Tracks – Went with these
Curtain Hooks - secured to the back wall so when I pull the curtains pack they stay out of the way
Curtain Weights – magnetic shower curtain weights used on the bottom of the curtains to just add a little extra weight
Sew On Velcro – My amazingly supportive wife busted out a sewing machine she hasn’t used in 10 years to sew this velcro on to the curtains. The curtains are then able to securely attach to the side of the impact screen. Nothing is getting through there.
Adhesive Strip Foam – Covered the sides of the curtain tracks with this just in case
Ceiling Protection
Net for Ceiling Protection – Bought this standard size net from Amazon and cut it down to make it work, I highly recommend attaching this with screw-in hooks as opposed to staples or anything so it can be adjusted
Issues being Worked
Still investigating the best option that keeps the mat from shifting but allows the mat to easily be picked up and moved. I tried guerilla grip and I got less shifting but there’s got to be a better option. I’m investigating the various options on this forum.
Longer-term we will replace the garage door and at that time I’ll probably side mount the garage door opener. It is out of the way of the swing but I’d rather have the space open.
I’m investigating options to protect the screen roller. I only have hit it with my sand wedge but it can cause a ricochet. I have one of these on order from Amazon that I’ll play around with and send it back if it doesn’t work. If it does work I’ll spray it white and cut it open so it goes over the screen roller.
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