Hello GSF community,
I have been actively reading this forum over the last year or so with the plan to put in a basement golf simulator/home theatre. I just wanted to thank all the contributors and those sharing their knowledge and expertise to help those like myself who find all these options absolutely mind boggling.
So I will apologize for the shear size of this email but I have so many questions I am looking for help from the GSF community.
So the basics. I will post some pictures of the floor plan and current framing.
Basement Golf Sim/Home Theatre
Room Size - Width 15 feet 9 inches (that is stud to stud so will be more like 15' 7") Height 8 feet 9 inches (have a subfloor) and Depth 18 feet.
Plan to put the ball 10'6" from the screen.
I know the height is a bit tight but the cost to drop the floor would have been substantial (more than half the cost of the total sim project). I have measured and swung my driver, even with a 2 inch hitting area/mat/pad (plan on cutting out part of the subfloor) and drywall on the ceiling I can clear with space. My friend who is 6'1" can also swing his driver. But if you are 6'4" or taller or have a very vertical swing you are out of luck.
1) Launch monitor - My original plan was to go with the Uneekor eye xo (very top of my budget). I like that it is ceiling mounted and able to give so much info. My plan is to install is recessed between the joists in a plywood box (where I have read you can get 8 inches in added height which would help get it to the 9 foot recommended height - I have about 14-15" between joists).
I have considered the Uneekor QED and the GC3. Open to opinions on one verses the other.
2) Projector - I was really intrigued by the Benq Lk936St - I know it's pricey but I wanted something that would be great for double duty. I have no idea when i could get it (looks like 8-10 months in Canada). Not sure if I should wait or if anyone else has a good ceiling mounted suggestions that does great with as a golf simulator and home theatre (would like 4K if possible, if laser even better).
3) Screen - So this is where things went a little sideways for me. Should I simply use one screen for both the simulator and movie theater or would it be better to have a wall mounted theatre screen and put in a retractable hitting screen? Obviously using one for both is more cost effective and much easier. The other option is to put in an acoustically permeable wall mounted theatre screen and 18 inches off this put in a retractable hitting screen (using metechs and a Carl's place screen or the Par2Pro Stealth). Any suggestions are welcome.
4) Lighting - So it seems most people prefer track/focused lighting to avoid shadows. My question is where do you mount these lights? In front? Behind? Does it interfere with the ceiling mounted projector that will likely be behind the hitting area?
5) Sound System - So if I went with the dual screens, this would allow me to mount speakers behind the screen. If I were to go with the single screen, then how would to do the sounds system? I can do wired or wireless but the sitting area is almost 25-27 feet away. Hoping to ceiling mount or wall mount speakers if i could.
6) Floor - I have a subfloor put in. Plan was to use a hitting strip (Real Feel Country Club) and cut out the area and replace it as needed. My question is how big of a putting area do I need? When you put with the Uneekor eye xo, would you hit it just off of the hitting strip? The rest of the area would have turf. With the subfloor could I get away with unpadded turf or should I go with padded turf?
7) Ceiling/Wall coverings -So my plan is to pad up to 10 feet off of the screen. I am playing with options 1) Curtains and baffles in the ceiling (will have to figure out a way to manage the baffles around the uneekor eye xo) 2) Premade pads (Vant panels) or 3) Carpeting with padding underneath. The custom made golf panels are far to pricey and would blow the budget. I would like to cover almost to a few feet of the hitting area in case someone skies a driver. More of a preference/cost issue. I am considering a mix (i.e. panels part of the way and then carpet) to keep the budget manageable.
Sorry about all the questions - there are just so many options it can be a bit overwhelming.
I will tag some pictures of the basement and floor plan to give you an idea.
Thanks
Derek
I have been actively reading this forum over the last year or so with the plan to put in a basement golf simulator/home theatre. I just wanted to thank all the contributors and those sharing their knowledge and expertise to help those like myself who find all these options absolutely mind boggling.
So I will apologize for the shear size of this email but I have so many questions I am looking for help from the GSF community.
So the basics. I will post some pictures of the floor plan and current framing.
Basement Golf Sim/Home Theatre
Room Size - Width 15 feet 9 inches (that is stud to stud so will be more like 15' 7") Height 8 feet 9 inches (have a subfloor) and Depth 18 feet.
Plan to put the ball 10'6" from the screen.
I know the height is a bit tight but the cost to drop the floor would have been substantial (more than half the cost of the total sim project). I have measured and swung my driver, even with a 2 inch hitting area/mat/pad (plan on cutting out part of the subfloor) and drywall on the ceiling I can clear with space. My friend who is 6'1" can also swing his driver. But if you are 6'4" or taller or have a very vertical swing you are out of luck.
1) Launch monitor - My original plan was to go with the Uneekor eye xo (very top of my budget). I like that it is ceiling mounted and able to give so much info. My plan is to install is recessed between the joists in a plywood box (where I have read you can get 8 inches in added height which would help get it to the 9 foot recommended height - I have about 14-15" between joists).
I have considered the Uneekor QED and the GC3. Open to opinions on one verses the other.
2) Projector - I was really intrigued by the Benq Lk936St - I know it's pricey but I wanted something that would be great for double duty. I have no idea when i could get it (looks like 8-10 months in Canada). Not sure if I should wait or if anyone else has a good ceiling mounted suggestions that does great with as a golf simulator and home theatre (would like 4K if possible, if laser even better).
3) Screen - So this is where things went a little sideways for me. Should I simply use one screen for both the simulator and movie theater or would it be better to have a wall mounted theatre screen and put in a retractable hitting screen? Obviously using one for both is more cost effective and much easier. The other option is to put in an acoustically permeable wall mounted theatre screen and 18 inches off this put in a retractable hitting screen (using metechs and a Carl's place screen or the Par2Pro Stealth). Any suggestions are welcome.
4) Lighting - So it seems most people prefer track/focused lighting to avoid shadows. My question is where do you mount these lights? In front? Behind? Does it interfere with the ceiling mounted projector that will likely be behind the hitting area?
5) Sound System - So if I went with the dual screens, this would allow me to mount speakers behind the screen. If I were to go with the single screen, then how would to do the sounds system? I can do wired or wireless but the sitting area is almost 25-27 feet away. Hoping to ceiling mount or wall mount speakers if i could.
6) Floor - I have a subfloor put in. Plan was to use a hitting strip (Real Feel Country Club) and cut out the area and replace it as needed. My question is how big of a putting area do I need? When you put with the Uneekor eye xo, would you hit it just off of the hitting strip? The rest of the area would have turf. With the subfloor could I get away with unpadded turf or should I go with padded turf?
7) Ceiling/Wall coverings -So my plan is to pad up to 10 feet off of the screen. I am playing with options 1) Curtains and baffles in the ceiling (will have to figure out a way to manage the baffles around the uneekor eye xo) 2) Premade pads (Vant panels) or 3) Carpeting with padding underneath. The custom made golf panels are far to pricey and would blow the budget. I would like to cover almost to a few feet of the hitting area in case someone skies a driver. More of a preference/cost issue. I am considering a mix (i.e. panels part of the way and then carpet) to keep the budget manageable.
Sorry about all the questions - there are just so many options it can be a bit overwhelming.
I will tag some pictures of the basement and floor plan to give you an idea.
Thanks
Derek
Comment