Golf Simulator + Home Theatre Sydney

[Krisvm]

Dear Golf Sim Forum,
Please help me build my golf sim / home theatre. I have briefly dreamed about a sim for a couple of years and I am now building one!
Please see attached diagrams.
The Space is 5 metres wide by 7 metres long. The height from concrete slab to concrete slab is 3 metres.
There is a 1 metre corridor / space on the right side wall which needs to be clear to access the room behind the screen.
I have sketched up a plan to have a screen that is 4.6 metres wide. Bordered by a gyprock wall on the left that is 300mm wide with padding to go on its inside surface. Then a 100mm wide gyprock wall on the right side also with padding on the inside aspect. These walls are to protrude 1875mm.
I have allowed 400mm space behind the impact screen to the gyprock wall at the back of the room.
The tee is currently positioned in the middle of the screen and is 2.8m from the screen.
I plan to place 1 or 2 circular shaped couches at the very back of the room. If there is space perhaps a small coffee table of sorts In front of each couch.
Flooring:
As sketched in green this is to be the green turf. The aim is to have this turf inset so that it will be flush with the surrounding tiles. The tiles of which will be approximately 3cm total thickness including cements etc.
Ceiling:
300mm wide by 300mm height bulk head along the length of the left side wall for airconditioning.
I felt that a 3 x 3m area centred around the tee the ceiling would be as close as possible to the underside of the above concrete floor slab. The space between the ceiling and slab can be as little as 40mm. This would likely not allow enough space for lighting in this area.
The enclosure will be entirely padded with no lighting within.
Peripheral to this 3x3m area the ceiling would be about 100 – 150mm down from the slab. This would allow down lights and also ceiling speakers.
The speaker locations are marked as ‘S’ . I’m looking at a Klipsch 7.1 system. 8” diameter speakers that I believe are ~ 12cm in depth. I am not sure how to place the centre front speaker without it being hit by golf clubs / balls etc. Should this be a ceiling speaker in the padded ceiling? Or in the ceiling in front of the padded ceiling? Can I have a lip down from the ceiling above the tee to the padded ceiling and even place a speaker here facing forward? Would a 180mm drop still provide enough height to hit into and not obstruct the projectors picture?
I am a little worried about having enough clearance to swing a driver (worried I need 3m minimum).

Once these dimension are ‘approved’ I will work on the next part!

Advice is greatly appreciate for:

1. Which projector and where to position? If possible I would like to try and use the same projector for movies and the golf sim. Which aspect / screen dimensions would be best for this golf sim?
2. Advice on which simulator to use. I have assumed I should use the GC Quad?.
3. Which impact screen ? Where to order? And best method for fixing it?
4. How to arrange the impact screen and movie screen?
5. Type of Padding and where to buy? And attach to the walls?
6. What flooring to use and where to purchase? Will this allow me to putt to the screen aswell?
7. What is the best / essential software? TGC 2019 ?

Thank you all for your advice and I can’t wait to document every step along the way and of course then get my handicap down!
Regards
Kris

[Krisvm]

Hi All,
I thought I would add an update and more information in the hope this may encourage some replies!

Please see the following attached diagram.
The light green space is the floor turf.
The Dark green mark is the hitting area.
The arrow behind this is the ceiling mounted projector. BENQ LK935ST or similar.
I have put in some tentative seating arrangements. I'm thinking two curved couches.
The Orange Line is the impact screen. The thick blue lines either side are the side padding on built out walls.
The Dark red line in front of the orange line is the pull down theatre screen

Wall speakers in purple and ceiling speakers in red circles (Atmos)
Behind the impact screen is centre , Left front and right front.
Then the two rear speakers are on the walls however, as you can see at different distances from the couches.
Two side speakers to be wall mounted. Unlikely to be in the ideal positions but i can't not put them where the cupboards are (in pink).
Yellow squares are 1 or 2 sub woofers.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[BlechBOX]

The set up looks great and while I don't have all the answers you are looking for I can help in some areas. I built my sim/theater about 5 years ago and I'm now in the process of moving and upgrading it to a new house. As a general note, you and your family will likely use the theater more than the sim as time goes on so make sure the movie watching experience is second to none. It sounds like you have that covered with the sounds and projector so take the same approach with seating. Also make sure the screen is a 16 by 9 aspect ratio.

1. looks like you decided on the best projector on the market. Use the website projector central to figure out exact placement (https://www.projectorcentral.com/Ben...ulator-pro.htm)
2. I have a GC2 and love it. The quad would be my choice if i bought a new one today but maybe look at the foresight section of the forums to confirm. It has been a while for me.
3. I have had two screen. Par2Pro HQ and Par2Pro quite. I like them both but my info here is a couple years old. Also, I'm researching to see if there is a better way to fix them but i used wire and O-ring screws to frame the screen and then bungie to connect the screen to the wire.
4. If you get a good impact screen it will work as a movie screen as well. No need to get two.
5. I bought a very taught net behind the screen and it worked great but padding would probably work better. this is something i'm also looking into.
6. (non hitting) I'd search google for turf options in your area and request samples. Then cut the samples into coasters. (hitting) I have a country club elite and like it. It might be a little harsh on the wrists if you come in steep.
7. TGC 2019. I don't play in the weekly events any more but they were a ton of fun. Also playing the courses the pros are playing or jumping on to play pine valley, pebble, augusta, etc is great.

Anyway, I don't know if this helps but I am excited for you. After installing my sim 5 years ago i decided to have one in every house for the rest of my life. I also went from a 3 handicap to a plus 2 which came from consistency and being comfortable under par from the sim tournaments.

[Krisvm]

Dear BlechBox,
Thank you for your reply - much appreciated.
1. I am hopeful that 1 projector will work for both uses. However if there is a most cost effective way or a good reason to have 2 projectors I am happy to change.
2. I am keen to get a gc quad aswell.
3. I am having trouble finding information about an 'acoustic transparent' impact screen so i can place speakers behind the screen. This is my main issue at the moment to sort out.
4. 1 screen rather than two would be preferable.
5. Padding on back wall?
6. Happy to try a country club elite
7. Yes TGC 2019 is a must
Regards,
kris

[BigEd]

Hi Kris
I have recently “completed” a build in Western Australia and can give you a little of my experience, especially when trying to source items for your build from overseas.

After a lot of research, I went with par2pro for the screen. I went the SQ-W Custom and could not have been more impressed with them. The screen was made to my measurements to the centimetre and included everything needed to hang it – cable ties, the smallest occy straps (hook bungee cords), Velcro and screen surrounds to hide all the hardware. They also do a pocket at the bottom so the base ties to the frame with a shock cord. I was going to do an EMT frame, but talking with Trang at par2pro had me change my thinking and design and I installed slotted angle from Bunnings onto the walls (double brick) and onto the ceiling (into the joists). I put a second strip of slotted angle on the ceiling behind the main piece to allow me to hang a archery net and memory foam topper – absolute zero bounce back.

There is method to the madness on both the net and memory foam. I originally had black moving blankets behind the screen from Bunnings, however, these shredded after two or three days. The colour from the blanket also leeched into the screen. As a side note, the screen washes really well on a delicate cycle. I hung memory foam originally by spring clamps, but they tore away, so I wedged it between two pieces of timber and bolted them together and it is holding well. The topper was visible behind the screen however, so I hung black canvas from Spotlight over the topper and bought a archery net to stop any more colour leaching onto the screen from Kaizen Golf. This is doing the trick brilliantly.

The screen is not 4K quality, but I have bought a photography backdrop sheet for $30.00 of eBay and a large roll of Velcro hook. Not done yet, but I am aiming to have a local seamstress sew the Velcro onto the sheet and this will be able to affix to the Velcro screen surrounds supplied by par2pro to watch movies. Depending how it goes, I will get a second – one for movies, one to prolong the life of the screen. I am running an Optoma ZH406ST (Australian version of the 1090). It is not 4k but 1080p. The best think I like about this projector is being able to individually stretch each four corners of the image so it fits the screen in its entirety. A lot more forgiving and the image quality is great in my opinion. I got it from ProjectorGuys online and used the calculators already discussed here to get throw distances. I bought the shortest mount possible from eBay and that worked a charm. I used the Youtube video on how to get the resolution right (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-lG1sfwzms) and use reshade on TGC2019 to sharpen the image up.

Wall and ceiling padding, I got 40x40cm bevelled edged acoustic foam tiles from AliExpress. They are affixed with double sided tape and are holding firm. To go around the ceiling cornicing and smaller areas, I got 20x40 cm tiles from the same seller. They all come compressed so give them a day or two to expand to full size. These have worked out far better than what I expected and dampen erratic shots! As I have a solid plaster wall behind the screen, I put jigsaw mats from Bunnings on the wall and on the floor, I put thicker 40x40x2cm jigsaw gym mats on the floor and covered with 15mm pile putting turf. I cut out a section for the floor pads and put in Truestrike mat from Area18. LED strip lighting is from AliExpress as it an electric curtain rail to cover the windows. Both are automated into Google Home.

I am using a Skytrak from thenetreturn and got the bundle from them, that included the protective surround, tees and 12 months subscription. It only does ball data, but a mate is running a GCQuad and swears by it. I purchased TGC2019 direct from the website. Computer wise, I purchased a new Dell Alienware with a RTX3060TI graphic card which more than does the job. I haven’t ventured down the speakers side yet…

Hope that helps you – sorry for the waffle. A few pictures included. Enjoy your build mate!

[Krisvm]

Thank you BigEd,
Thank you your post is extremely helpful. I will use those slotted angle strips from bunnings aswell.
I will go with the same screen from Par2pro. SQ-W Custom.
Where did you get the archery net from (Kaizen golf?) and can you explain what and how the memory foam topper is?
Acoustic foam tiles look perfect.

My greatest challenge is the speakers. There does not seem to be an ideal way to get the front centre speaker in the right spot ! Best i can do is angle it down from the centre of the ceiling enclosure.

[BigEd]

Glad to have been of some help. The archery net was bought from Kaizen Golf online (https://kaizengolf.com.au/products/g...ery-baffle-net) and I got it custom made so it fitted width wise to my screen but was the standard 3 metres in length, so it laid quite loose at the bottom to absorb shots. It did take a bit to get made up, but Yi the owner was great on the communication and help.

The memory foam topper I purchased from Spotlight. (https://www.spotlightstores.com/bedr...opper/80379413) It is just a big chunk of memory foam that I hung to reduce bounce back from the ball impacting the screen. If you search memory foam on this forum you will see all the posts about it. Originally, I had it hung like the photo, but the clips tore chunks out from the impacts. I now have it wedged between 2x4’s and hung with zip ties and ball bungees and it is doing the job. Like I said though, I had to get black canvas as when the projector lights up the screen, the topper was visible behind. I reckon you could get by with just the archery net behind as the par2pro screen reduces bounce back pretty well on its own.

Speakers are something I am now looking into. My room is pretty tight and my cabinet can only hold the desktop tower, so I can’t house a receiver for speakers. I am considering a Bluetooth corner speakers mounted on the roof on the edge of the ceiling padding and angled into the centre of the room. I can see your predicament and all my reading on this site and AV forums is that they are mounting centre speakers behind the screen and angling down.

[adilgolf]

Another vote for Par2Pro SQ screen. Good quality, been using it for almost a whole year now and it still looks as on day 1.
Didn't need any archery net or blankets behind, the screen itself stops everything dead with very little bounce back.
Like BigEd, i used slotted angle from bunnings combined with a mix of par2pro bungees and zipties.
Quality of the image is more than adequate for a home theatre.
I use a single Sonos playbar hanging from the ceiling more or less above the hitting mat and it fills the room with a very nice cinematic sound.
May not be enough for hardcore audiophiles, but it is good enough for me.
40mm EVA floor mats and turf from bunnings like bigEd
Good luck with your build mate

https://golfsimulatorforum.com/forum/golf-simulator-forum/simulator-builds/336413-garden-shed-simulator-build

[Krisvm]

Hi All,
Can the forum please double check my calculations please?
With the Benq LK936ST Projector, ceiling mounted:

Screen width 4.8m / 189"
Screen height 2.7m / 106"
Screen Diameter 5.51m / 217"
Aspect Ratio 16:9

The required throw distance is 4.07m / 160" . Using the telephoto and wide angle I can bring the projector into 3.89m or out to 4.27m .

Does this sound right to everyone?

Thanks in advance.