simulator build considerations?

[Frankfam11]

Hello, been lurking for a while as I've always wanted my own golf sim, and now that I'm currently building a new house i might finally have the room for one!

Was hoping for some insight from you all to make sure I am taking everything into consideration to hopefully not run into any issues as I slowly start to piece this together.

Ive included some architectural drawings as I am still in the design phase of the house and just broke ground but I am hoping to build this in our bonus room above the garage, ive already asked the architect to lower the garage ceiling another foot and add couple steps down into the bonus room to give me some more height because as it stands right now i think it will be a little tight.

Other things I am considering:

-Skytrak
-carls DIY 8x8 enclosure with hitting screen
-ideally this doubles as a movie room so looking at a 1080p short throw projector (maybe 4k not sure if its worth the extra $$)
-country club elite hitting mat

Anything else I should be looking into, or any areas I could potentially save some money that I havent considered?

Thanks your help is really appreciated!

[richerod]

• Firstly see if you can squeeze more ceiling height. It's worth it.
• I would suggest you consider budgeting for more precise LM...Uneekor, GC3
• I would suggest you read the healthy amount of posts in this forum around hitting mats as this mat is known for being brutal on the elbow joints.

[Stetson]

Am I reading this right … 9’ at the peak and 5’10” at the top of the pony wall with a 12:12 pitch?

if I am reading that correctly I will be the jerk that tells you that the space won’t work so I hope I am missing something.

[Frankfam11]

its closer to 10 ft in the peak, at 9 ft its about 5 ft 6 in span, and 8 ft its about 8ft across. I was thinking I could fit a carl's 8x8 enclosure on the back wall against the bedroom. I am also working with the architect to drop the ceiling in the garage and lower the floor in that room. This house isnt complete, currently a foundation only

[Stetson]

That is good news. The key to ceiling height isn't over the hitting area, it is behind the golfer. So think about your back swing and follow through, that area behind you is where the height matters, so you may end up offsetting your mat and using the gable space for the swing. There are other post on here that deal with putting a screen along a gable (sloped) ceiling, and that is something to look at, simply to expand your knowledge base in the event you do have to offset the hitting area.

[Tigerbass]

Am I reading this right … 9’ at the peak and 5’10” at the top of the pony wall with a 12:12 pitch?

if I am reading that correctly I will be the jerk that tells you that the space won’t work so I hope I am missing something.

If h cheats his strike mat to the right (assuming he is right handed) I think he would have room.

[Frankfam11]

• Firstly see if you can squeeze more ceiling height. It's worth it.
• I would suggest you consider budgeting for more precise LM...Uneekor, GC3
• I would suggest you read the healthy amount of posts in this forum around hitting mats as this mat is known for being brutal on the elbow joints.

thanks for the insight here, definitely open to other suggestions on hitting mats..

any suggestions on reducing noise? there are bedrooms nearby and im hoping to make this room as quiet as possible

[Stetson]

Noise control is very much a budget function. If the budget isn’t an issue and you are doing new construction I would suggest you become familiar with the following items and pass them along to your builder:

Mineral Wool Insulation (all sides of room)
Green Glue
Decoupling

[Shinaut]

Stetson is right the biggest issue you will have is the gable vaulted ceiling’s. Dropping the floor would help but you can also raise the roof depending how much it would effect the front elevation. It still might be tight

[Frankfam11]

interesting thanks for your help, i figured 9 feet wouldnt be ideal but thought i could make a full driver swing. i have a flatter swing arc and I am 6 ft tall, i took some practice swings in my in-laws garage door and was able to swing a driver and thats 8.5 feet

[Stetson]

Using the photo of the front elevation here is what I see
- Roof: 12:12
- Peak Ceiling: 9'
- Peak Height Width: 5'8 (2'10" on either side of center)
- total room width of 13'8"

Using the photo of the floor plan here is what I see
- Roof: N/A
- Peak Ceiling: N/A
- Peak Height Width: 9'
- Room Width: 22'11"

These measurements are dramatically different. You can see on the front elevation it indicates the ceiling is nearly the same width as the window, but on the floor plan the ceiling is certainly wider than the window.

Here is what I would want to convey to you regardless of ceiling width, the ceiling is a 12:12 pitch, so for each foot you move horizontally you lose a foot of ceiling. So if the ball is centered and there ceiling begins sloping 2'10" from the center (front elevation image) then 4' laterally from the ball the ceiling will already be down to 7'10" and that is your follow through area. So depending on which image is accurate there is a world of a difference because one has a 4' follow through ceiling at 7"10" while the other has the full 9'. This of course excluding the height of your carpet, platform, drywall, etc which will squeeze a few inches from ya.

[Frankfam11]

thanks stetson, great call out ill confirm with the developer on the right measurements

[Frankfam11]

Using the photo of the front elevation here is what I see
- Roof: 12:12
- Peak Ceiling: 9'
- Peak Height Width: 5'8 (2'10" on either side of center)
- total room width of 13'8"

Using the photo of the floor plan here is what I see
- Roof: N/A
- Peak Ceiling: N/A
- Peak Height Width: 9'
- Room Width: 22'11"

These measurements are dramatically different. You can see on the front elevation it indicates the ceiling is nearly the same width as the window, but on the floor plan the ceiling is certainly wider than the window.

Here is what I would want to convey to you regardless of ceiling width, the ceiling is a 12:12 pitch, so for each foot you move horizontally you lose a foot of ceiling. So if the ball is centered and there ceiling begins sloping 2'10" from the center (front elevation image) then 4' laterally from the ball the ceiling will already be down to 7'10" and that is your follow through area. So depending on which image is accurate there is a world of a difference because one has a 4' follow through ceiling at 7"10" while the other has the full 9'. This of course excluding the height of your carpet, platform, drywall, etc which will squeeze a few inches from ya.

Hi Stetson, I was able to get some updates from the architect and wanted to know what you thought

[Stetson]

That’s better, symmetry between images now.

so the ceiling is 8’ width at full height, so if the ball is centered you have 4’ in both directions until the slope begins. So in your current house go drop a golf ball 48” from a wall and pretend you are swinging.


I think you will find that your butt is fairly close to the wall and your swing hits the wall repeatedly. If that is the case you will have to move the ball away from the center of the room to accommodate the swing prior to the ceiling slope.

[Frankfam11]

That’s a good observation, it will definitely have to be slightly off center, thankfully there are only righties in my golf group and family. I’m curious if anyone has had a poor experience with an off center setup like this or if it doesn’t make much of a difference.

I’m guessing that if your standing off center you angle yourself slightly to impact the screen closer to the middle.

[Brettster]

Frankfam11 - Stetson is right... I actually lined up my iPhone camera behind me in the garage and took several recorded swings to get a good idea of how far behind me my swing peaked (both backswing and follow through). I was shocked to realize I think it was 10"-14" behind my heels, and I was lucky that it all fit (I have about 6' width of a 10' peak height, then gables coming down to 7' height), and this is for the swing mat area being offset a good 24" or so, I barely fit - then I had to consider my practice swing being even further toward the center of the building. I chalk marked up a lot of my floor, and was pretty spot on when I dropped the final hitting mat in - you can see it here:

https://golfsimulatorforum.com/forum/golf-simulator-forum/simulator-builds/348365-golf-sim-shed-build-finally?p=368548#post368548

Good luck! Let me know if you have any questions.

[Stetson]

The software allows you to make adjustments for this sort of thing. MANY use an off center setup, it isn’t unusual. If it were me I would make a visual marker on the floor in front of the hitting area to aim at. This would ensure I am not attempting to hit the ball towards the center of the screen but rather directly ahead.

[Par2Pro Kevin]

Hi, I'm Kevin from Par2Pro. Please contact us at info@par2pro.com to set up an appointment to discuss your options for your golf simulator.

[Frankfam11]

just thought I would share a quick update with you all on how the new construction is coming along - house is about 90% framed now and roof coming on next week. I worked with the architect to drop the floor (2 steps coming down into the room) so we could squeeze another 6 inches of height in the Sim Room. So now at the peak of the room it will 9 foot 6 inches high, and 8 ft across. This gives much more more room to swing a club, and dare I say, even potentially be able to center the hitting area. Pic attached.

Also, having the contractor add mineral wool insulation on those interior walls, mass loaded vinyl, and doubling up the drywall to deaden some of the sound coming back into the house.

[Brettster]

Frankfam11

Also, having the contractor add mineral wool insulation on those interior walls, mass loaded vinyl, and doubling up the drywall to deaden some of the sound coming back into the house.

Good move! Let us know how 'soundproof' it is... maybe a short video from the other side of the wall (in the house) when hitting balls in the Sim?

[Frankfam11]

will do brettster, ill take some updated pics as things progress and maybe even take some decibel readings, im sure there is an app for that!

[Frankfam11]

hi guys, electrician is set to come by in the next few weeks to do the rough. What things should i be taking into consideration to make it easier to set up the sim? any tips or suggestions would be very welcome

-outlet location (ceiling outlet for projector)
-hdmi run in wall to the ceiling?

Uploaded a very rough mockup not to scale just playing around with a few ideas

also, im either going with the Skytrak+ or the BLP so this is going to be a side unit

[Frankfam11]

are people just running a conduit to pull HDMI cables through?

[Frankfam11]

any guidance around screen size i should go with would be greatly appreciated. My space is kinda weird, i have 11 ft floor to ceiling at the peak, so i believe i can fit a 12x8 screen (which creeps a bit close to the stairs of the left) or an 11x9.

is that enough height?
what should I consider given a 16:9 or 4:3 ratio on the projector (optoma UHD35stx)