Advice Needed: Budget Golf Sim

[SnohoBen]

Hi All,

Not sure if this is the right section to post this or not, please let me know if I need to move this discussion. I'm looking to build my first sim and have a max build area of 12' wide (might be able to go 13' wide) 12'10" tall ceiling and 20' max length. I have no problem building my own cage, just need advice on where and what materials to use. I have a fully built PC ready to go. Any advice on pointing me in the right direction for the following? Also, I'm open to used and not everything needs to be new.

• Looking at SkyTrak used for the launch monitor. (seems to be the best bang for the buck) other options?
• Need advice on projector any recommendations? I can hang from ceiling if needed but would prefer on the ground if possible.
• What is the best bang for buck impact screens? Seems to be a lot out there and hard to really know what's good and what isn't
• Where can I find the best price on the pole connectors?
• Driving mat?
• What software do I need and what will it cost?

I know this is a lot and if there is thread on this then please send me that way.

[TripleBogeyPar]

Check out bullseyegolfsims.com for a premium screen

[SnohoBen]

If I want to have my tee at 10ft from screen should you place your projector directly above that?..yes I do sky the ball a lot, working on it but like I said I'm a noob. With my max space being 13' with frame...I assume I should stick to around a 12' to 12.5" wide screen, and will need to run 9.5' tall for a 4:3 ratio. I would like a 16:9 but that would make the screen height really low given the width problem. I was thinking of going with the BenQ TH671ST, but concerned that it may not work well for that. So the other option may be the Optoma GT1080HDR...any suggestions? are these a good choice or is there something out there that I'm missing. My budget is to be under $800 for the projector and looking as used options even less would be ideal.

I picked up the SkyTrak so that is sorted and figured out everything else...just screen and projector is where I'm stuck.

Also, since I'm on a budget should I just get a cheap screen for now and hit foam balls until I can afford the premium screen or am I just cheating myself on getting any better by not hitting real golf balls?

[Frankfam11]

once you figure out your screen size, and your budget for a projector, go to projectorcentral.com and play around with the throw calculator. this will determine where you need to mount your projector with your desired screen size.

most people opt for a "short throw" projector to avoid casting a shadow of themselves on the screen, with nearly 13' ceilings im not sure if this would be an issue for you or not. but generally people try to mount their projector right over the top of the hitting area so there is no chance of a sky shot hitting it.

the ones you mentioned are good, some others are epson and viewsonic, those are trusted brands, id avoid any knockoffs from amazon as most of them are lie about advertised lumen brightness. def go with a used if you want to save a few bucks, bulbs ares replaceable.

another thing to consider is keystone correction or lens shift to allow for mini adjustments when mounting the projector

i wouldnt cheap out on the screen, a poor screen just isnt gonna last and will start showing wear quickly which will affect your viewinng experience. if you want to save money just start with a net and a flatscreen off to the side and just buy things piece by piece, this is common

[Frankfam11]

Hey Ben - you are gonna be hooked!

-used skytrak is a great option
-check out projectorcentral.com for all projectors, they have a throw calculator that will help you pick the right one for your space requirments
-there is a thread on here for a raw impact screen, they offer very high quality screen at a great price
-you can build your own screen enclosure using EMT pipe from home depot for pretty cheap
-many diff options for software, the most popular are TGC19, E6, and gsp, they are all yearly subscriptions and ranges from a couple hundred to upwards of 800 a year
-many diff options from a driving mat, i wouldnt skimp out here as the cheaper ones wear very quickly and are tough of your joints if you hit balls for a long time

another thing to consider will be a "gaming pc", some software's require a higher end graphics card to run graphics ins 1080-4k

[SnohoBen]

Hey Frank- thanks for the tips! I've got all the hardware figured out and now just waiting on all of it to arrive. Now I'm onto software. I'm looking at TCG 2019 since it seems to have to most amount of courses. What I don't understand is the yearly subscription cost. You can but the game on Steam for $49.95, why is it $480 a year from Skytrak?

On the driving mat, I'm building my own with a divot section that is replaceable....saw a few on YT that looked effective and will adopt one of those methods.

I have an extra gaming PC that I built a few years ago that I'm going to use that has a 2080ti, i7-4770K processor, 32GB of RAM, and tons of NVME and SSD storage so it should do the job. I also plan on running 3 GoPro's (which I already have) to capture a overhead close up of the ball, then a full view back and full view facing me so I can capture and analyze my swing and club face positions.

[Frankfam11]

TGC2019 is available as a video game from 2k sports thats super cheap, but that will only work on xbox and PC i think, the simulator version which is what you want is much more expensive. they are the same graphics though. theres plenty of other options out there.

[Needsmoreeagles]

I still have not played another Sim than TGC but in the last 2 years I have played the best golf courses & over 100 different ones, its an ever-growing list of incredible fun golf for the investment.