I'm going to setup a simulator in my kids play room. The issue is that it will take up pretty much to whole room so I need to make it removeable so I want to use a retractable screen from Gung-ho Golf. Does anyone have experience with a setup like this? Any lessons learned or pros/cons with the screen?
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I have the SportScreen Golf Studio (SGS) from Par2Play (hand crank retractable) and am happy with it. I used a handyman to install so I can't comment on the set up difficulty. You can find threads on here on GungHo, MeTech, and DIY Sportscreen without the SGS package. My only advice is don't get the retractable unless you really need it. I need to use it in a garage that we also use for parking our cars. It was a must have. We used to have a non-retractable basement setup in a different house and that was cheaper and a better experience.
Last edited by MadMax2021; 02-22-2024, 04:15 AM. -
I have a retractable setup in a two car garage and I sometimes question if the cost was worth it. It sounds like a perfect solution in theory, but in reality it’s not perfect and there are still things about it that annoy me.
With the limited space you have, it may be worth getting a spornia net and mounting a tv on the wall for viewing the simulator software and see if you can live with that before committing to the cost of a retractable setup.Comment
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I've thought about doing something like that so I can make sure everything works the way I want to before going all in. What retractable setup do you have? My fear is exactly what you're saying, that it has too many quirks to make it a seamless and easy experience (e.g., bounces too much, gaps in catching mishits, takes too long to setup, etc.)
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I just started working on a retractable enclosure for my garage which is used full time by 2 cars parked inside along with the customary stuff like a mower, snowblower, tools, etc.
For me a golf sim enclosure was simply not an option because I need full use of the garage space. While it may not be as “ideal” as an enclosure, the convenience of having all my space back is worth the trade-offs. On that regard I did some digging around and from what I have seen on YouTube the differences are quite manageable.
My retractable golf sim plan is based on a post I saw in this forum recommending roller shade wireless electric motors. I was not aware such things existed and decided to give it a try and experiment by ordering one motor and some black duck canvas material. My first try was to build a side screen using a 61” section of 2” PVC pipe anchored to 64” 2x4. To gain extra height I used ¾ plywood spacers as the tube mounting brackets are a bit short. The experiment was a complete success and the screen side goes up and down to the designated limit spots at the press of a button.
Based on the results I ordered additional motors for the impact screen and the remaining side screen. For the impact screen I am using a 10’ steel electrical conduit pipe as described in the forum post. I also ordered a 10x10 GungHo Eagle premium screen with Velcro and bottom hem for a weight bar already installed. For safety’s sake I will be attaching a permanent Golf Net on the ceiling and for the right hand side I will hang a 10’ section of Golf netting to catch any stray balls that may make it between the screen and the side curtain. Due to my garage’s limitations the golf sim will be set up for right handed players only.
The total cost will be a shade over $1200 for the 3 roller shades ($450), tubing/wood materials ($70), the black Duck Canvas ($90) and a 10x10 GungHo Premium Eagle screen ($600). It could be cheaper if I skipped the side curtain motors, but for the extra $1300 I thought they will be cool to have them tucked up in the ceiling along with the screen. This DIY route can save anywhere between $1000 to $2000 if you are handy with the “spanners” and do not mind experimenting and tinkering to achieve results.
For the flooring I will be using stall mats from Tractor Supply and they can handle the Jeep’s weight. They are $60 a piece for a 4x6 section with 6 required for a 12x12 area. On top of it I will have a 12x12 putting mat (about $300) which will be folded like a taco and kept between the Jeep’s tires when not in use. The Monster Mat is still an open question in terms of how that will work with the Jeep as the mat’s width is about the width of the jeep.
Setting up should be quick with the screens coming down automatically, followed by the Golf net drawn on the right side. Then unfold the putting mat and place the monster mat on the hitting area followed by the camera based launch monitor. I'd say it can be done in 3 minutes to convert from a garage with a Jeep parked inside to a Golf Sim space.
I will post an update when I have the screen and side curtains working. So far it looks like it will work.Last edited by pepeborja; 02-27-2024, 04:45 PM.Comment
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Good luck with your project and I look forward to seeing the pictures. For my two cents, the hand cranks are pretty easy to use (frankly, idiot proof) and one less thing that can break but if you have the motors working well that's great since the price difference is pretty modest in the context of the overall set up..Comment
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I have this type of setup in my garage.
I bought the manual sports screen from Costco and my impact screen from Par 2 Pro.
it's really easy to crank the screen up or down.
It probably takes 10-15 minutes to fully set up my garage.
This setup works for me I can hit golf balls during cold Canadian winters and park my car in my garage as well.
The dangerous bounce back I get is when I use a wedge and it hits the sports screen bar at a certain angle.
I have caught some golf balls during my sessions.
I realized a SIM build is to ensure you protect your house. Golf balls can ricochet off anything.
When I'm hitting balls, nothing really happens but when you get friends coming over who are not great golfers that's when problem arise.
This year my friend teed his ball so high when hitting a Driver, it made a golf ball dent in my ceiling.
I even have ceiling protection, but he ended up hitting my ceiling before the protection.
This never happens when I hit balls.
I got great ideas from searching through this forum and reading a lot of posts the members posted.
If, you have not already I recommend you going through this forum as a lot of members posted great write ups on their SIM builds.
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Here is an update on my build... as stated, I found a member's post that lead me to a vendor that supplies roller shade motors and hardware. I took his ideas and suggestions for my build which I am documenting in a Youtube channel (the links below are for my first two videos). My build has two garage posts that shift the tee to the right. The rights side post seems close in the video. It would take an awful shank to hit it but have to plan for "it" with some foam with folks that want to take a swing and have limited skills. .
So far, it looks like it will work. The side curtains and impact screen are installed tucked up in the ceiling with my Jeep is parked fine. Next steps are the flooring, ceiling protection, and right side additional protection. The first video details the construction of the side screen using PVC pipe rather than the vendor's tubing--I think I would buy the tubes and eat the shipping cost to avoid the DIY route but this is all part of a project and the DIY route is always fun. Saving $80 is prolly not worth the hassle but I enjoy building things. Second video is a time lapse building the impact screen and installing the side curtains and impact screen.
Last edited by pepeborja; 03-05-2024, 10:59 PM.Comment
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It’s coming along great. I added a new video with the flooring ideas and sketching them on the floor. I Ended up buying cheaper hitting mats from Amazon after seeing a YouTube video from a channel named break 100 golf. It made no sense to buy the Gosport hitting mats to use as landing mats. That’s what I learnt from watching him.
I did hit my 7 iron to test it but I don’t have the weight bars in place yet and that did not help as much as a proper bar would but overall the Gungo Eagle screen seems like a good choice.
I also ordered more black duck canvas to trim the ceiling and part of the screen to hide the white unused parts on top. The screen projection will be 90” high but still have about 18” inches exposed on top.
good Luck
Retractable DIY Garage Golf Simulator - Part 3
https://youtu.be/v9gz9VI044ULast edited by pepeborja; 03-11-2024, 01:10 PM.Comment
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Here is the link to the forum member that posted the original idea for the electric motors for shades. They work very well but only time will tell. Being used for home shades I imagine they get quite the workout and have some longevity.
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I did a manual roll up version using pillow block bearings. Really simple and takes minutes to set up or roll up out of the way. A hand crank would have been cool, but I don't know how to do that.Comment
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