Garage Golf Sim

[EagleEyeJones]

Building my first garage sim and need advise. have a 5 stall garage so plenty of room. I just ordered a skytrak and need recommendations on the cheapest projector that will work and whether or not i can just paint the back wall a deep white and then put a net in front of it rather than an impact screen.

Thanks!

[GoTime]

The cheapest projector is not a projector, but using a monitor/tv to display the output 

[EagleEyeJones]

15 minutes ago, 000 said:

The cheapest projector is not a projector, but using a monitor/tv to display the output 

Yea i know haha, i want the cheapest projector option. doesnt feel safe to hit ball at a tv 😉

[Frankensteins Monster]

55 minutes ago, EagleEyeJones said:

Building my first garage sim and need advise. have a 5 stall garage so plenty of room. I just ordered a skytrak and need recommendations on the cheapest projector that will work and whether or not i can just paint the back wall a deep white and then put a net in front of it rather than an impact screen.

Thanks!

There's special projector paint. You can go that way with it, but once you put the net in front of it, you'll most likely want to switch to an impact screen.

 

As far as projector goes, any Optoma or Epson around $1000. You need to have absolute control of the lighting in the garage also.

[EagleEyeJones]

1 minute ago, Frankensteins Monster said:

There's special projector paint. You can go that way with it, but once you put the net in front of it, you'll most likely want to switch to an impact screen.

 

As far as projector goes, any Optoma or Epson around $1000. You need to have absolute control of the lighting in the garage also.

that was my concern with the wall with net infront of it. any short term impact screen alternatives (sheet with padding behind, etc.)? also an projectors under $500? $300? want to start with a cheaper build and then upgrade parts each year.

[ilikegolf26]

You could get a Dr. J projector if into will be pretty dark in the area. It's not the best quality picture but they are dirt cheap ($100 or so one amazon). 

[GoTime]

6 hours ago, EagleEyeJones said:

that was my concern with the wall with net infront of it. any short term impact screen alternatives (sheet with padding behind, etc.)? also an projectors under $500? $300? want to start with a cheaper build and then upgrade parts each year.

 

Focus on projectors intended for office use. They place premium on brightness and care less about being HD or color optimization. Will be better suited for your $ and lighting environment.

[Yrrdead]

I used a 10x10 from these guys and projected onto it, was it the best? No. But I got it onsale during BlackFriday/CyberMonday event and for a net it has been awesome, for a screen I would rate it as okay. I doubt you can find a better value impact panel.

https://www.parbuster.com/collections/golf-impact-panels/products/ultra-duty-delta-impact-panel

 

 

Like others are mentioning you can get a way with a sub par projector and impact net by having a pretty dark room. 

[mjforn]

I use just the laptop screen. The nice thing about it, is  put it right by the mat one can change clubs and take notes. I used to go to a range that had the screen behind a net, not good. There was always a shadow on the screen. Put a target in your net, then project the image on the garage wall. Or Just plug into a tv.

 

 

.

[ilikegolf26]

On 10/21/2020 at 9:17 PM, Yrrdead said:

I used a 10x10 from these guys and projected onto it, was it the best? No. But I got it onsale during BlackFriday/CyberMonday event and for a net it has been awesome, for a screen I would rate it as okay. I doubt you can find a better value impact panel.

https://www.parbuster.com/collections/golf-impact-panels/products/ultra-duty-delta-impact-panel

 

 

Like others are mentioning you can get a way with a sub par projector and impact net by having a pretty dark room. 

Can you Project on to that?

[Yrrdead]

4 hours ago, ilikegolf26 said:

Can you Project on to that?

You can but it isn't amazing, I was using it but 2.0 I'll be getting an actual impact screen and have the net behind.  After I took it down for some garage changes, my buddy was like "why don't you just put a sheet in front of it.....my only reply was "because I'm dumb".

 

Edited October 26, 2020 by Yrrdead

[xetremex]

Search your local online places like Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace.  You can shop by price and then use ProjectorCentral.com to lookup the specific model number - that will give you basic information like lumens (ideally over 2000), aspect ratio (4:3 or 16:9 more for impact screen), and whether it is DLP or LED.  I have a pretty basic one mounted in my garage setup from the ceiling.  I'm currently looking to get a better one now that I ordered a nicer graphics card for my SIM PC.

Edited October 28, 2020 by xetremex

[enfuego]

I bought a $100 golf impact screen that has been pretty good. Great for projecting onto but will probably rip through at some point if you use real balls. I've heard of people putting a painters heavy duty drop cloth in front of the area they hit into and those are cheaper and easier to to swap out. 

 

For projectors I started with a $150 720p from Amazon two years a go knowing I could upgrade later if needed. I think it works for hitting into and then a lot of people have a smaller tv mirrored to the side to see the detail. Much cheaper that way. 

 

I went with foam tiles down first then two $20 6x8 turf from home depot on top to get a big 12x8 hitting area. 

 

I would suggest a metal frame for the screen/net. One of the simulator companies sells the corner pieces for $50ish and then you go to your local home depot and buy the metal piping to complete the setup. Home Depot will cut to length for you also, don't bother trying to cut it yourself unless you know you have the right tool.