What is the best place to mount a golf simulator projector?

If you are thinking about turning a spare bedroom or your basement into Torrey Pines or Augusta National, then you will need a projector for your impact screen that is mounted in a safe place – but creates an immersive experience for indoor golf.   One of the most challenging questions is where to mount your projector so that it can:

• Be protected from being hit by a golf club or golf ball

• Fills up the entire screen whether it is large or small

• Avoids players and bystanders casting shadows on the screen

There are three typical places that most people use to set up their golf simulator projector screens, and this article will help you evaluate which would be the best projector for your specific setup.   Let’s take a look at the three locations.

This is the simplest and cheapest way to put a projector in front of an impact screen for a golf simulation setup, especially for smaller setups and those using traditional 4:3 aspect ratios.   These enclosures have a ramp type design that deflects any “worm burner” shots up into the screen and has ventilation to keep the projector from overheating.   The power and video cables are run under the floor mat, also saving installation costs.

These enclosures require “short throw” projectors that enable the projector to be relatively close to the screen (and away from your driver) but still project a large image.   While most lamp-based projectors can fit inside these enclosures, many of the higher resolution laser models may be too big to fit.   Two popular projectors for floor mounting are the $600 BenQ MX825ST, which is set up for a 4:3 square screen aspect ratio, and the $799 BenQ TH671ST, which has a widescreen aspect ratio and 1080p resolution.

If you want a bigger screen, a laser projector, or want a higher resolution image on the screen for your E6 golf courses, then a ceiling mount may be the right choice for your setup.   While they are more complicated than a floor mounted enclosure, they create a truly immersive experience just like a commercial golf simulator.  For most home setups, you should also consider the fact that your hitting area could also be used as a home entertainment area to watch golf, movies, or let your kids play X-Box on the big screen.

This setup also lets you use the latest 4K DLP projectors that are perfect for the E6, Foresight, or other 4K simulators that render the courses using UHD resolution with 8.3 million pixels.   With a larger impact screen over 150 inches – the immersive effect is incredible.  The best projectors have shorter throw lenses and digital correction tools to enable the projector to be mounted behind the player without casting a shadow.  You will want to look for one with some lens shift that gives you some flexibility to mount the projector off-center. The two most popular laser projector models with this setup are the BenQ LK953ST projector, which is a true 4K projector (UHD), and the LU951ST, which has a similar setup but lower resolution with 2.4 million pixels on a WUXGA DLP chip.

For larger commercial installations or home setups with a cart, you can use less expensive regular throw projectors that have lens shift. For commercial or retail spaces with higher ceilings, this enables the projector to be mounted well above and behind the player – without creating too big of an image.  For home or smaller commercial setups, lens shift enables you to place the projector in a cart to the size of the danger zone.

The latest projectors have lenses that incorporate larger amounts of lens shifting – enabling you to upgrade to a laser projector or higher resolution projector at a fraction of the price of a projector with interchangeable lenses.  For example, the $1699 4000 lumen BenQ LU710 laser projector is ideal for a cart-based system with 30% of horizontal – and vertical lens shift – while delivering home cinema color accuracy that brings out every detail of the course.    For a commercial space with a higher ceiling, the 5000 lumen BenQ LK952 projector offers true 4K resolution with a 60% vertical lens shift and a 23% horizontal lens shift that enables you to set the projector well above and behind the playing area without creating a shadow.