Choose the Right Projector for a Vaulted Ceiling Golf Simulator Room

The ideal ceiling height for a golf simulator is about 9ft. Anything less than 9ft will be a bit tight. Also, the ceiling is an important structural element of the room that dictates some aspects of your golf simulator construction. The shape of the ceiling can create challenges. Ideally, the ceiling should be high enough and flat, but this is often not the case. Many simulators are constructed in rooms with pitched roofs and vaulted ceilings. If there is a vaulted ceiling with beams running across the room, when considering the size of your impact screen and your projector position, measurements should be taken from the floor to the beam, as well as the distance between the beams. This is because the projected image is almost always rectangular. In this instance, there will be a ‘blank’ triangular or trapezoidal space above the screen that cannot be projected onto. For example as shown below, though the center (maximal) height of the vaulted ceiling is 11ft, the correct height for a simulator should be at the edges of the roof, or about 9ft.

An additional consideration for a golf simulator environment should be any pipework, pillars, or protrusions that could make it difficult to set up the simulator in that area. While there may seemingly be enough height in the room from floor to ceiling, a pipe or ducting may result in the simulator ceiling not being high enough or needing to be constructed in a different way. For all of these situations above, you may very possibly need a projector with wide installation flexibility that can be mounted off-center.

As you can see at times, you need to mount your projector higher or to the side of the playing area. When a projector needs to be mounted off-center due to obstructions or obstacles, you'll usually need a short throw projector that offers sufficient vertical and horizontal lens shift to align the image relative to the screen, or keystone adjustment to square off the picture when the projector is sufficiently far off to the side.

Basically, both lens shift and keystone correction greatly enhance installation flexibility when the projector is placed off-center from the screen, helping you build your golf sim easily and quickly. Pay attention to these features and their availability when choosing a projector for your home golf setup to help ensure you get the best results.