What Are the Three Best Projectors for a TruGolf Professional Simulator System?

TruGolf is one of the market-leading golf simulator systems and uses a patented series of optical sensors and sonic triangulations to track your clubhead and ball flight.   Now that their E6 golf software platform can render your course in true 4K resolution  – what is the right projector to match with this setup so you can have the best golf simulator experience in your home?   Here is what you want to look for in selecting a premium projector for your simtheater:

• A 5000-lumen laser projector
• High resolution so you can see the details on your courses – and watch golf in 4K
• Color accuracy for a realistic rendering of the grass, clouds, and water hazards
• Short Throw lens and digital correction tools
• Dustproof design to eliminate filter cleaning

The optical sensor system used by TruGolf requires a lot of light for the overhead launch camera to see and track your club and ball.  Most setups with a larger screen use a 5000-lumen laser-powered projector.   Here are the three key differences between a traditional lamp and a cutting-edge laser projector for you to consider with your TruGolf simulator: 

One of the biggest advantages of a laser projector is that it turns on instantly – just like your TV.  Traditional lamps require a warm-up period and a cool-down period after shut-off.   Laser projectors enable you to just drop in and hit a quick bucket of balls.  

Nearly 90%  of high brightness projector buyers choose a laser over a lamp because it stays brighter longer. A traditional lamp starts losing brightness in the first few hundred hours - and will only be displaying 2500 lumen when it is replaced.   By contrast – a laser projector with a 20,000-hour life will look much brighter than a lamp projector after the same 3000 hours. 

The cost of replacement lamps – and the hassle of installing them – is getting are more expensive.  High brightness projector lamps don’t last as long as lower brightness models – and a replacement lamp can cost as much as $500 plus installation – assuming you can find one if the projector is discontinued.   

Foresight’s FSX’s premium courses enable you to play the best courses in the world in ultra-realistic 4K UHD resolution.  This technology enables you to see the details of the wall of Hells Bunker as well as the spray created from the crashing waves at Pebble Beach #7 for the ultimate in a realistic simulator.   

To see these details when you play – you will need more than a generic projector.  The BenQ LK936ST is one of the only golf simulator projectors that can render every one of the 8.3 million pixels from your simulator on your impact screen – showing every detail you paid for. The alternative resolution to a 4K UHD projector is the WUXGA resolution which displays just under 2.5 million pixels.  Remember, the larger your impact screen – the more important resolution is to enable the image to look realistic. 

Good players notice the details in every hole.  The best golf simulators render every detail on the course with true and accurate colors.   While a home cinema projector will specify color accuracy, most 5000 lumen projectors never mention this in their specifications.  Why?  Many of these projectors are designed for brightness instead of color accuracy and buying a generic projector based on brightness is like buying a stock car and expecting a tuned car performance. You will have the same guts, but lack the expert tuning that makes it race-worthy. 

The result is an image that is bright enough to fill your impact screen – but without compelling realism.  The best projectors for a GCQuad use a 10-bit color processing system capable of creating over 1 billion colors – and disclose the color accuracy to industry standards such as Rec. 709.   You can also find projectors in this class that has the same DLP color technology used in digital cinema.

To have a setup like this one – you will want a projector with a short-throw lens.   This enables you to mount the projector in a spot out of danger – but also in a way where the player doesn’t cast a shadow on the screen.   In the past, a good projector required an expensive optional lens, but the latest golf simulation projectors now have integrated short throw lenses that have a great picture and are less expensive.  

Both DIY’ers and professional installers appreciate the optical and digital correction tools such as lens shift, keystone, and other features such as digital shrink.  Lens shift enables you to move the image up and down or sideways.  Keystone corrects for any tilt on the projector and digital shrink is ideal if you have to mount the projector further back to avoid the playing area – and then reduce the image size so it doesn’t spill over the edge of the impact screen. 

Traditional golf simulator projectors typically require you to clean the projector filter – which can be a hassle. The latest laser projectors from BenQ are completely sealed and certified dustproof.   This eliminates the risk of your projector shutting down due to a dirty filter in the middle of a game of Wolf.

To get the right projector for your Trugolf simulator, here are several good laser projector models at a variety of price points and mounting positions that will help you have the most realistic experience whether you are playing Pebble Beach, or using one of the other E6 interactive packages such as baseball, soccer, or wild west shooting. 

BenQ has trained staff to help you find the perfect golf simulator projector – within your room size and budget. To help you make the best decision, you can reach out to one of our experts to set up anything from a chat to a complete online demo, to help you find the right projector for your needs.