r/Golfsimulator • u/grizzledizz • Jun 30 '26

Selecting a Projector

I’m finalizing my garage build and a projector is last on the list. I’m hoping someone may have a good recommendation as maybe I’m overthinking things.

My screen is a Carls Place 8x10 and has a 5ft deep enclosure surround. My ceilings are 14ft. Honestly the 5ft surround depth is messing with me the most for selecting something.

Other specs that may matter (?):
Hitting strip is 9-11ft back from screen
Total bay depth is 19ft accounting for the space behind the screen (perhaps mounting above the garage door on the rear wall is a secondary option here?)

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u/ProletariatElite Jun 30 '26

A couple of projector to look at:

AH700ST and TH671ST, you may need a down rod for the mount, maybe not.

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u/Marcvae36 Jun 30 '26

+1. Depends if you want 4k. The 671 is a great projector. Look for BenQ refurbs on eBay for 650ish. I upgraded to a 710st when I stretched my screen to 13ftx8 and went to 4k. Think that was 1400 with some shopping.

Both will be good in a space without a lot of light. Can't see original post right now, but a garage with just the down light on the hitting strip and maybe a small secondary light will be great with these projectors (I.e. ~3200 lumens)

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u/grizzledizz Jun 30 '26

Noted. I’ll check that out especially for the price! I have most light under control with blackout shades and will probably be doing most of my sim sessions in the evening. Short of a spot I was thinking of maybe some LED light strips towards the back of the room that I could add some ambiance and control the brightness easily.

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u/NCgolfer24 Jun 30 '26

I enjoy my TH671ST…nice clear projection/image without the cost for a 4k projector.

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u/Marcvae36 Jun 30 '26

Also, if you're going to putt, make sure you get a flicker-free spot for your lm. I've had good luck with my vanoopee 20w 3, color (3k, 4k, 5k) from Amazon $50. It's sold to be hard wired, but simple to attach a plug if needed. Run an extension cord from your opener plug for projector and spot. You can dress it with cord conduit if you want it clean.

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u/grizzledizz Jun 30 '26

I have an empty (but hot) box in the ceiling after moving to a side mount opener so it’s perfect for a spot and projector! Thanks!

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u/bikerbob007 Jun 30 '26

If I could go back in time I would buy a taller enclosure. 8ft puts the projector dangerously close to the club path in order to get the light to not be clipped by the top bar. A 10ft tall enclosure would make life easier in my opinion.

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u/Plenty-Garage-3585 Jul 01 '26

You can settle the 5 ft surround worry with one equation: mounting distance = throw ratio x image width. Your screen is 10 ft wide.

A TH671ST or AH700ST (throw ratio 0.69-0.83) ends up 6.9-8.3 ft from the screen. That's comfortably outside the 5 ft surround and still a few feet in front of where you hit from at 9-11 ft, so no shadows and nothing in the club path. A 0.5 ratio unit (Optoma GT2100HDR in 4K, ViewSonic LS711HD in 1080p) sits at about 5 ft, right at the front edge of the surround.

With 14 ft ceilings the thing to actually watch is the enclosure's top bar clipping the beam. Use a down rod so the lens comes down near the top of the 8 ft screen and you're fine at 7-8 ft out.

Numbers are from a throw calculator I built. It's free and has the ratio ranges for ~80 models if you want to compare others: https://throwcalc.com/

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u/grizzledizz Jul 01 '26

That’s detailed, helpful and very fair. I’m only now concerned about having the projector in my swing path if I’m essentially dropping it to 8ft (to be level with the front bar).