How to Pick the Right Projector for Your Golf Simulator Setup

In 2020, the market for golf simulators exploded with new affordable launch monitors and projectors enabled people stuck in their homes to easily convert bedrooms, basements, and even garages into multipurpose entertainment areas. Projectors are a key part of providing a realistic golf course on the screen, and making you feel like you are playing a real course. In the last few years, innovative technology and products are now available to fit any budget. Here are four key factors to consider:

• WUXGA vs. 4K UHD resolution

• Traditional projector lamps vs. laser engines

• Ease Of Setup

• Colour accuracy specifications

   

BenQ is one of the largest projector brands in the world with over 75 different projector models to choose from.  So while it can be a bit overwhelming to find the right one for your setup, we will look at some of the most common setups – and what projector model is best suited for your playing area and budget.  Here are four models that offer a good starting point for your journey.

• BenQ AK700ST
• BenQ AH700ST
• BenQ AH500ST
• BenQ LK954ST

These are the key areas you may want to consider when selecting the right projector for your setup:

This is especially important on 4K-enabled Foresight, TruGolf and other simulators that can display small details like the slope of the fairway. For smaller golf simulation screens, a LED / Laser powered WXGA, 1080p resolution projectors are inexpensive and can be mounted on the floor. But for midrange and higher-end systems with larger impact screens, WUXGA is often used since it has both high resolution with 2.3 million pixels, and a 16:10 aspect ratio that will enable the image to be taller (and closer to the floor) than a regular 1080p projector. But many players who are creating a dedicated playing space are looking at the BenQ AK700ST model that offers true 4K UHD resolution with a whopping 8.3 million pixels. This projector can enable you to see all of the minute details on the course generated from your 4K simulator software. On a 12-foot wide or larger impact screen, the difference between 2.3 and 8.3 million pixels is amazing. Another benefit of the 4K is that it will enable your impact screen to double as an amazing home theatre for movies, or for watching the Masters in true 4K resolution.

For a smaller impact screen, the low cost of a lamp projector is attractive. The BenQ AH500ST is a 4000-lumen short-throw 1080p projector, and with its exclusive Golf Mode, REC709 95%. But bigger impact screens need a brighter projector, and if you need more lumens, the higher initial cost of the laser projector is often a better choice. Why? Higher brightness lamps tend to have shorter lamp life and are expensive to replace. Plus, many manufacturers are phasing them out.   In 2020, nearly 75% of high brightness projectors used lasers. For golf simulators, there are several advantages that BenQ laser projectors have over the traditional lamp projectors. Here are a few to keep in mind:

• 20,000-hour lamp life – assuming a street price of €300 for 5000-lumen replacement lamps, the BenQ laser can save as much as €1200 over the life of the projector
• Instant On & Off – A laser projector is ready to go in a couple of seconds after you switch it on
• Higher colour accuracy – lasers provide higher colour accuracy (more on that below)
• Stays Brighter Longer – high brightness lamps start losing their brightness after a few hundred hours, and once they reach 50% brightness, they need replacing. A laser projector loses brightness at a much slower rate, helping your simulator look bright for years.

According to a national survey of simulator owners and buyers the #1 thing they want is a projector that is easy to set up. With short throw projectors, it is more important to get the projector mounted in the correct location to ensure that the image properly fills the screen or space properly. To get started, BenQ has a 3D golf simulation planning tool that will enable you to calculate the projector mounting location based on your screen size and shape, the location of your golf simulator launch monitor, and also make sure the projector doesn’t generate a shadow on the screen from your hitting area. Just like wide angle lenses on cameras, short throw lenses on projectors can be trickier to focus. To make it easier, the BenQ AK700ST / AH700ST embedded a professional-grade motorized lens with 1.2x optical zoom flexibility. Easily adjust screen size without reinstalling, ensuring no loss in picture quality. AH500ST also features screen fill feature, which uses sensors to automatically format the picture to fit the 1:1, 4:3, 16:9 and 16:10 aspect ratios commonly used for impact screens