What Is the Best Place to Mount a Golf Simulator Projector?

This is the simplest and cheapest way to put a projector in front of an impact screen for a golf simulation set-up, especially for smaller arrangements 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 have 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 spaces, many of the higher resolution laser models may be too big to fit. Two popular projectors for floor mounting are the BenQ MX825ST, which is set up for a 4:3 square screen aspect ratio, and the BenQ TH671ST, which has a widescreen aspect ratio and 1080p resolution.

If you want a bigger screen, a laser projector or a higher resolution image on the screen for your E6 golf courses, then a ceiling mount may be the right choice for your set-up.  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 configurations, you should consider the fact that your hitting area could also be used as a home entertainment area to watch golf, movies or let your children play X-Box on the big screen.

This set-up 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-centre. The two most popular laser projector models with this configuration are the BenQ LK953ST projector, which is a true 4K projector (UHD), and the LU951ST, which has a similar set-up but lower resolution with 2.4 million pixels on a WUXGA DLP chip.

For larger commercial installations or home set-ups 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 configurations, 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, thus 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 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 colour accuracy to bring 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, which lets you to set the projector well above and beyond the playing area without creating a shadow.