Top Four Mistakes to Avoid when Buying a Golf Simulator Projector

Many golfers are tempted by the low cost of a lamp projector when working out their budget for golf simulation projectors. Many times, these projectors are included in preconfigured packages from dealers looking to keep costs down. But while these projectors may help get you started, there are better LED and laser alternatives that don’t cost much more – and save you a lot of time and headaches.

There are three problems with higher brightness projectors that use lamps. First, they lose brightness quickly after first use. A typical mercury lamp that lasts 3000 hours will lose a lot more brightness in the early part of its life, turning a 4000-lumen projector into a 3000-lumen projector much faster than a laser or LED powered projector.  In general, high brightness lamp projectors have much lower color performance, and don’t have any Rec. 709 color specifications that enable an image to look realistic.  Finally, mercury projector lamps have been banned for sale in the years ahead in many countries and are going to become more expensive as time goes on. 

While some of the larger brands of projectors still require regularly cleaning filters, newer golf simulation projectors eliminate this hassle by engineering a completely sealed projector that protects components from dust. Projectors with paper filters use them to keep dust from ruining and overheating the projector, and in a commercial golf simulator environment can require cleaning as often as every month.  If you don’t clean the filter, you can void the warranty.  Cleaning requires either washing, rinsing, and drying the filter or using a small vacuum to remove the dirt. The good news is that a sealed golf simulation projector doesn’t cost much more than one with filters.

One of the best things about a golf simulator projector is that it can virtually transport you around the world to play championship courses beyond our physical or financial abilities to ever play. But the illusion is quickly broken when you can see your shadow on the screen when you are hitting the ball. A golf simulator projector has a special short throw lens, while cheaper generic projectors must be mounted further back – creating a risk for shadows. The BenQ Golf Simulator planning tool can help you make sure that you don’t have a shadow based on where your projector will be mounted and how far back your hitting area is away from your impact screen.

Here’s an example of a golf simulator projector with a projector mounted slightly behind the playing area that doesn’t create a shadow even with a 210cm-tall player like Dirk Nowitzki.

But with a standard throw projector, even a 180cm-tall player can create shadows on the screen at using the same distances. You can see how the top of his head is blocking the light at the finish of the swing.

Over half of US golfers use either a 4:3 aspect ratio enclosure or a 1:1 aspect ratio enclosure to have a taller and narrower space for golf simulation. The most advanced golf simulator projectors like the BenQ AH700ST will recognize the size and shape of your impact screen and adjust the picture automatically in just a few seconds to properly fill the screen. But most standard meeting room projectors don’t have native support for a 1:1 screen and trying to stuff a 16:9 resolution into a 4:3 impact screen can result in a distorted and squished image if not done correctly.  So, make sure and check to see how well your projector will match up to your impact screen before you make your purchase.

Just like sedans and pickup trucks are automobiles built with similar parts but different purposes, there are different types of projectors.  Most people wouldn’t use a classroom projector for a home theater, and the best projector for a golf simulator is one that is designed to avoid all these issues and deliver an immersive experience on every shot you take on your golf simulator.  From the moment your ball leaves your club face, a purpose-built golf simulator projector renders the trees, grass, ponds, and other scenery on the ball flight to enable you to play like you’re there.  So, let’s look at an example similar classroom projector compared to a golf simulator projector with the same brightness levels to see what you get for the price difference.

Most golf simulator buyers have never purchased a projector before, so it can be tempting to try and save some money on a less expensive model. But a BenQ golf simulator projector enables you to play without the risk of shadows and will automatically configure itself on any standard impact screen.  Also keep in mind that while a lamp projector like the one above may cost less up front, you get only half as many pixels, and must pay $400 to replace the lamp and filter every couple of years. After the purchase of three additional lamps and filters over the 20,000-hour life, the total cost of the lamps and filters is almost what you paid for the projector initially – assuming no inflation.   So, before you buy a “generic” or bundled projector, check in with us below to make sure that the low sales price doesn’t mean you have to compromise on the second most important part of your golf simulator immersive experience.