The Best Golf Simulation Projector for a Floor Mount: How to Choose & Install

While ceiling mounts are the most popular way to set up a golf simulator, being able to mount the projector on the floor is still a popular way to set up golf simulators in small spaces like a garage or basement, where a ceiling mount might be impractical. In different golf simulator forums, there are a lot of different opinions on this approach, so we’ll breakdown the key questions most often asked, and also a detailed setup guide that will take you step by step on how to configure the projector so that you can use it both for golf simulation as well as for watching your favorite golf tournament or football game without having a squished image. So, while a floor mount looks deceptively easy to install, it can get complicated quickly, so let’s get started with the most often asked questions that ensure a successful installation in a minimum amount of time.

There are only a few projectors that can be effectively used in a golf simulator floor mount. Why? A ceiling mounted projector typically goes behind the golfer, so there is a lot of placement flexibility. But a floor mount needs to be placed either in front or to the side of the playing area, and far enough back to properly fill the impact screen. There are only a few models that have a throw ratio short enough for this type of placement and are have the specifications to fill the 10-foot-high impact screens (200 inch diagonal) that are commonly sold at Carl’s Place, Indoor Golf Shop, and Rain or Shine Golf. 

Restricted by various conditions to fit the target installation space, a floor-mounted setup is usually placed very close to the playing area, thus requiring a short-throw lens. A projector with a 0.5 short-throw ratio is a highly suitable option for such advanced installations. BenQ AH500ST is a perfect match which were announced in November 2024. With 0.5 short-throw lens, a sealed laser engine, and brightness specifications around 4000 lumens. While you can find short throw classroom projectors with similar throw ratio’s, these have a maximum image size 130-150 diagonal inches that limits the impact screen height to less than 7 feet if you want a clear sharp image across the entire screen.

Depending on the height of your impact screen, your projector will usually be placed somewhere between 8-9 feet away from the screen. This is as close as you can get with the lens options available today for golf simulator projectors that can handle a large immersive image that stays sharp all the way to the outside of the screen. Make sure your playing area is far enough away from the mount so that it doesn't create a visual distraction when you are playing. You need room for your ball to clear the floor mount on your shot, especially on longer clubs such as a driver or 5 iron. Most playing areas are at least three feet away from the floor mount, so plan on a total depth of 12 to 15 feet for your simulator. If you want a shorter golf simulator setup, then a ceiling mount is better as you can mount it above the playing area, reducing the overall depth. You can use the BenQ Golf simulator planning tool to work out the distances in your setup.

When you’re setting up a floor mount for the first time, there are typically two moments of panic. The first moment is when you notice that the image from the projector is too high on the impact screen. This is because to get the image size large enough fill an impact screen, the projector has a certain amount of “offset” in the optics that causes the image comes out higher on the screen than the projector mounting location. The BenQ AH500ST has about 12 degrees (112%) of offset from a floor mount, compared with the similar short-throw product of Optoma ZH450ST, which has about a 16 degree (116%) offset, so the image is a little higher on the screen with the Optoma. This means that the projector needs to be tilted down for the image to properly fill the impact screen from the floor to the top of the screen. Many of the floor mounts come with wedges or adjustment bars to place under the rear of the projector that will move the image down, so it reaches the floor. The second moment of panic comes when after tilting the projector down, the nice rectangular image is now an ugly trapezoid. We’ll cover how to fix this in the next section.

Step 1. Use the BenQ Golf Simulator Planning Tool to calculate the throw distance based on your screen size first. This will help you determine the correct position for projecting your desired image size. Then, follow the throw distance suggested by the Planner Tool, and leave about 5% extra space as a buffer. Place the projector on the floor and power it on.

Step 2. Enable the Screen Fill feature using the remote control hotkey to quickly switch between aspect ratios. The AH500ST has a native 16:9 aspect ratio, allowing you to easily match 16:10, 4:3, or 1:1 impact screens. The projector will adjust the picture and tell your computer the correct resolution for your screen. This results in a properly formatted image – not a squished one that can happen on other projectors when you just change the aspect ratio from the menu.

Step 3. Tilt the projector downward until the top edge of the image aligns with the top of your impact screen. Some floor mounts come with a wedge or other support object for the rear of the projector, and a small piece of wood will also work as a substitute.

Step 4. Use the keystone adjustment on the remote to square the image so the sides are parallel to your impact screen. Don’t worry if it looks a bit wider than the screen at this stage.

Step 5. Move the projector back slightly to make sure the image fully fills the vertical height of your impact screen.

Step 6. Now, use the Corner Fit function on the projector menu to fine-tune the image corners for a perfect fit. The AH500ST offers extensive corner correction, making it easy to align even with custom screens or off-center setups.

Note. Most of the time, your impact screen’s aspect ratio will probably be different from that of your 16:9 monitor on your PC. So, to keep Windows from resetting everything back to 16:9, set your Windows monitor setting to “Extend” or make the projector the main display (which will change the resolution of your PC monitor to match your impact screen).

Step 1. Use the BenQ Golf Simulator Planning Tool to plan your layout first. This will help you determine the correct position for projecting your desired image size. Then, follow the throw distance suggested by the Planner Tool, and leave about 5% extra space as a buffer. Place the projector on the floor and power it on.

Step 2. Enable the Screen Fill feature using the remote control hotkey to quickly switch between aspect ratios. The AH500ST has a native 16:9 aspect ratio, allowing you to easily match 16:10, 4:3, or 1:1 impact screens. The projector will adjust the picture and tell your computer the correct resolution for your screen. This results in a properly formatted image – not a squished one that can happen on other projectors when you just change the aspect ratio from the menu.

Step 3. Select the OSD manual Installation > Projector Position > Front Ceiling.

Step 4. After confirming the correct throw distance, place the projector on the ground and install the ceiling mount kit. The AH500ST is compatible with BenQ CM00G3 Universal Ceiling Mount. Just make sure the length is fit your needed.

*If you plan to mount the projector off-center, step onto a ladder and hold the projector in the position where you intend to mount it. Then, use the keystone adjustment on the remote control to square the image, ensuring the sides are parallel to your impact screen. Also, make sure the projector is positioned far enough back to allow for proper keystone correction.

Step 5. Now, use the Corner Fit function on the projector menu to fine-tune the image corners for a perfect fit. The AH500ST offers extensive corner correction, making it easy to align even with custom screens or off-center setups.

Note. Most of the time, your impact screen’s aspect ratio will probably be different from that of your 16:9 monitor on your PC. So, to keep Windows from resetting everything back to 16:9, set your Windows monitor setting to “Extend” or make the projector the main display (which will change the resolution of your PC monitor to match your impact screen).

For this comparison, we used the newest projectors with a.5 or shorter throw ratio and 4000 lumens, which are the BenQ AH500ST, a purpose-built golf simulator and the Optoma ZH450ST, a corporate boardroom projector that can be used in a floor mount. Here are the primary differences between these projectors.  We also included a popular XGA lamp projector onto the table for a low cost option.

The BenQ AH500ST has a special golf mode that renders organic colors like grass and trees look realistic.  It’s designed to be able to properly render the difference between the TifEagle bermuda at TPC Sawgrass, bentgrass greens at Torrey Pines, or poa anna at Pebble Beach putting green (yes – we have a bunch of golf addicts here at BenQ) when using more software platforms like GSPro.  When this article was published, we couldn’t find any similar golf mode for Optoma ZH450ST in their online specification sheet or the online owner’s manual.

The BenQ AH500ST Screen Fill function eliminates most of the work of converting a native 16:9 image to a 4:3, 16:10, or 1:1 aspect ratio without distorting the image.  Just select the aspect ratio of your impact screen from the “Screen Fill” projector menu, and it will reformat the image with the correct resolution and update your PC with the updated resolution needed for an undistorted image.  This eliminates most of the work on a traditional projector that involves creating a custom resolution on your PC’s graphics card. The Optoma ZH450ST will enable you to change the aspect ratio of the image on the screen, but the image can be squished, so if you want to watch a golf match or a movie on your simulator, it may not look right.  It also doesn’t natively support a 1:1 aspect ratio image.

If your projector gets out of focus for some reason, just push a button on the BenQ remote and the integrated camera will resharpen the image for you automatically.  The Optoma has a manual focus ring that requires you to open up the floor mount to adjust the picture.

The BenQ AH500ST has less offset than the Optoma, and has digital shrink, digital shift, keystone and a massive amount of corner fit correction to make it easier to fit the image to your screen.  Here’s a review on how this works on a large screen with a floor mount.

A number of golf launch monitors such as Rapsodo, Garmin, and SkyTrak enable you to wirelessly connect to the projector via WiFi, and the BenQ AH500ST has a slot for an optional WiFi adapter that can eliminate the need to run a HDMI cable to the projector. 

The Optoma ZH450ST uses a separate power brick that needs to be either stuffed into the floor mount (assuming there is room), or safely secured outside the floor mount.  The BenQ AH500ST just uses a standard power cable for cleaner and easier installation.

Here is a breakdown of the differences between all three projectors.  Because the BenQ AH500ST is purpose built for golf simulation, it has a lot of features that are important for a floor mount, but pretty much irrelevant for conference room use.  For example, the offset of the AH500ST projector is lower than the Optoma ZH450ST, which helps reduce the tilting needed with a floor mount – but hurts it if you are setting it at the end of a conference room table in a meeting room and trying to get the image as high as possible. 

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.