The week my wife and I closed on our house, i installed my optishot sim in the garage.
I found a used marantz vp12s1 projector on craigs list for 300 bucks which has served me very well so far. Its not the prettiest thing, (it is a garage after all) but it serves its purpose.
I built my own impact screen with a king size white sheet backed with canvas and moving blankets. It stops everything i throw at it... I got incredibly lucky in terms of where i placed my projector.. I thought it would be a trial and error thing as far as putting it where the screen size was the largest, the open garage door didnt block the image at all, and being able to keystone the projector enough to have a good image. It went well, it was only one trial and no error. My head doesnt even cast a shadow when playing.
I've included some pics of how the screen was built as well as actual images of the system working both with the optishot software and a high def image. theres also a google sketchup drawing of the screen construction.
I've been having a blast with this sim, and my wife has finally warmed up to it.. :) If the weather is nice enough, its not uncommon for me to play 2-3 rounds after my daughter heads to bed. (doesnt hurt that theres a fridge in the garage usually well stocked with budwieser) nothing like playing golf at 11 pm with a beer at hand, listening to my favorite tunes on the stereo while its raining or snowing outside.
I'm more than happy to help if anyone needs advice setting up their room.. hope everyone is having as much fun with optishot as I am!!! happy golfing!
Very cool and handy :)
How do you light your garage while you're playing? I've been working on lighting to get consistent results when I play.
Hello Jim. I'm using the CFL's in my garage and seem to work fine.
I actually have a 10" round fluorescent light on an adjustable arm that shines right at the swing sensor. its just enough light to see my clubs in the bag, and not trip over anything in the garage.. its also just enough light to not washout the image on the screen. otherwise, i dont use any other lights at all.
The color looks great with that sheet. I am interested to see how many shots it can take before needing to be replaced. Nicely done!
Looks like Salzburg!
I created this one in my garage.
http://www.ballspelsy.com/Golf\_Simulator
Note: I changed the canvas screen to a 9x9 power screen and white foam balls because I hit a real ball through the canvas. I use real balls for putting.
Hi Robert~ That set up looks great! If you would, please post your rig as a new article at the link below.
http://helpdesk.dancindogg.com/forums/20370747-share-your-custom-golf-rooms
Cheers~!
Thanks Jonathan. Just did that. Bob
I am building my own "impact screen" just to hit into not to project onto and I was going to use a king size sheet, backed by a tarp. Do you think this will stop a golf ball? And what are moving blankets?
foam balls maybe, real no way. The screen i built has the king sheet backed by a painting canvas drop cloth with the moving blankets behind that. the moving blankets are just heavy blankets that you would throw over furniture during a move. pretty simple but effective. you need the canvas to stop the initial impact of the ball and the weight of the blankets to slow it down safely. . if i were you, i would just buy a cheap hitting net on ebay. if you dont need to project a pic on it, you dont need any of what ive mentioned. hope ive helped!
Thanks, for the information!
Ralph Scott: Moving blankets are those heavy duty quilt type blankets you used to get at UHaul to throw over nice furniture, pianos, TV's, etc. They are pretty heavy and would deaden a golf ball quickly and allow it to drop to the ground.
hey mike. how is the screen holding up. and could you post a pic of what you meant with the bungee cord. im thinking about doing this.
In the second image i posted here you can see the bungee cord at the far left of the pic.. it just helps the screen stay at full width after an impact. I noticed that without them, the entire screen would start sliding towards the center of the hanging rod with each shot. its certainly not necessary, but i found that is really helps my screen return to the full viewable size after the ball impacts..
looks awesome!! More details on your projector please? Also approx total cost of your screen?
The projector i use is a marantz vp-12s1 that i found on craigslist for $300. (i really dont know any of the technical specs on it) When it was new, '02 i think, it was somthing like $10k.. not a bad deal, and it still had more than half the lamp life left. My point is, deals are to be had out there! and second, if youre gonna use it specifically for a sim, it doesnt have to have all the bells and whistles that a theater projector would.. just a decent pic is about all ya need! The total cost of the screen itself was about $120 give or take. youll need a grommet tool to insert grommets into all the layers. Its been great so far, i did notice one hook ripped out of the canvas backing though.. i would suggest folding over the top of both the sheet and canvas to make the hanging points stronger. im probably well over 100 rounds in and its still in great shape overall. i do need to point out that i dont use real balls on every round i play.. hope this helps!
was curious to know if you made yourself a custom mat as you did your screen of if you bought one?
Thats certainly on my list of to-do's.. but for now, ive just got the swing pad on the floor, and i stand on some 2x10s to get me level wtith the pad..
what size toggle bolts did you use? you didnt have a hard time tightening it through the slit in the pipe?
also do they still have the hooks at home depot because the ones they have online dont look like the ones your using.
honestly, i cant remember the size of the toggles..the wings were about 3" end to end when open.. point being, the head was a bit smaller than the slot i cut, so i could get them through, but i could still get a screwdriver up through the slot to tighten it. heres a link to the hangers i used. let me know if i can help further!!
http://www.homedepot.com/Bath-Bathroom-Accessories-Hardware-Shower-Curtains-Rods-Accessories-Shower-Curtain-Rings/h\_d1/N-5yc1vZbzan/R-100342387/h\_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&storeId=10051&superSkuId=202619523
I am thinking about doing this exact setup with one change. I was thinking I might swap out the canvas drop cloth with this
http://www.harborfreight.com/8-ft-x-10-ft-mesh-tarp-96943.html
You guys think that would be more less beneficial?
Let me know if that works for you. I used an 18oz canvas tarp and my impact screen. The screen does well on its own but when I hit a bad one,rips right through the canvas. I had a 12oz and an 18. Neither has work. Screen is great though. I was thinking maybe I need the moving blankets also but ugghh it's getting frustrating
Thanks for posting your idea and pictures. I went on craigslist and bought a good projector for $100, then built similar screen to yours with king size sheet, canvas and king size quilt I found at a discount store and hung on a 3/4 steel pipe with hefty shower curtain hooks.. I already had a matt, just cut hole for optishot .I think I have less than $300 in complete setup and having a blast playing golf with 6 inches of snow on the ground outside.