Here is a video of my setup. http://youtu.be/MtoQil-EI0s (Please note that I made the video to show my brother my setup)
The matt was made out of high density foam puzzle tiles. The puzzle tiles are used for play rooms or exercise rooms. I found that by stacking them 2 high and placing a piece of carpet on top brought me to the perfect height. I used a razor knife to cut out a place for the swing pad. The nice thing about the puzzle squares is that they are very inexpensive and you can hook them together (the edges lock together like a puzzle) to make any size matt that you want.
The screen was made from a extra heavy duty tarp that I bought from Northern Tool. It is an extremely strong tarp rated at 1000 Denier. I laminated white vinyl (like what is used for seat covers) on top of the tarp with contact cement. The vinyl comes with a fuzzy backing or for the more expensive stuff, it is not fuzzy. I used more expensive type since I glued the shiny or top side of the vinyl to the tarp. The lamination process was a little tricky.
The screen ended up costing me under $150 to construct and it seems to be holding up well and to date have fired at least 1000 real balls into it.
I bought a net for about $40 but ended up cutting the net and the polls to customize my setup. I had to use some of the netting to make an "awning" at the top to stop balls from flying over top the screen when using wedges. I also rigged some netting on the right side to catch balls that were hit on the tow of the cub.
Like the set up, Can you post on the automatic ball loader....love it. I am assuming you made it?
Hi Chris.
I got the ball dispenser at Dick's Sporting Goods. When I first saw it, I thought it was a little over indulgent especially after buying all the stuff for my SIM including a new computer. After about a week and and hitting a few hundred balls, the ball dispenser began to seem more like a "gots to have" instead of a "nice to have". The dispenser comes with a hitting matt, but as you can see from the video, I ditched the mat and just use the dispenser. The nice thing about it is that I can just pick it up and move it to where the balls collect at the base of my screen to re-fill it. It holds about 35 balls. I don't remember the exact cost but I think it was around $30... Well worth it.
One tip about balls. Keep them clean. My balls pick up dye from my carpet that transfer to the screen. I'ts not a big problem but just one to keep in mind. When re-loading the dispenser I always check for green smudges on the balls and clean them if neccessary.
Eric,
thanks for the reply. I am on my way to Dick's! Funny as I purchased my sim, and net at Dick's and I would agree that the ball dispenser is a "gots to have"
Thanks again for the reply Eric
Hey Eric, your setup looks great! Can you tell me the brand and model name for that golf ball dispenser? I just went on to Dick's website and could not find it. Maybe I can find it at Golfsmith or some other website.
Eric,
Where did you find the puzzle tiles?
Puzzle pieces! That's a great idea, I was just trying to figure out what to use for that.
What kind of projector are you using there?