Golf Simulator Projector Advice

Golf simulators have become increasingly popular among golf enthusiasts looking to practice their swing and play rounds in the comfort of their own homes. This computerised golf setup mimics the setup of the real game, enabling you to analyse your swing, understand your weaknesses, and improve your game without having to go to your local course. A crucial component of a high-quality golf simulator setup is the projector.

Key features to consider

When selecting a projector for your golf simulator, several key features are essential to ensure the best experience.

Brightness

Brightness is measured in lumens, and for a golf simulator, a high brightness level is crucial. This ensures clear visibility of the projected image even in well-lit rooms allowing . Aim for a golf sim projector with at least 3,500 lumens, but if your room has a lot of ambient light, consider a golf sim projector projector with at least 5,000 lumens or more.

Need to know more about brightness? Our Projector Brightness Guide has some more useful advice.

Resolution

The clarity of the image on your golf simulator screen, known as resolution, significantly impacts your experience. A sharper picture reveals intricate details like individual leaves and bunker contours. As screen size increases, so does the importance of resolution.

Smaller simulators often use 1080p or lower resolution such as XGA, while mid-sized setups opt for WUXGA. For the best possible image quality on large screens, a 4K projector delivers stunning clarity, even on screens exceeding four meters wide.

Need to know more on resolution? Our resolution guide has some more useful advice.

Aspect Ratio

For smaller spaces, a 4:3 screen maximises the hitting zone, providing ample room to swing. While projectors with native 4:3 resolution (XGA) are available, higher resolution models can also be adjusted to this format.

For a larger, more immersive, realistic experience, a widescreen aspect ratio (16:9 or 16:10) is ideal. These formats when used on images over 2.8mtr wide offer substantially better visibility of off-fairway areas as the higher resolutions of these formats make finite course details easy to see.

Throw Distance

Throw distance is the distance between the projector and the screen. Ideally, your projector should be positioned slightly behind and above the hitting area. A projector’s “throw ratio” determines how far it needs to be from the screen to display a full image.

For most home golf simulators, a “short throw” projector is ideal. This type of projector, with a throw ratio of 1.1 or less, (when looking and individual projector specs you will generally find it listed under “Lens Ratio”) allows you to position it close to the screen without casting shadows and ensuring it’s safely out of the way of your golf swing.

Refresh Rate and Input Lag

A high refresh rate and low input lag are crucial for smooth and responsive gameplay. A refresh rate of at least 60Hz is recommended, with 120Hz being ideal. Input lag should be minimal to ensure that your swing and the resulting ball flight are displayed in real-time without noticeable delay.

Check the individual projector specs for the figure, anything under 16ms is a good choice.

Keystone Correction

Most golf simulator projectors are installed on ceilings, placed on the floor in front of the hitting area, or positioned to the side of the playing space using features like lens shift and keystone correction to adjust the skewed image produced by not having the projector position perpendicular to the screen.

To counteract the trapezoid effect that can occur when a projector is placed off-centre, keystone correction, allows you to make changes to the alignment and position of the projected image without having to adjust the projector placement, it does this by digitally manipulating the pixels in the image.

Used to extremes this can lead to an unwanted softening to the image.

Cornerstone Correction

An enhanced version of keystone correction, golf sim projectors with cornerstone correction allows you to individually adjust each corner of the projected image to ensure a perfectly positioned result.

Lens Shift

Lens shift allows you to physically move the optics of the projector, moving the image up, down, left, or right without moving the projector chassis itself. Lens shift does not digitally alter the image unlike keystone correction to realign the image.

Bear in mind projectors with lens shift will be a fair bit dearer than projectors without as it is a premium feature.

Golf Mode

Currently a feature only available on a select number of projector models. On a projector with golf mode selected, the projector’s colour processing is optimised to faithfully replicate the organic hues of fairways, rough, sand traps, and water hazards as they appear on the actual course.

Golf mode enables you to enjoy realistic, lifelike courses just as golf course designers intended.

Laser Light Source

For smaller impact screens, a lamp projector is a budget-friendly option. However, larger impact screens demand brighter projectors. If you need 3500 lumens or more, a laser golf sim projector is often the better investment despite its higher initial cost.

High brightness lamps start losing their brightness after a few hundred hours – and once they reach 50% brightness – need replacing. A laser projector loses brightness at a much slower rate – helping your simulator look bright for years. Additionally, many manufacturers are phasing lamps out of their projector line ups.

Popular Golf Sim projectors

With a vast selection of models available, we have put together the below line up of models currently popular with our customers. For a complete listing, check out the most popular golf sim projectors for price vs specification. If you need further help, we are only a phone call or email away or why not use out live chat feature.