Golf Simulator Projectors

For most home simulators we recommend the BenQ AK700ST. It is our best selling projector. It pairs 4K UHD resolution and 4,000 ANSI lumens with a 0.69-0.83 short throw lens, and BenQ's Golf Mode tunes color for fairways and greens. If budget comes first, the Optoma ZW350ST starts at $909. For deep rooms where the projector hangs well behind you, a standard throw laser model like the Panasonic PT-VMZ51 is the better fit.

Plan on at least 3,000 lumens. A fully dark room can work with less, but most simulator rooms have some ambient light from windows, doors or ceiling lights. Garages and bonus rooms with daylight do better with a brighter model, like the BenQ LK936ST at 5,100 ANSI lumens. A gray high contrast impact screen also helps the image hold up when the lights are on.

It depends on the throw ratio and your screen width. Multiply the throw ratio by the image width to get the lens-to-screen distance. Our compare table lists real mounting distances for SIG enclosures. In a SIG10, the BenQ AK700ST mounts about 10'6" to 11' from the screen, the Optoma ZW350ST about 7'6" to 8', and the standard throw Panasonic PT-VMZ51 about 14' to 15'. Our Screen Size Calculator works it out for other screens.

Not always, but most home rooms use one. A short throw projector can sit on the ceiling just above or in front of the hitting area, or on the floor in a protective enclosure, without casting your shadow on the screen. A standard throw projector needs to sit farther back, usually on the ceiling behind the golfer. That works well in deep rooms and commercial bays with enough length.

No. A 1080p projector with 3,000 or more lumens gives a clear, sharp picture on a golf impact screen. 4K UHD is worth it if you want the sharpest image or plan to use the room for movies and sports too. Native resolution matters more than marketing terms, so check the spec. The Optoma GT2000HDR is native 1080p, and the BenQ AK700ST and LK936ST are native 4K UHD.

Laser is the better choice for most golfers. The laser models we carry are rated for 20,000 to 30,000 hours and never need a bulb change. Lamp projectors cost less up front, but bulbs run hot, need more fan cooling, and wear out much sooner. The BenQ TH671ST lamp, for example, is rated 4,000 hours in normal mode.

Match the projector's native aspect ratio to your impact screen when you can. Native settings use every pixel, while a different ratio crops or scales the image and you lose resolution. Common golf screens are 4:3, 16:9 and 16:10. No projector is natively 1:1, so square screens are always scaled. BenQ's Auto Screen Fit adjusts to 16:9, 16:10, 4:3 and 1:1 screens.

A ceiling mount keeps the projector out of sight and out of the line of fire, but it needs enough room depth for the throw ratio plus power and video run to the ceiling. A floor mount puts a short throw projector in front of or beside the tee in a protective enclosure, with no ceiling wiring. An offset mount uses lens shift or corner correction to place the projector to one side.

Almost any projector will show the picture, but not every one will fit your room. Throw ratio decides whether it can fill your screen from where you can mount it. Brightness decides whether the image holds up with lights on. Aspect ratio decides whether the picture fills the screen without wasted pixels. That is why we list throw ratio, lumens, aspect ratio and SIG mounting distances for every projector in our compare table.