How to Pick the Right Projector for Your Golf Simulator Setup?

Especially in smaller spaces like a garage, where you may have a lower ceiling, the right short throw projector can avoid the risk of creating shadows – or being hit with a stray ball or club with a little planning. To help you figure out what projectors will fit in your room, you can go to the BenQ Golf Sim Planning tool and try out different projectors to fit your screen size and launch monitor to ensure you have the right projector mounted in the right spot.

First – to render these details, you need pixels – a lot of them. Projectors come in a wide variety of resolutions that can be confusing, so to help you understand the difference – just use the chart below for how many pixels they have, and how many pixels there are for a 200-inch diagonal screen (a popular size for many DYI setups). 

The pixel density is a key element for the software to be able to render the details of a hole realistically. As you can see, a 4K UHD projector delivers the highest pixel density and pixels and is also ideal for use as a home theater or entertainment projector since most video content uses this resolution. Both 1080p and WUXGA offer solid pixel density, and for smaller screens WXGA is the most popular lower resolution projector sold for golf simulators.

They are all good. The major difference for golf simulators is how the width of your golf sim enclosure.  For spaces like garages or restaurants where you have limited wall space and taller ceilings, a 1:1 aspect ratio is very popular.  The traditional 4:3 aspect ratio impact enables a wider image with the same screen height as a 1:1 screen, and the widescreen 16:9 and 16:10 are best if you want to show movies – or watch golf on your screen.

Today, the BenQ golf simulation projectors have new “Screen Fill” technology that adapts the projector resolution to the aspect ratio of your impact screen. So now all you need to do is decide how much realism (e.g., resolution) you want, and the screen fill feature will take advantage of the projector’s pixel density to reformat the screen to your aspect ratio. For example – you can use a 4K UHD projector with a 4:3 or 16:10 and still get extremely high pixel density – and realism – on whatever impact screen you want.  So, get the highest resolution you can under your budget and don’t worry about the aspect ratio.

Most projector models that use LCD panels like Panasonic and Epson have filters that must be kept clean to keep the projector from overheating. The problem – these filters need to be maintained as often as every month, and if they get clogged – all play stops until the filter is vacuumed, washed, or replaced.    

By contrast, golf simulator projectors from BenQ use a sealed engine to keep the dust out – so it doesn’t require a filter.  BenQ tests these models using an industry standard IP5X certification to ensure that the projector will operate even when dusty – so you never have to climb up a ladder and clean a filter during a practice session or when playing a course with your friends.

If you want the same bold and dynamic colors on your projector screen as on your monitor, then you need to look at the color accuracy of the projector.  This ensures that your fairways look like grass found on a real golf course and doesn’t look like an arcade game.

For golf simulator projectors – especially 4000 lumens or brighter – the color accuracy can vary dramatically from one model to another.  This is because many traditional classroom and meeting room projectors are focused on brightness – and aren’t designed to render complex colors found in a golf sim.  The best way to ensure a good picture is to measure color accuracy using industry-standard specifications such as Rec.709. You will also want to look for a projector that can handle HDR video as well.