How to Choose the Best Budget Projector for Garmin R10 and Rapsodo Setups

The Garmin Approach R10 and Rapsodo MLM2PRO are both very popular golf simulator systems, perfect for golfers on a budget looking to improve their game.

The Garmin Approach R10 uses radar while Rapsodo MLM2PRO is stacked with two advanced cameras plus radar to analyze metrics. Both units can be synced to your mobile phones or tablets without a PC. They are portable and lightweight, and can be used either indoors or outdoors to track your carry distance, clubhead speed, launch, and spin regardless of whether you are on the driving range or set up at your home golf simulator.

Rather than just settling for the generic projector that comes with many bundled systems, we’ll help you find a projector that will best match up to your screen size and budget. Basically, short throw projectors with throw ratios ranging from 0.5 to 1.1 produce larger-than-life images in tight spaces, allowing the projector to be placed above and behind the hitting area without creating unsightly shadows and glare.

If you’d like help choosing the right projector for your setup, feel free to reach out to us here for quick, tailored recommendations.

Whether you choose to use the E6 software available for the Garmin Approach R10 or try to access Rapsodo courses with a premium membership, you may want to look at a larger screen with a wide aspect ratio to more properly enjoy the stunning graphics and amazing realism available when playing a simulated course.

Projectors powering full scale golf simulators need to be bright in order to display breathtakingly beautiful golf courses on a large impact screen that’s typically 9ft tall or more. For this kind of setup, usually you need a projector with at least 3500 lumens to ensure the picture is vivid and visuals have lots of pop. The BenQ AH500ST laser short throw golf simulator projectors with its 0.5 throw ratio can be easily mounted on an AV cart to the side and rear of the hitting area near your Garmin or Rapsodo, and fills up a 15-foot wide screen from just 8 feet away. The AH500ST is lamp and filter-free while offering long lasting reliability. Importantly, you also get a dedicated golf mode with near perfect Rec.709 color accuracy for added realism. Further, the AH500ST uses native 1080p full HD (1920x1080) resolution, providing sharp and detailed images without downscaling or compression, which is perfect for golf simulation, full HD movies, and gaming.

For those looking to set up a golf sim in a garage or other smaller sized area, the most efficient use of space is a more squared aspect ratio impact screen and enclosure, so a sufficiently tall screen ensures missed shots don’t go through the ceiling. While the BenQ MX825STH is the most popular budget golf simulator projector used for a 4:3 square screen aspect ratio, the golf simulator projector we are more likely to recommend for most people is the BenQ AW30ST LED short throw golf simulator projector. The AW30ST, with throw ratios ranging from 0.72 to 0.87, is an excellent match for situations where space limitations really matter. It uses cutting edge DLP imaging technology, delivering a high contrast ratio, wide Rec.709 color accuracy, and no need for lamp or filter changes.

One more option is the BenQ TH671ST. TH671ST is a short throw projector with 1080p full HD resolution, providing sharp and detailed images without downscaling or compression, which as mentioned is great for golf simulation, full HD movies, and gaming. Most projectors on the market are native 16:9 with some support for 16:10, so if you do wish to go 4:3, in order to get the highest resolution, we recommend using your graphics card to customize the resolution to 4:3. You can customize a resolution that complies to your desired aspect ratio through graphics card settings.

So, if you are looking to set up a home golf simulator with your Garmin or Rapsodo launch monitors, here is a comparison table of popular projectors that might be a good fit depending on the size of your screen and your budget.

BenQ has trained staff to help you find the perfect golf simulator projector – within your room size and budget. To help you make the best decision, you can reach out to one of our experts to set up anything from a chat to a complete online demo, to help you find the right projector for your needs.