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Projectors & mounting
Which projector and throw ratio do I need for a golf simulator?
Tom Hayward, founder of OpenGolfer · Last reviewed · 3 min read
The short answer
A short-throw projector, with a throw ratio of about 0.5, so it sits in front of you and your shadow never reaches the screen. Image width = distance ÷ throw ratio, but on a golf screen the height usually decides: the BenQ AH500ST fills a 2.3m-high SimSpace screen from 2.04m away.
What throw ratio means
Throw ratio is the distance from the projector's lens to the screen, divided by the width of the picture it makes. A ratio of 0.5 means every 50cm of distance gives you 1m of picture width. If a term here is new, the glossary has a one-line definition.
- Image width = distance ÷ throw ratio.
- Distance = image width × throw ratio.
The BenQ AH500ST in our packages has a throw ratio of 0.499. Optoma's ZW350ST is 0.521. For comparison, Optoma's standard-throw ZW350 is 1.187 to 1.544, so it would need to sit 2.4 to 3.1 times further back for the same picture.
Why golf needs a short throw
You stand between the screen and anything behind you. A standard projector mounted behind you throws your shadow onto the picture at address and through the swing. A short-throw projector fills the screen from close up, so it sits in front of you, between the ball and the screen, and your shadow falls behind you. BenQ's own setup advice is to move the projector back until the picture takes up the full height of the screen.
The catch: golf screens are taller than a TV
Both projectors we sell have a wide chip: the AH500ST is 16:9 and the ZW350ST is 16:10. SimSpace screens run from square (1:1) to 16:10, so the picture fills the screen's height and uses only part of the chip's width. That means the screen's height, not its width, sets the distance:
- Take the screen height, for example 2.3m in SIM 0 to SIM 4.
- Work out the full width of the projector's picture at that height: 2.3m × 16 ÷ 9 = 4.09m for the BenQ.
- Multiply by the throw ratio: 4.09m × 0.499 = 2.04m from lens to screen.
For the 2.8m-high screens in SIM 5 and SIM 6 the BenQ needs 2.48m. The table on this page gives every size. Only a screen wider than the chip, such as the 16:9 Vanish 16H, is set by its width instead. What screen size and aspect ratio do I need? covers the shapes.
Where that puts the projector
We plan the ball 2.5m from the screen. In a 2.5m-high bay the BenQ's lens sits 2.04m from the screen, so about 46cm in front of the ball. In SIM 5 and SIM 6 it sits 2.48m back, almost level with the ball, so it goes beside the hitting area or overhead rather than straight in front. Should I mount my simulator projector on the ceiling or the floor? goes through the options.
Keystone, lens shift and offset
Lens shift moves the lens itself, so the picture slides up, down or sideways without changing shape. Neither projector we sell lists optical lens shift; both have a fixed lens with no zoom. That's why where you put them matters.
Keystone correction reshapes the picture digitally when the projector is tilted or off to one side. The AH500ST has 2D keystone of 30 degrees each way, vertical and horizontal. The ZW350ST has 15 degrees each way plus four-corner correction. BenQ notes that keystone can cost some brightness and sharpness, so I use it last and in small amounts.
BenQ's golf projectors also have Digital Shrink, which lets you sit the projector a little further back and shrink the picture, and a digital lens shift that moves the picture sideways when the projector is off-centre. Offset is how far the picture sits above the lens (or below it, when the projector is upside down on a ceiling): 112% on the BenQ and 115% on the Optoma.
The projectors we sell
The BenQ AH500ST is the projector in our SimSpace room packages, with a floor case. It's a 1080p laser projector made for golf, and its Screen Fill setting switches between 1:1, 4:3, 16:9 and 16:10, so it matches any SimSpace screen. The Optoma ZW350ST is a lower-cost laser alternative. It's WXGA, 1280 × 800 pixels, so the picture has fewer pixels than the BenQ's. How bright does a golf simulator projector need to be? compares the two in detail.
Setting it up
- Measure the screen's width and height.
- Read the lens-to-screen distance from the table.
- Place the projector centred on the screen and level, with its lens at that distance.
- Choose the screen's shape in Screen Fill, and the same shape in your simulator software.
- Move the projector forward or back until the picture fills the screen's height, then sideways until it's centred.
- Square up any last edges with keystone, then focus.
How far the lens sits from the screen
| Bay | Screen W × H | BenQ AH500ST (0.499, 16:9) | Optoma ZW350ST (0.521, 16:10) | BenQ lens vs ball at 2.5m |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SIM 0 | 3.1 × 2.3 | 2.04 | 1.92 | 46cm in front |
| SIM 1 | 2.4 × 2.3 | 2.04 | 1.92 | 46cm in front |
| SIM 2 | 2.8 × 2.3 | 2.04 | 1.92 | 46cm in front |
| SIM 3 | 3.4 × 2.3 | 2.04 | 1.92 | 46cm in front |
| SIM 4 | 3.8 × 2.3 | 2.04 | 1.98 | 46cm in front |
| SIM 5 | 2.8 × 2.8 | 2.48 | 2.33 | About level |
| SIM 6 | 3.8 × 2.8 | 2.48 | 2.33 | About level |
Distance = throw ratio × screen height × chip shape (16 ÷ 9 for the BenQ, 16 ÷ 10 for the Optoma); only the SIM 4 screen is wider than the Optoma's chip, so its width sets the distance. Screen sizes are SimSpace's guideline figures.
Best practice
- Work from the screen heightOn a square or 4:3 screen the picture fills the height first. Multiply height by the chip shape and the throw ratio to get the distance.
- Keep the projector in front of youA short throw puts the lens between the ball and the screen, so your shadow falls behind you, not on the picture.
- Move the projector before using keystoneNeither of our projectors has optical lens shift. Position and level it first; keystone is for the last few centimetres.
- Match Screen Fill and the softwareSet the projector and the simulator software to the same shape as the screen, or you get black bands or spill.
Gotchas to avoid
- Using the screen widthWidth × 0.499 gives about 1.4m for a 2.8m-wide screen, which leaves the picture too short for a 2.3m-high screen. Use the height.
- A standard projector behind youA throw ratio over 1 has to sit behind the golfer, and that's where the shadow on the screen comes from.
- Heavy keystoneBig digital corrections soften the picture and lose some brightness. If you need more than a little, move the projector.
- Assuming one distance for every baySIM 5 and SIM 6 screens are 2.8m high, so the BenQ sits 2.48m back, almost level with the ball.
Our recommendation
A short-throw laser projector of about 0.5, set to the screen's shape. For most rooms that's the BenQ AH500ST, which is what our packages use.
- If you have a 2.5m-high SimSpace bay
- The BenQ AH500ST, lens 2.04m from the screen, about 46cm in front of the ball.
- If you have a SIM 5 or SIM 6
- The BenQ at 2.48m, beside the hitting area or overhead, since it's almost level with the ball.
- If the budget is tight and the picture size is modest
- The Optoma ZW350ST, accepting a lower-resolution WXGA picture.
- If the projector can't sit centred
- Use BenQ's digital lens shift and a little keystone, not a big tilt.
For your room we'd pick…
The projector in our packagesBenQ AH500ST Golf Simulator Projector0.499 throw ratio, Screen Fill for 1:1, 4:3, 16:9 and 16:10, 2D keystone of 30 degrees each way.£1,780
If you want it on the floorBenQ AH500ST Short Throw Projector + Floor Mounted Case Bundle Golf Simulator ProjectorThe same projector with a floor case; the projector's 320 × 255 × 131mm body fits the case's 36 × 31 × 15cm space.£1,849
For a lower budgetOptoma ZW350ST Short Throw Projector + Floor Mounted Case Bundle Golf Simulator Projector0.521 throw ratio laser projector with a floor case; WXGA, so fewer pixels than the BenQ.£1,199.99
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Questions people ask
What throw ratio do I need for a golf simulator?
About 0.5. That lets the projector sit in front of you and fill a 2.3m-high SimSpace screen from about 2m away. The BenQ AH500ST is 0.499 and the Optoma ZW350ST is 0.521.
How far from the screen does the BenQ AH500ST go?
2.04m from lens to screen to fill a 2.3m-high screen (SIM 0 to SIM 4), and 2.48m for the 2.8m-high SIM 5 and SIM 6 screens. That's with Screen Fill set to the screen's shape.
Does either projector have lens shift?
Neither lists optical lens shift, and both have a fixed lens. The BenQ has 2D keystone and a digital lens shift for sideways moves; the Optoma has keystone and four-corner correction.
Can I use an ordinary home cinema projector?
Only if it's short-throw. A standard-throw projector has to sit behind you to make a picture this size, which puts your shadow on the screen.
Will a short-throw projector get hit by the ball?
On the floor it sits in front of the ball, so a topped shot can reach it. That's what the steel floor case is for. Overhead, it's out of the ball's path.
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