Things to consider with your impact screen.
First you need to width of your screen.
- Now the first thing you must understand is that no image produced by a projector is a square. The image will be a rectangle. The ratio between the height and width is called aspect ratio. Standard aspect ratio is 4:3. Widescreen is 16:9. The optishot standard aspect ratio is 4:3. It will produce however, a 16:9. We recommend that you use standard 4:3 as it makes EVERYTHING MUCH EASIER. So we will work on the assumption that you are using 4:3.
- Now to create a professional looking screen so there is no bare image, you multiply your ceiling height by 1 and 1/3 or 1.3333. So for example if you have 9 ft ceiling you multiply 9 by 1.333
or
9 x 1.3333 = 12 feet
So on 9' ceilings your screen width is 12 feet
On 8 foot ceilings here is the math
8 x 1.3333 = 10.66 feet
So on 8' ceilings your screen width is 10'6"(this is rounded to the nearest 1/2 foot)
Now if for some reason you need a custom screen width. Here is the math:
multiply your given width x .75 to determine your height of your screen.
width x .75 = height
So for example you want a 9 foot wide screen.
9 x .75= height
9 x .75 = 6.75
So if you have a given custom width of 9 feet your screen height will be 6' 9".
THIS ABOVE MATH WILL GIVE YOU A PROFESSIONAL 4:3 ASPECT SCREEN SO THERE IS NO BARE SCREEN.
Now the next concern is how to hang the screen
You can choose to use eye bolts with grommets or a frame system to hang your screen.
Grommets allow for very easy hanging. The problem with just hanging your screen is that it generally doesn't get pulled tight.
Now the preferred method for hanging a screen is to hang is from a frame. If you hang is from a frame, you can pull the screen very tight via bungy. golfsimulatorguys.com use a very impressive frame system to pull their screens tight. The frame is actually a small rectangle and then they hide all of the hardware behind their screen for a professional look.
Next you need to find a screen material:
Good luck with that. No simulator company will tell you where they get their screen material from. So you just have to buy it from them. Once again, golfsimulatorguys.com will sell you material for your impact screen.
Golfsimulatorguys has a complete video library about impact screens including how to install them. They are kind of expensive but well worth it. Here is a link to their website and video collection:
http://www.golfsimulatorguys.com/
http://www.golfsimulatorguys.com/pages/video
Below are some pics
Hope this helps
Good article...
That screen looks cool, but if your ball hits the post and rebounds back at you, you might decaptiate yourself!
FYI, there are more good screen options on Par2Pro's website at:
http://www.par2pro.com/shop/index.php?cPath=23_35
PS: There are other ways of mounting screens such as Strapping and Veclro.
PPS: There is also an easier way to figure out your screen size based on the aspect ratio that you want. If you know one of the screen sizes (let's say a width of 12'), and you know your aspect ratio that you want (let's say 4:3), then simply divide 12 (width) by 4 (aspect ratio width) then multiply by 3 (aspect ratio height) which gives you an impact screen of 9' high.
PPPS: Lastly don't forget to leave room for mounting the screen with bungees (about 4 to 6" between the screen and the wall) - the bungees give your screen some flex so that the balls don't bounce back at you very hard.
Hi Bob,
That is funny. That screen system is the exact same screen system that the commercial simulator companies. It utilizes bungies and velcro as you suggest. The bungies are there behind the screen to hide the hardware to give the screen a professional look instead of having unsightly hardware exposed. The screen has a 1 foot depth to allow for flex in the screen. If you are using real balls, just pad the frame as commercial grade screens are.
Your math is hilarious. If you multiply any number by 4 and then divide by 3, it is the same as multiplying by 1.33. How is doing 2 mathematical computations easier than 1?
Hey Bret,
Take a chill pill dude.
Which commercial simulator wraps their impact screen around a metal post?
What happens if a ball hits that metal post that the screen is wrapped around?
I find that the math is way easier to remember - instead of using a multiplier (in which your case you would need to remember 4 multipliers for the 4 different scenarios), this just makes it easier for someone to do the math without having to remember the multipliers.
Either way to each to their own and I was just trying to help those who may find it easier to do it a different way.
golfsimulatorguy have some nice products but I found replacement impact screens on the internet for about a quarter of their cost and I rapped the post on the side with pipe insulation so if anyone does shank it you get a softer rebound maybe about half way from the screen to the mat
ps one of the online companies for replacement screens does custom fitting so you get the exact size yoou want 8'8" X 9'3" not a problem