Budget projector for golf simulation

[ozzi.pj437]

Hey everyone, I'm setting up a modest golf sim in my garage mainly to teach my 10-year-old and I need projector advice. My budget is ideally under $1000. The screen is about 10ft wide, and I have about 12ft of total depth.

I'm definitely looking for a ceiling-mounted short-throw to avoid shadows from the hitting mat. The garage has some ambient light, so decent brightness (lumens) is a must, but 1080p resolution is plenty for our needs.

I've seen Optoma EH200ST and some BenQ models getting mentioned in my initial research. Are these still the best budget short-throws, or is there a newer model I should consider for a family-focused setup? Any advice on a reliable model and whether a floor or ceiling shield is more practical for a budget build would be great. Thanks!

 

[galaxy-z00]

I found a used Optoma EH200ST and it’s worked fine for our 10ft screen. Ceiling mount keeps it out of the way and I just used a clear plastic guard from Home Depot. What kind of hitting mat are you using?

 

[ch41latte]

Hey everyone, I'm setting up a modest golf sim in my garage mainly to teach my 10-year-old and I need projector advice. My budget is ideally under $1000. The screen is about 10ft wide, and I have about 12ft of total depth.

I'm definitely looking for a ceiling-mounted short-throw to avoid shadows from the hitting mat. The garage has some ambient light, so decent brightness (lumens) is a must, but 1080p resolution is plenty for our needs.

I've seen Optoma EH200ST and some BenQ models getting mentioned in my initial research. Are these still the best budget short-throws, or is there a newer model I should consider for a family-focused setup? Any advice on a reliable model and whether a floor or ceiling shield is more practical for a budget build would be great. Thanks!

I think that's a great idea for a family setup. For under $1000 and that 10ft wide screen, the BenQ TH671ST is a solid short throw classic that's still hard to beat, especially with some ambient light. Aim for 3000+ lumens. The Optoma EH200ST is getting older, so look for its newer equivalent if you go that route