Sim Room Fit

Golf Simulator Projector Calculator

A projector fits your room only if its throw ratio puts the lens in the right place: close enough to fill your image, and in front of your swing so your body does not block the picture. Enter your image width and a throw class, or your own projector's ratio, and get the mounting distance and the shadow verdict together.

The ratio is printed in every projector's specification as throw ratio, for example 0.69 to 0.83 to 1. Pick your class and we fill in its range, or enter your model's exact figures.

Projector placement

Mount the lens-

Diagram showing a short throw projector in front of the hitter casting no shadow, and a standard throw projector behind the hitter casting one
Why the shadow check matters: the lens must sit between the screen and your hitting position.

How throw distance and the shadow check work

Throw ratio is throw distance divided by image width (BenQ's definition, used by every maker), so distance is ratio times width. A zoom lens gives a range, and the tool returns both ends. The shadow check compares that distance with where you stand: if the lens sits farther from the screen than your ball position plus about a foot, you are between the projector and the screen, and your shadow lands in the image on every swing. That is why simulator rooms use short throw projectors: a BenQ TK710STi class lens (0.69 to 0.83) fills a 13 ft image from 9 to 10.8 feet, in front of a hitter standing 10 feet out.

Worked examples

Short throw, 13 ft image

Ratio 0.69 to 0.83, hitting from 10 ft.

Mount 8.97 to 10.79 ft from the screen, no shadow problem

Standard throw, same image

Ratio 1.08, hitting from 10 ft.

14.04 ft from the screen: behind you, shadow warning fires

Ultra short throw

Ratio 0.35 to 0.50, 13 ft image.

4.55 to 6.5 ft: the lens sits over the screen end of the bay, never in your swing

Frequently asked questions

What throw ratio do I need for a golf simulator?
Work backwards from your room: divide the distance you can mount at (in front of your hitting position) by your image width. Most simulator rooms land between 0.5 and 1.0, which is the short throw class. The tool does this arithmetic for you.
Can I just move a standard projector closer?
Closer means a smaller image: the image width is distance divided by ratio. If the smaller image still suits you, the screen calculator shows what you get. Otherwise the projector class has to change, not the position.
Does the shadow check apply to a floor-mounted projector?
A floor or table projector in front of you has the same geometry: if it sits behind your hitting position it lights your back. Short throw ceiling mounting is the usual fix because the beam passes over your swing plane.

Related tools

Golf Simulator Room Size Calculator

Enter your room and get a fit verdict per launch monitor type: radar behind the ball, camera beside it, or overhead, with the limiting dimension named.

Golf Simulator Screen Size Calculator

From your usable wall and aspect ratio, the largest image that fits, its diagonal, and the standard screen class it maps to.

Golf Simulator Cost Calculator

Component tiers in, a total cost band out: monitor, screen, projector, mat, computer and software, itemised.

Launch Monitor Finder

Your space, use, handedness, budget and data priorities matched to the monitor class that fits, with the ruled-out classes explained.

Disclaimer: Estimate only. Verdicts follow the manufacturers' published setup figures; test-swing in the room before you buy anything.

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