The best golf simulator projector is the one whose lens fits the room, so this guide starts with throw distance and then gets to the picks. Where the projector has to hang ahead of the golfer, that means a lens of about 0.5: the BenQ LK830ST in 4K or the BenQ AH500ST in 1080p. Where it can hang over or just behind the golfer, the BenQ AK700ST is GSV's tested 4K choice. For a bright room or a commercial bay, the Epson PowerLite L795SE at 7,000 lumens is the brightest projector GSV has reviewed. Jay Lasco, host of Golf Simulator Videos, has reviewed projectors in the GSV simulator since 2020, and every projector below carries one of three labels: Tested, First look or Specs only.
Check a projector in your room in the GSV Sim Builder
- 0.5Throw ratio that puts the projector ahead of the golfer: about 7 ft from a 14 ft wide picture
- 10 ftGSV's ideal distance from tee to screen. A 0.69 to 0.83 lens hangs over or just behind it
- 3,000Lumens: GSV's starting point for most rooms. 5,000 to 7,000 is the high end
- 7,000Lumens on the Epson L795SE, the brightest projector GSV has reviewed
- 4K3,840 x 2,160: four times the pixels of 1080p on the same screen
- 12Projectors compared below, 6 of them with a full GSV review
In this guide: picks by room, what is new from BenQ, what the labels mean, throw distance, lenses of about 0.5, lenses of 0.69 to 0.87, lens shift and bright rooms, lumens, resolution and screen shape, mounting, GSV's reviews, free consultation and questions.
Golf simulator projector picks by room
Find the row that matches where the projector can go, then check the throw distance for the screen in the tables further down.
| Room or need | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Projector ahead of the golfer, in 4K | BenQ LK830ST Tested | 0.496 lens: 6 ft 11 in from a 14 ft wide picture. 4K, 4,000 ANSI lumens. $2,499. |
| The same spot for less, or a floor mount | BenQ AH500ST Tested | 0.499 lens, 1080p, 4,000 ANSI lumens. GSV reviewed it for floor mounting. $1,999. |
| Projector over or just behind the golfer, in 4K | BenQ AK700ST Tested | 0.69 to 0.83 zoom lens, 4K, 4,000 ANSI lumens. $2,899. |
| The same spot in 1080p | BenQ AH700ST Specs only | BenQ lists the same throw ratio, zoom and lumens as the AK700ST, at 1080p. $2,299. |
| Lights on, or a bay at a club or bar | Epson PowerLite L795SE Tested | 7,000 lumens, a 0.79 to 1.36 zoom lens and lens shift. $6,104, back-ordered. |
| A mount off the center line, or a wide screen | BenQ LK936ST Tested | Lens shift moves the picture up, down or sideways. 4K, 5,100 ANSI lumens. $4,899. |
| The newest BenQ models | BenQ AK800ST and AK900ST First look | 5,000 and 6,000 ANSI lumens, in 4K. $3,999 and $5,999, as BenQ announced them. GSV's reviews are still to come. |
| The lowest price for a laser lens of about 0.5 | Optoma GT2000HDR Specs only | 0.496 lens, 1080p, 3,500 lumens. $1,199. |
Prices are Shop Indoor Golf's on October 7, 2026, except the AK800ST and AK900ST, which are BenQ's announced prices. They change: the shop's page has today's price.
Tested projector picks from GSV
- BenQ LK830ST5% off at Shop Indoor Golf with code GSV5OFF.First-time buyers only, one use. Not valid on a standalone Trackman, the Square Golf launch monitor or the ProTee VX.
- BenQ AH500ST5% off at Shop Indoor Golf with code GSV5OFF, first-time buyers.
- BenQ AK700ST5% off at Shop Indoor Golf with code GSV5OFF, first-time buyers.
- Epson PowerLite L795SE5% off at Shop Indoor Golf with code GSV5OFF, first-time buyers.
- BenQ LK936ST5% off at Shop Indoor Golf with code GSV5OFF, first-time buyers.
- Golf simulator projectors5% off at Shop Indoor Golf with code GSV5OFF, first-time buyers.
Will it fit? See each in your room in the free GSV Sim Builder, in 3D: BenQ LK830ST, BenQ AH500ST, BenQ AK700ST, BenQ LK936ST.
Buying through GSV's links and codes helps support the channel: GSV earns a small commission at no extra cost to you, and you still get every saving available.
New for October 2026: BenQ AK800ST and AK900ST
BenQ announced two new 4K laser golf simulator projectors on October 1, 2026: the AK800ST at $3,999 with 5,000 ANSI lumens, and the AK900ST at $5,999 with 6,000 ANSI lumens and lens shift. BenQ says both go on sale later in October. GSV was at BenQ's launch event, where an AK800ST was running on a curved impact screen with the room lights on, and this is the video from it.
Both carry the First look label on this page until GSV's full reviews are done. On BenQ's specification pages the AK800ST has the throw ratio and zoom of the AK700ST, and the AK900ST those of the LK936ST, so each hangs where its older model hangs. The specs, the throw distances and what is still unknown are in the AK800ST and AK900ST first look.
Tested, First look or Specs only
A projector guide is only worth reading if it says what was actually tried. Each projector on this page has one label.
- Tested. GSV has published a full video review with the projector running in a simulator. The review is linked from the list of GSV's reviews.
- First look. GSV has seen the projector but has not reviewed it yet. That is the BenQ AK800ST and AK900ST: GSV saw both at BenQ's launch event, where an AK800ST was running.
- Specs only. GSV has not reviewed it. It is here because the maker's published figures fit a room that the tested projectors do not, or fit it for less.
Specifications are from BenQ's and Epson's own pages, read on October 7, 2026, and for the Optoma from Optoma's datasheet, read on October 3, 2026, and Shop Indoor Golf's page. Throw distances are arithmetic from the published throw ratios. None of the brightness figures is a GSV measurement.
Start with the screen: throw distance
Throw ratio is the distance from the lens to the screen divided by the width of the picture. Turn it around and it says where the projector has to hang:
Throw distance = throw ratio x picture width. A 0.5 lens fills a 14 ft wide picture from 7 ft away. A 0.83 lens fills the same picture from 11 ft 7 in.
The free golf simulator projector calculator does these sums for every projector against your own room and screen.
GSV builds with the tee 10 ft from the screen, 8 ft at the least and 12 ft at the most. That is why the throw ratio matters more than any other number on the box: it decides whether the projector ends up ahead of the golfer, over the golfer or behind.
| Lens (throw ratio) | 12 ft wide picture | 14 ft wide picture |
|---|---|---|
| 0.496 to 0.499, fixed | 5 ft 11 in to 6 ft | 6 ft 11 in to 7 ft |
| 0.69 to 0.83 | 8 ft 3 in to 10 ft | 9 ft 8 in to 11 ft 7 in |
| 0.72 to 0.87 | 8 ft 8 in to 10 ft 5 in | 10 ft 1 in to 12 ft 2 in |
| 0.81 to 0.89 | 9 ft 9 in to 10 ft 8 in | 11 ft 4 in to 12 ft 6 in |
| 0.79 to 1.36 | 9 ft 6 in to 16 ft 4 in | 11 ft 1 in to 19 ft |
Distances are from the lens to the screen. A lens with a range is a zoom lens and can hang anywhere in that range. A fixed lens fills the picture from one distance only. The fixed lenses are the BenQ LK830ST and AH500ST and the Optoma GT2000HDR. 0.69 to 0.83 is the BenQ AK700ST, AK800ST, AH700ST and TK710STi, 0.72 to 0.87 the BenQ AW30ST, 0.81 to 0.89 the BenQ LK936ST, AK900ST and LU935ST, and 0.79 to 1.36 the Epson PowerLite L795SE.
A 4:3 screen moves the projector back
Nine of the twelve projectors here make a 16:9 picture, and many enclosure screens are closer to 4:3, which is taller. To fill a 4:3 screen from top to bottom, a 16:9 projector throws a picture that is wider than the screen, so it hangs further back than the screen's width suggests. Work from the screen's height: the full picture is the height x 1.78. The projector's Screen Fill setting, where it has one, or the PC's display setting then fits the picture to the screen. A distance worked out from the screen's width instead gives a 16:9 picture that is as wide as the screen and stops short of its top and bottom. BenQ's own golf simulator planner works it the same way: for an LK830ST on a 4:3 screen 8 ft tall it gives a throw distance of 7.1 ft, which is 0.496 x the 14 ft 3 in full picture and not 0.496 x the 10 ft 8 in screen.
| Screen | Lens about 0.5 | Lens 0.69 to 0.83 |
|---|---|---|
| SIG8 | 6 ft 9 in | 9 ft 4 in to 11 ft 2 in |
| SIG10 | 6 ft 9 in | 9 ft 4 in to 11 ft 2 in |
| SIG12 | 7 ft 7 in | 10 ft 6 in to 12 ft 8 in |
| Carl's Place Pro 10 x 13 | 8 ft 1 in | 11 ft 3 in to 13 ft 6 in |
| Carl's Place Pro 8.5 x 14.5 | 7 ft | 9 ft 8 in to 11 ft 7 in |
These are the distances for a 16:9 projector, from the lens to the screen, worked out the way the GSV Sim Builder works them out. The 0.5 column uses the BenQ AH500ST's 0.499. The BenQ LK936ST and AK900ST, at 0.81 to 0.89, hang further back: 10 ft 11 in to 12 ft from a SIG8 or SIG10, 12 ft 4 in to 13 ft 7 in from a SIG12, 13 ft 2 in to 14 ft 6 in from the Carl's Place Pro 10 x 13, 11 ft 4 in to 12 ft 5 in from the Carl's Place Pro 8.5 x 14.5.
A 16:10 projector throws a narrower picture, the height x 1.6, so it hangs closer than a 16:9 projector with the same throw ratio. The BenQ LU935ST fills a SIG10 from 9 ft 10 in to 10 ft 10 in and a SIG12 from 11 ft 1 in to 12 ft 3 in.
The builder does this sum for the eleven BenQ and Optoma projectors on this page and shows each one in the room, with its height, its light cone and the golfer's swing under it. The Epson is not in the builder yet.
Lenses of about 0.5: the projector hangs ahead of the golfer
A lens of about 0.5 fills a 14 ft wide picture from about 7 ft. With the tee at 10 ft the projector is about 3 ft ahead of the golfer and out of the swing, on the ceiling or on the floor. That suits a short room, a low ceiling behind the tee, or a room where nothing can hang over the golfer.
| Projector | Picture | Price on October 7 |
|---|---|---|
| BenQ LK830ST Tested | 4K, 4,000 ANSI lumens, laser | $2,499 |
| BenQ AH500ST Tested | 1080p, 4,000 ANSI lumens, laser | $1,999 |
| Optoma GT2000HDR Specs only | 1080p, 3,500 lumens, laser | $1,199 |
- One distance, no zoom. All three have a fixed lens: 0.496 on the LK830ST and the GT2000HDR, 0.499 on the AH500ST. The mount has to land on the one spot that fills the screen, so measure before drilling.
- What GSV tested. The LK830ST review ran GSPro and Trackman Virtual Golf 3 in 4K, and with Screen Fill set to 16:10 the picture filled the screen while the PC monitor stayed at 16:9. BenQ sent GSV the projector for that review. The AH500ST review is about floor mounting and smaller rooms.
- 4K against 1080p. The LK830ST and the AH500ST are both 4,000 ANSI lumens. At the prices above, the $500 between them buys 4K and a wider color range: BenQ lists 93% of Rec. 709 for the LK830ST and 83% for the AH500ST.
- Check the height. These lenses have a higher offset than the zoom models: 112% on the AH500ST, 114% on the LK830ST and 116% on the GT2000HDR, against 100 to 102.5%. Hung from a ceiling, the lens sits further above the top of the picture. See mounting before choosing one for a tall 4:3 enclosure.
- On the enclosure? Only with a mount that reaches. These lenses sit 6 ft 9 in from the screen of a SIG8 or SIG10 and 7 ft 7 in from a SIG12, and those enclosures are 5 ft deep, so the spot is about 2 ft in front of the frame.
- The Optoma. The GT2000HDR is the lowest price here for a laser lens of about 0.5. Shop Indoor Golf's page gives 3,500 lumens without naming the standard, and GSV has not reviewed it.
Projectors with a lens of about 0.5
- BenQ LK830ST5% off at Shop Indoor Golf with code GSV5OFF.First-time buyers only, one use. Not valid on a standalone Trackman, the Square Golf launch monitor or the ProTee VX.
- BenQ AH500ST5% off at Shop Indoor Golf with code GSV5OFF, first-time buyers.
- Optoma GT2000HDR5% off at Shop Indoor Golf with code GSV5OFF, first-time buyers.
Lenses of 0.69 to 0.87: the projector hangs over the golfer
With the tee 10 ft from the screen, this is the lens that hangs over the golfer or just behind. A 0.69 to 0.83 lens fills a 14 ft wide picture from 9 ft 8 in to 11 ft 7 in, and the AW30ST's 0.72 to 0.87 from 10 ft 1 in to 12 ft 2 in. GSV has many projectors mounted over the golfer with no trouble. What matters is that the club cannot reach the projector, so check the top of the swing against it before the mount goes up.
| Projector | Picture | Price on October 7 |
|---|---|---|
| BenQ AK700ST Tested | 4K, 4,000 ANSI lumens, laser | $2,899 |
| BenQ AK800ST First look | 4K, 5,000 ANSI lumens, laser | $3,999, BenQ's announced price |
| BenQ AH700ST Specs only | 1080p, 4,000 ANSI lumens, laser | $2,299 |
| BenQ TK710STi Specs only | 4K, 3,200 ANSI lumens, laser | $2,199 |
| BenQ AW30ST Specs only | WXGA, 1,280 x 800, 3,200 ANSI lumens, LED | $1,199, back-ordered |
- Room to adjust. All five have a 1.2x zoom. For a 14 ft wide picture that is about 2 ft of choice in where the mount goes, which helps when a joist or a light fixture is in the wrong place.
- What GSV tested. The AK700ST review covers the unboxing and auto focus, then runs GSPro and Trackman Virtual Golf 3. BenQ says Auto Screen Fit handles 16:9, 16:10, 4:3 and 1:1 screens and needs a black border about 2.4 in wide or more around the screen. In BenQ's setup steps the projected picture has to reach past all four edges of the screen, with all 12 of its circle patterns inside the border, so check the throw distance before the mount goes up.
- Height. BenQ lists a 102.5% offset for the AK700ST, AK800ST, AH700ST and TK710STi and 100% for the AW30ST, so the lens sits level with the top of the picture or a little above it.
- AK800ST. BenQ's new model lists the AK700ST's throw ratio and zoom with 5,000 ANSI lumens in place of 4,000. GSV has seen it and not yet reviewed it: the AK800ST and AK900ST first look has what BenQ has published.
- AH700ST and TK710STi. On BenQ's specification pages the AH700ST has the AK700ST's throw ratio, zoom, brightness and body size at 1080p. GSV has a page for the AH700ST. The TK710STi is a 4K projector from BenQ's gaming range with the same throw ratio and zoom and 3,200 ANSI lumens.
- AW30ST. The lowest price in this group, with the lowest resolution on this page and a 16:10 picture. Shop Indoor Golf listed it as back-ordered with no ship date on October 7, 2026.
Projectors with a 0.69 to 0.87 lens
- BenQ AK700ST5% off at Shop Indoor Golf with code GSV5OFF.First-time buyers only, one use. Not valid on a standalone Trackman, the Square Golf launch monitor or the ProTee VX.
- BenQ AH700ST5% off at Shop Indoor Golf with code GSV5OFF, first-time buyers.
- BenQ TK710STi5% off at Shop Indoor Golf with code GSV5OFF, first-time buyers.
- BenQ AW30ST5% off at Shop Indoor Golf with code GSV5OFF, first-time buyers.
Lens shift, bigger screens and brighter rooms
These four hang over or behind the golfer and are the brightest projectors here. All four have lens shift, which moves the picture up, down or sideways without tilting the projector, so the mount does not have to sit on the center line of the screen or at one exact height.
| Projector | Picture | Price on October 7 |
|---|---|---|
| BenQ LK936ST Tested | 4K, 5,100 ANSI lumens, laser | $4,899 |
| BenQ AK900ST First look | 4K, 6,000 ANSI lumens, laser | $5,999, BenQ's announced price |
| BenQ LU935ST Tested | WUXGA, 1,920 x 1,200, 5,500 ANSI lumens, laser | $3,999.99 |
| Epson PowerLite L795SE Tested | WUXGA, 4K-enhanced, 7,000 lumens, laser, 3LCD | $6,104, back-ordered |
- The three BenQ models. BenQ lists the same figures for the LK936ST, AK900ST and LU935ST: a 0.81 to 0.89 throw ratio, a 1.1x zoom, and lens shift of 60% of the picture's height up or down and 23% of its width to either side.
- GSV's reviews. The LK936ST review and the LU935ST review are from 2021 and both projectors are still on sale. The LU935ST is the 16:10 one: 1,920 x 1,200, the brightest BenQ GSV has reviewed at 5,500 ANSI lumens.
- Epson PowerLite L795SE. The Epson L795SE review calls it the brightest golf simulator projector GSV has seen and points it at rooms with more light and at commercial bays. Epson gives 7,000 lumens for both color and white. Its 0.79 to 1.36 lens has a 1.7x zoom, the longest range of mount positions here: 11 ft 1 in to 19 ft for a 14 ft wide picture. Epson's page says the lens shift is wide in both directions and gives no figures.
- Not a 4K panel. The Epson is a WUXGA projector with what Epson calls 4K Enhancement, which in Epson's words "shifts each pixel to surpass Full HD resolution on screen". It takes a 4K signal. It does not have 3,840 x 2,160 pixels of its own.
- Check the model. On October 7, 2026 Shop Indoor Golf's L795SE page named the L790SE in places and listed both at the same price, back-ordered. Confirm the model with the shop before ordering.
- AK900ST. BenQ's new model lists the LK936ST's throw ratio, zoom and lens shift with 6,000 ANSI lumens in place of 5,100. GSV has seen it and not yet reviewed it. For current pricing on the AK800ST or the AK900ST, email GSV.
Projectors with lens shift
- BenQ LK936ST5% off at Shop Indoor Golf with code GSV5OFF.First-time buyers only, one use. Not valid on a standalone Trackman, the Square Golf launch monitor or the ProTee VX.
- BenQ LU935ST5% off at Shop Indoor Golf with code GSV5OFF, first-time buyers.
- Epson PowerLite L795SE5% off at Shop Indoor Golf with code GSV5OFF, first-time buyers.
How many lumens: brightness and room light
A projector cannot make black. The darkest part of the picture is the screen with the room's own light on it, so any light that reaches the screen washes the picture out, and more lumens push back against it. GSV's rule of thumb since the 2021 version of this guide: about 3,000 lumens is a good starting point for a solid picture in most rooms, and 5,000 to 7,000 is the high end. The more light that reaches the screen, the further up that range the room belongs.
- 3,200 to 4,000 lumens: BenQ TK710STi and AW30ST (3,200), Optoma GT2000HDR (3,500), BenQ LK830ST, AH500ST, AK700ST and AH700ST (4,000).
- 5,000 to 5,500 lumens: BenQ AK800ST (5,000), LK936ST (5,100) and LU935ST (5,500).
- 6,000 to 7,000 lumens: BenQ AK900ST (6,000) and Epson PowerLite L795SE (7,000).
Two cautions on those numbers. Screen size counts as much as lumens: the same light spread over a 14 ft wide picture covers 36% more area than over a 12 ft one, so a bigger screen wants a brighter projector. And lumens are not all measured the same way. BenQ publishes ANSI lumens. Epson publishes white brightness to ISO 21118 and color brightness to IDMS 15.4. Shop Indoor Golf's page for the Optoma names no standard. Figures from one maker compare directly. Treat a comparison across makers as approximate.
4K, 1080p or WUXGA, and the shape of the screen
4K UHD is 3,840 x 2,160 pixels, four times as many as 1080p. On a 200 in 16:9 picture that works out to about 485 pixels on every square inch against about 121. The notes with GSV's LK830ST review say that density lets people who stand close to the screen see more detail than they would from 12 to 14 ft away, and a simulator golfer stands close: GSV sets the tee 10 ft from the screen. The detail is only there if the software sends it: that review runs GSPro and Trackman Virtual Golf 3 at 4K.
- 1080p is 1,920 x 1,080. That is the BenQ AH500ST and AH700ST, which BenQ builds for golf simulators, and the Optoma GT2000HDR.
- WUXGA is 1,920 x 1,200, the same width as 1080p and a little taller, in a 16:10 shape. That is the BenQ LU935ST and the Epson PowerLite L795SE, which Shop Indoor Golf lists as 16:10. The BenQ AW30ST is 16:10 too, at 1,280 x 800.
- A 4:3 screen uses three quarters of a 16:9 projector. By arithmetic that is 2,880 x 2,160 of a 4K projector's pixels and 1,440 x 1,080 of a 1080p projector's. A square screen uses a little over half. If the screen is 4:3 and sharpness matters, that is an argument for 4K.
- Screen Fill. BenQ lists 16:9, 16:10, 4:3 and 1:1 under Screen Fill for the AK700ST, AH700ST, AH500ST and AW30ST, adds 5:4 on the LK830ST, and lists six shapes on the AK800ST and AK900ST. It lists none on the specification pages for the TK710STi, LK936ST and LU935ST, where the PC's display setting does the same job.
Mounting: height, offset, lens shift and the floor
Distance is half of the mount. The other half is height, and it depends on whether the projector has a fixed offset or lens shift.
- Fixed offset. BenQ describes offset as where the lens sits against the top of the picture when the projector hangs from a ceiling: at 100% the top of the picture is level with the lens. A 102.5% projector such as the AK700ST hangs a little above the top of the picture, which is 9 ft 2 in up over a SIG12 in the builder.
- Higher offset on the 0.5 lenses. At 112% and 114% the lens of the AH500ST or LK830ST sits 11 to 14 in above the top of the picture in the builder's rooms. Over a SIG10 or SIG12 there is not that much room, and the builder cautions that the picture starts 6 to 7 in below the top of the screen unless the projector is tilted up 4 to 5 degrees and squared up with keystone. On the Carl's Place Pro 8.5 x 14.5 under a 10 ft ceiling the builder shows both filling the screen straight on. BenQ's own guide says a projector may need to be tilted once the offset passes about 115%.
- Keystone has a cost. Every BenQ here and the Optoma list keystone correction, and Epson lists geometric correction tools. BenQ says of keystone: "This may compromise brightness and resolution." Use a little to square a picture up. Do not plan a mount around a lot of it.
- Lens shift. With the lens shift BenQ lists for them, the LK936ST, AK900ST and LU935ST can hang higher or lower than the top of the picture and up to 23% of the picture's width off to one side. GSV's 2020 LK953ST install was off the center line of the room: the LK953ST review shows it.
- On the floor. A lens of about 0.5 can sit in a floor case ahead of the hitting area and shine up at the screen. GSV's AH500ST review is about floor mounting, and the LK830ST review covers floor, ceiling and enclosure mounting.
- Swing cameras. A caution GSV has given since the 2021 version of this guide: a single-chip DLP projector can show as flicker in a high-frame-rate swing camera that faces the screen. The BenQ projectors GSV has reviewed are DLP. The Epson is 3LCD.
- No lamps. All twelve have a laser or LED light source. BenQ and Epson list 20,000 hours in normal mode, and Shop Indoor Golf lists up to 30,000 for the Optoma.
The guide to building a golf simulator at home has the rest of the room: ceiling height, enclosure sizes and where the launch monitor goes.
GSV's projector reviews
| Projector | GSV coverage | Status on October 7, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| BenQ AK800ST and AK900ST | First look, October 2026 | Announced. BenQ says on sale later in October 2026. |
| BenQ LK830ST | Review page and review video, March 2026 | On sale |
| Epson PowerLite L795SE | Review, October 2025 | Back-ordered at Shop Indoor Golf |
| BenQ AK700ST | Review, January 2025 | On sale |
| BenQ AH500ST | Review, November 2024 | On sale |
| BenQ LH820ST | Review, July 2023, and the SIG10 build it went into | Not listed at Shop Indoor Golf |
| BenQ LK936ST | Review, November 2021 | On sale |
| BenQ LU935ST | Review, April 2021 | On sale |
| BenQ LK953ST | Review, September 2020 | Not listed at Shop Indoor Golf |
All of GSV's projector videos, including installs and comparisons, are in the golf simulator projector video archive.
More GSV projector videos
Another BenQ that GSV reviewed.
BenQ AH700ST
Free consultation with GSV's partner builders
Fitting a projector to a new simulator room? Jay works with official partners: master builders he hand-picked, who get on a call quickly and make sure you have the right fit before you buy anything. They offer package deals on the whole build, DIY packages to put together yourself, full installation, and more. The consultation is free.
Golf simulator projector questions
What is the best projector for a golf simulator?
It depends on where the projector can hang. For a projector ahead of the golfer, GSV's tested picks are the BenQ LK830ST in 4K and the BenQ AH500ST in 1080p, both with a lens of about 0.5. For a projector over or just behind the golfer, it is the BenQ AK700ST, a 4K projector with a 0.69 to 0.83 lens. For a bright room or a commercial bay, it is the Epson PowerLite L795SE at 7,000 lumens.
How many lumens does a golf simulator projector need?
GSV's rule of thumb is about 3,000 lumens as a starting point for most rooms and 5,000 to 7,000 at the high end. The more light that reaches the screen, the more lumens the room needs. The projectors in this guide run from 3,200 to 7,000 lumens by their makers' figures.
What throw ratio is best for a golf simulator?
Multiply the throw ratio by the picture width to get the distance from the lens to the screen. A lens of about 0.5 puts the projector ahead of the golfer: about 7 ft from a 14 ft wide picture. A 0.69 to 0.83 lens puts it over or just behind a golfer who stands 10 ft from the screen: 9 ft 8 in to 11 ft 7 in for the same picture. On a 4:3 screen a 16:9 projector hangs further back, because the full picture is wider than the screen.
How much does a golf simulator projector cost?
On October 7, 2026 the projectors in this guide ran from $1,199 for the Optoma GT2000HDR and the BenQ AW30ST to $6,104 for the Epson PowerLite L795SE at Shop Indoor Golf, where the Epson and the AW30ST were back-ordered. The 4K projectors GSV has tested were $2,499 for the BenQ LK830ST, $2,899 for the BenQ AK700ST and $4,899 for the BenQ LK936ST. The BenQ AH500ST, the tested 1080p pick, was $1,999.
Do you need a 4K projector for a golf simulator?
No. The BenQ AH500ST and AH700ST are 1080p projectors that BenQ builds for golf simulators. 4K has four times the pixels, which shows most on a large screen seen from close up, and only when the simulator software and the PC send a 4K picture.
Will a 16:9 projector work on a 4:3 impact screen?
Yes. The projector's Screen Fill setting, or the PC's display setting, fits the picture to a 4:3 screen. The projector hangs where its full 16:9 picture would be as tall as the screen, so work out the throw from the screen height x 1.78, and expect to use three quarters of the panel's pixels.
Can a golf simulator projector sit on the floor?
Yes, with a lens of about 0.5 and a floor case to protect it. GSV reviewed the BenQ AH500ST for floor mounting, and the BenQ LK830ST review covers floor, ceiling and enclosure mounting.
Should a golf simulator projector be laser or lamp?
Every projector in this guide has a laser or LED light source, with a life of 20,000 hours or more by the makers' figures, so there is no lamp to replace.
Where should a golf simulator projector be mounted?
Most hang from the ceiling on the center line of the screen, at the distance the throw ratio gives. A projector with a fixed offset hangs at one height: a little above the top of the picture for a 102.5% offset. A projector with lens shift can sit higher, lower or off to one side, and a lens of about 0.5 can also sit on the floor. GSV mounts projectors over the golfer, where the club cannot reach them at the top of the swing.
Is there free help planning a golf simulator room?
Yes. Jay offers a free consultation with GSV's partner master builders, hand-picked by Jay, who get on a call quickly and make sure everything fits. They offer package deals, DIY packages, full installation and more. Use the free consultation button on this page.
More from GSV
- GSV Sim Builder: check a projector in your room in 3D
- Golf simulator projector calculator
- How to build a golf simulator at home
- Best golf simulators of 2026
- Garage golf simulator: nine real builds
- GSV discount codes
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- BenQ AK800ST and AK900ST First Look: New 4K Golf Simulator Projectors 2026
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- The BRIGHTEST Golf Simulator Projector I’ve Seen! Epson L795SE Review 2025
- Best 4K Golf Simulator Projector for 2025? BenQ AK700ST Full Review! 2025
- Best Golf Simulator Projector for Floor Mount? BenQ AH500ST FULL Review 2024
- Best Golf Simulator in 2023? BENQ LH820ST Review (AFFORDABLE LASER!) 2023
- Best Golf Simulator Projector for 2022? BenQ LK936ST REVIEW! 4K + 16:10! 2021
- Best Golf Simulator Projector for 2021? BenQ LU935St REVIEW – Full Unboxing, Specs, & Demo 2021
- Best Golf Simulator Projector? BenQ LK953ST REVIEW – Unboxing, Specs, & MORE! 2020
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