Projectors for a home golf simulator: throw distance, 4:3 screens and off-center mounting

Who this is for

You have a bay about 10 ft wide, a 4:3 impact screen, a ceiling between 8 and 9 ft, and a ball 10 to 11 ft from the screen. You are choosing between a sub-$1,000 lamp unit and a $2,000 to $2,900 laser, you want to know where it hangs before you drill, and there is a fair chance the spot over the ball is already taken by a door track, a duct or a launch monitor. That case gets its own section. Screen, enclosure and computer are their own guides.

Throw math for a 10 ft wide bay

Throw ratio is lens-to-screen distance divided by image width. Every projector here is a 16:9 panel and the screen is 4:3, so to put 7 ft 6 in of height on the fabric the 16:9 image has to be 13 ft 4 in wide, with the extra width masked in black. Distance is throw ratio times 13.33 ft, not times 10 (BenQ writes it as throw ratio = distance x 0.5625 / image height). For a 10 ft by 7 ft 6 in screen:

• 0.5 (Optoma's GT line, BenQ AH500ST and LK830ST): about 6 ft 7 in from the screen, ahead of a golfer standing 10 to 11 ft back, so no shadow is possible. Suits bays under 14 to 16 ft deep and low ceilings.
• 0.69 to 0.83 (BenQ TH671ST, TK710STi, AH700ST, AK700ST): 9 ft 2 in to 11 ft 1 in, above or just behind the ball. The LK936ST's 0.81 to 0.89 lands at 10 ft 10 in to 11 ft 10 in.
• 1.0: 13 ft 4 in, behind the golfer, where the shadow complaints start. The TK700STi (0.9 to 1.08) wants 12 ft to 14 ft 5 in, the Panasonic PT-VMZ51 13 to 21 ft, the ViewSonic PX701-4K 20 to 22 ft.
• Under 0.4 (ultra short throw): on the floor under the screen, where the balls land.

A 9 ft 6 in wide screen scales everything by 0.95. The forum's shadow check: ball distance from the screen is roughly your height divided by the lens height, times the lens-to-screen distance. Before drilling, hold the projector up on a ladder at the planned spot and swing; the July 2020 "Not much love for floor mounting" thread calls that the test that settles it.

4:3 vs 16:9 on an impact screen

Screens in bays under about 13 ft wide are 4:3 because width is the limit and height keeps a thinned wedge on the fabric; MyGolfSimulator warns a 16:9 image on a narrow screen looks too short. Letterboxing a 16:9 panel to 4:3 wastes 25 percent of the pixels and about a third of the light; ProjectorCentral's rule is to multiply the lumens you need by 1.33. BenQ's golf line handles the crop with Auto Screen Fit or Screen Fill, which reads the screen's black border (it needs 2.5 in of it) and fills 4:3 by itself. Everything else does it from the aspect menu, a few remote clicks per the TK710STi owners on Reddit, or by running the PC at 1440x1080 as the January 2021 EH412ST floor thread does.

Ceiling, floor or cart

Ceiling, centered, a few feet behind the ball is the default, and Top Shelf Golf lists ceiling mounts at $99. Optoma's GT units throw with a 116 percent upward offset, so flush to an 8 ft ceiling they need tilt; the one published comparison has the GT2100HDR making a 6.9 ft tall image from 8 ft up against 7.2 ft for the BenQ AH500ST.

Floor is the low-ceiling answer and only a 0.5 unit fits it, because the image projects upward from a low lens. The reference build is the December 2020 "Floor vs ceiling mount projector" thread: 8 ft 8 in ceiling, an Optoma EH412ST in a floor case 12 in off the hitting line and 7 ft 6 in from the screen, keystone at -6, rear feet shimmed on wood. Carl's Place says a floor mount needs a case and wedges; Top Shelf Golf's ProGuard floor mount is $349. The costs: heat in the case, a blocked putting line, a box in some golfers' follow-through.

Carts are the temporary-bay answer. Carl's Place calls them technically fine and realistically not (space, shadows, bumps, looks temporary), and ProjectorCentral adds that a cart beside the mat is hard to square because short throws have no horizontal shift.

Off-center mounting

This is the section the forum keeps writing. Every guide we read (Carl's Place, Home Performance Lab, MyGolfSimulator, Rain or Shine) gives the same order: physical placement first, optical lens shift second, digital keystone last and small, under 15 degrees per Rain or Shine.

Lens shift moves the whole image by moving the lens, so every pixel still lands and the picture stays rectangular. Keystone fakes it: the projector squeezes a trapezoid into a smaller rectangle, which discards pixels, softens the image, drops brightness on the corrected side and on some models disables the high refresh modes. BenQ's own explainer admits it adds input lag.

Among the home-tier models the sim community discusses, exactly two have lens shift. The BenQ LK936ST shifts +/-23 percent horizontally and +/-60 percent vertically; Home Performance Lab names it as the only unit for side mounting. The Panasonic PT-VMZ51 shifts +/-20 percent horizontally and +44 percent vertically, but it is standard throw and needs 13 ft or more. MyGolfSimulator's keystone page lists only the LK936ST and the Epson PowerLite L790SE ($4,600 to $6,100, commercial) with shift; Top Shelf Golf's table adds the BenQ AK900ST and LU935ST. On the watch list with fewer than five sources: the LG ProBeam BU53RG (H +/-20 percent, V +/-50 percent) and the Eiki EK-308U that Foresight stood to the golfer's right in Sim in a Box with about 7 percent of shift.

Keystone range is what everyone else has, and it is not equal. Optoma's GT line corrects +/-15 degrees per axis. BenQ's TK710STi and AH500ST do +/-30, the TK710STi on three axes. The Optoma UHD35STx and ViewSonic PX701-4K do +/-40, the ViewSonic with four-corner correction. The BenQ TH671ST and the old Optoma GT1080HDR correct vertically only and cannot be squared from beside the mat at all. The August 2024 GSF 4K thread warns that cheaper units distort visibly once pushed.

What builders do when the center spot is gone:

• Over the ball, angled in. The February 2021 "Horizontal lens shift" thread's garage had a side wall as the only mount and no budget projector that shifts a meter; the fix was to hang the unit above the ball line, angle it toward the screen, and square the rest with a little keystone.
• A 0.5 unit in a floor case beside the hitting line: 12 in off the line in the December 2020 build, 3 ft off-center in one October 2022 plan. Optoma's upward offset and the low offset on the AH500ST and LK830ST are what make a floor lens work.
• A cart to one side with a wide-keystone model: the UHD35STx and PX701-4K's +/-40 degrees are the budget range that reaches it, at the sharpness cost above.
• Beside a launch monitor. The January 2022 Eye XO thread stacks a TK700STi with its lens 1 to 2 in below the overhead unit and says to draw a side view at your own height first. When the monitor owns the centerline, the LK936ST's vertical shift is the clean fix.

Real lumens in golf mode

Two testers have published measurements, and they agree with each other more than with the boxes. The Hook Up (August 2024) measured the BenQ TK710STi at 2,448 lumens in Living Room mode against a 3,200 rating and the AH700ST at 2,200 in Golf mode against 4,000. Projector Reviews (March 2025) measured the same AH700ST at 3,812 in Bright and about 2,287 in the other presets. ProjectorCentral got 2,582 from the ViewSonic PX701-4K against 3,200, and Home Performance Lab's 2026 figures (AK700ST 3,500 to 4,000 in accurate mode, TH671ST 2,000 to 2,500) are published as estimates. The rated figures only appear in Bright mode, which nobody plays in. Five r/Golfsimulator TK710STi owners say it plainly: great with the garage lights off, washed out with them on. Rain or Shine's targets run 2,500 for a basement to 4,000 plus for daylight, before the 1.33 letterbox factor. Blackout curtains are still the forum's cheapest lumen upgrade.

The products people actually buy

The list below is the reference bag for this category: every projector that kept coming up across the threads, reviews and videos we read, grouped by lens family, with the street price and the date read, throw ratio, resolution, shift or keystone, the known issue, and a link. Prices are ProjectorCentral street prices read on October 19, 2026 unless stated. Open any item for the pros, cons and the thread to read.

Short throw, 0.69 to 0.83 zoom

BenQ TH671ST. $899 on October 19, 2026 ($500 to $700 on sale and $150 to $350 used per Home Performance Lab). 0.69 to 0.83, 1080p, 4,000-hour lamp, vertical keystone only. The forum's default answer from 2019 to 2024, mounted about 9 ft back over the ball. Known issue: replacement lamps are $100 to $300 and getting scarce. BenQ TH671ST.

BenQ TK710STi. $2,132 on October 19, 2026 ($2,199 MSRP; guides quote $1,999 to $2,199, so check the SKU). 0.69 to 0.83, 4K, laser, three-axis keystone +/-30, no shift, 4.2 ms at 1080p/240. The common 4K pick for a dark garage. Known issues: 2,448 lumens measured, and a fan Home Performance Lab put at about 47 dB. BenQ TK710STi.

BenQ AH700ST. $2,299 on October 19, 2026 (launched at $1,899 in March 2025 per Projector Reviews). 0.69 to 0.83, 1080p, laser, Auto Screen Fit, keystone only. It now costs more than the 4K TK710STi, and both The Hook Up and Home Performance Lab say the TK710STi is the better buy unless Auto Screen Fit matters to you. Known issues: 2,200 lumens in Golf mode; Rain or Shine's listing calls it a lamp where BenQ and two reviewers say laser. BenQ AH700ST.

BenQ AK700ST. $2,899 on October 19, 2026. 0.69 to 0.83, 4K, laser, IP5X sealed, Golf Mode, Auto Screen Fit, keystone only. Built around the impact screen rather than a living room; Shop Indoor Golf's top seller of 2026. Known issues: 33.4 ms lag at 4K/60, about double the TK710STi; GSPro at 4K wants an RTX 3060-class GPU per Home Performance Lab. BenQ AK700ST.

Short throw, 0.5 fixed

Optoma GT2000HDR. $1,199 on October 19, 2026 ($1,799 MSRP). 0.496 fixed, 1080p, 30,000-hour laser, IP6X, keystone +/-15. Top Shelf Golf's pick for most home bays and the cheapest laser short throw every sim retailer carries. Known issues: the 116 percent offset complicates flush ceiling mounts, and guides confuse it with the GT2100HDR and GT2400HDR, which share the lens. Optoma GT2000HDR.

Optoma GT2100HDR. $1,299 on October 19, 2026 ($2,249 MSRP). The same lens at 4,200 rated lumens, 1080p, +/-15 keystone, IP6X. Known issues: pages disagree on lumens (4,000 vs 4,200) and throw, and retailers are moving it out for the GT2400HDR. Optoma GT2100HDR.

Optoma GT2400HDR. $1,299 on October 19, 2026. 0.48 to 0.496 fixed, 1080p, 4,200 ISO lumens, HDR, 30,000-hour laser, +/-15 keystone, 4.2 ms in gaming mode. Released March 2026, so owner reports are thin. Optoma GT2400HDR.

Optoma GT1090HDR. Discontinued December 2022, used only, no current price. 0.50 fixed, 1080p, 4,200-lumen laser, digital keystone; still what 2020 to 2022 threads mean by "the 1090." Known issues: the image projects 12 to 14 in upward, so ceiling installs need tilt, and the horizontal shift is digital, which crops. Optoma GT1090HDR.

Optoma UHD35STx. $1,424 on October 19, 2026 ($2,699 MSRP). 0.50 fixed, 4K, 3,600-lumen lamp, keystone +/-40 on both axes. The forum's 2022 to 2023 alternative to the TK700STi: brighter, from about 8 ft. Known issues: lamp, 116 percent offset, and a GSF member relayed Reddit QA reports in 2022. Optoma UHD35STx.

Optoma ZW350ST. $799 on October 19, 2026 ($1,399 MSRP; Top Shelf lists $909). 0.52 fixed, WXGA 1280x800 on a 16:10 panel, 3,600-lumen laser. The value laser retailers pair with a starter enclosure. Known issues: soft on a 10 ft screen, sources disagree on horizontal keystone, no lag figure published. Optoma ZW350ST.

BenQ AH500ST. $1,999 on October 19, 2026 (Home Performance Lab quotes $1,499). 0.499 fixed, 1080p, 4,000-lumen laser, Screen Fill, keystone +/-30. BenQ's answer to the GT line for bays under about 14 ft. Known issues: 11.2 lb against 6.6 for the Optomas; ProjectorCentral's page contradicts itself on zoom. BenQ AH500ST.

BenQ LK830ST. $2,499 on October 19, 2026. 0.496 fixed, 4K, 4,000-lumen laser, Screen Fill, keystone only, 30 dB. Released September 2025, the 4K at 0.5 the forum asked for in December 2023. Known issues: little owner feedback, no BenQ US product page (404 on October 19, 2026), and ProjectorCentral's page contradicts itself on throw ratio. LK830ST at Rain or Shine.

Ultra short throw

Epson EpiqVision Ultra LS800. $3,799.99 list, from a search snippet and unverified; Epson's page shows no price and marks it discontinued, replaced by the Lifestudio Grand Plus. 0.16 throw (also from the snippet), 4K pixel-shift 3LCD, 4,000-lumen laser, no shift, centered under the screen. Here because 5 ft bays keep asking. The thread answer: UST shows every ripple in a tensioned screen, the unit sits where balls land, Reddit owners say it needs an ALR screen, and ProjectorCentral says UST generally does not work with impact screens. Epson LS800.

Standard throw

BenQ TK700STi. $1,699 remaining stock on October 19, 2026 ($1,599 MSRP; discontinued April 2025; Home Performance Lab quotes $900 to $1,200). 0.90 to 1.08, 4K, lamp, keystone about +/-30. The entry 4K from 2021 to 2024, hung 12 to 14 ft 5 in back, behind the golfer. Known issues: shadows in tight bays, dust and bulbs, and GSF regulars steered buyers to the UHD35STx. BenQ TK700STi.

ViewSonic PX701-4K. $980 on October 19, 2026 ($979 MSRP; sales to $776). 1.50 to 1.65, 4K, lamp, 2,582 lumens measured, keystone +/-40 plus four-corner. In the affiliate roundups on price; the one GSF thread that suggested it was told it needs 19 ft and ended with a TH671ST. Known issue: a firmware update added a yellow tint that broke ProjectorCentral's calibration. ViewSonic PX701-4K.

Off-center capable (optical lens shift)

BenQ LK936ST. $4,899 on October 19, 2026 (Home Performance Lab quotes $3,799 street in March 2026). 0.81 to 0.89, 4K, 5,100-lumen laser, optical shift H +/-23 percent and V +/-60 percent, 3D keystone to +/-40 plus warping. The one mainstream home model that hangs off the centerline and still shows a square, full-resolution image; bought for shift and lights-on brightness, not picture per dollar. Known issues: the February 2023 "not worth the hype" thread (minor gain over a Panasonic VMZ50U, Golf Mode too dark, one unit with random shutoffs, one owner calling it a big step over an Optoma EH200ST), 53.6 dB measured, 15.4 lb. BenQ LK936ST.

Panasonic PT-VMZ51. $2,708 on October 19, 2026. 1.09 to 1.77 standard throw, WUXGA 3LCD, 5,200 ISO lumens, optical shift H +/-20 percent and V +44 percent, 26 dB eco. The only lens-shift unit under $3,000 in the sim guides, for rooms 18 ft and deeper. Known issues: Panasonic's US site now redirects it to the VMZ71, and the VMZ50U owner who saw little gain stepping up to the LK936ST cuts both ways. PT-VMZ51 at Shop Indoor Golf.

What the forum argues about

4K or not. ProjectorCentral's guide says 4K shows less benefit on an impact screen, the LK936ST thread's original poster could not get guests to notice it, and Shop Indoor Golf calls it optional. The August 2024 thread is the counter: everyone building new wants it anyway, with the TK710STi as the price floor, and most then run 1080p/240 in GSPro for the lag.

BenQ or Optoma. Top Shelf Golf's split holds in the threads: Optoma for brightness per dollar and the 0.5 throw, BenQ for color accuracy, golf modes and 4K.

Is the LK936ST worth it. The thread title says no; later posters in the same thread say yes. Nobody buys it for picture per dollar; they buy it because the centerline is taken or the lights stay on.

Floor mounting. "Not much love for floor mounting" (July 2020) is still the reference argument: in the follow-through, blocks putts, heat in the case. One owner's offset floor unit works fine, and the December 2020 build is the proof.

Lamp or laser. The TH671ST and TK700STi still sell on price. Every 2026 guide flags fading bulbs, $150 to $300 replacements getting scarce, and unsealed engines in dusty garages, which is what the Optoma IP6X and BenQ IP5X ratings are for.

If the bay has to fold away

A fold-flat or roll-away bay changes the mount more than the projector. A ceiling mount in a garage that gets the car back is permanent hardware over a space that is empty most of the week, and a floor case sits where the car parks. What builders do is put the projector on the thing that leaves: a cart that rolls out with the bay, which turns Carl's Place's "temporary" objection into the point. The pairing is a 0.5 unit at about 6 ft 7 in from the screen, ahead of the golfer, plus a wide keystone range if the cart has to sit to one side of the hitting line. A shallow bay is also where the UST question comes from, and the forum answer still applies: the unit would sit where balls land.

A freestanding fold-flat enclosure such as StowGolf is one of the bays this applies to. Its published facts: 10 ft wide, 5 ft deep, 7 ft 6 in to the screen top, freestanding, folds flat against the wall; list $2,495, the first 25 at $2,295, a $100 refundable reservation holds a numbered slot. The golfer stands outside the 5 ft deep bay, so the projector lives on a rolling cart that moves when the bay folds; Brett's own garage build on Teed runs a TK710STi that way. Disclosure: Brett Martin runs Teed and builds StowGolf.

The costs nobody prints

The mount. $99 for a ceiling mount at Top Shelf Golf; $349 for the ProGuard floor case, plus wedges or shims.

The cable. A ceiling or floor unit sits 10 to 15 ft from the PC, so budget a long HDMI run; no source we read priced one.

The lamp. 4,000 hours in normal mode on the TH671ST and TK700STi, 6,000 on the PX701-4K, then $100 to $300 for a replacement that is getting harder to find. Lasers are rated 20,000 to 30,000 hours, which is most of the price gap.

The letterbox. Multiply the lumens you think you need by 1.33, then shop on measured figures, not rated ones.

The computer. 4K in GSPro wants an RTX 3060-class card or better per Home Performance Lab.

The second purchase. A TK700STi buyer in August 2022 was talked into a UHD35STx; the PX701-4K buyer in May 2021 ended up with a TH671ST. Draw the side view first.

The lens in the strike zone. Flop shots reach 55 degrees in the December 2018 VZ580 thread, so pad the beam near a ceiling lens.

Sources

Every link was read on October 19, 2026. Forum threads first.

1. Best projector with horizontal offset · golfsimulatorforum.com · forum · Nov 2020 · the hunt for horizontal shift under $1,500; Eiki EK-308U on a stand with 7 percent shift
2. Horizontal lens shift · golfsimulatorforum.com · forum · Feb 2021 · side-wall garage; over the ball, angled in, small keystone
3. Floor vs ceiling mount projector · golfsimulatorforum.com · forum · Dec 2020 · EH412ST in a floor case 12 in off the line, 7 ft 6 in out, keystone -6
4. Not Much Love for Floor Mounting? · golfsimulatorforum.com · forum · Jul 2020 · the case against floor units; the ladder shadow test
5. EH412ST Projector, Floor Placement Positioning for 120 x 91 Screen · golfsimulatorforum.com · forum · Jan 2021 · 4:3 at 1440x1080 from the floor; edge distortion without shift
6. Benq LK936ST not worth the hype · golfsimulatorforum.com · forum · Feb 2023 · owners split on the $4,899 unit
7. Benq TK700sti question · golfsimulatorforum.com · forum · Oct 2022 · shadow math; a 3 ft off-center floor plan; buyer switches to the UHD35STx
8. Optoma 1080hdr or benq tk700sti · golfsimulatorforum.com · forum · Aug 2022 · UHD35STx from 8 ft vs TK700STi from 15 ft
9. I'm lost guys · golfsimulatorforum.com · forum · May 2021 · PX701-4K needs 19 ft; TH671ST over the ball; blackout curtains
10. Best 4k Projector for Me · golfsimulatorforum.com · forum · Aug 2024 · TK710STi as the 4K price floor; cheap units distort off-center
11. Projector location w/Eye XO? · golfsimulatorforum.com · forum · Jan 2022 · stacking under an overhead launch monitor; draw a side view
12. Where are the new 4K Short Throw Projectors? · golfsimulatorforum.com · forum · Dec 2023 · the 4K drought before the LK830ST
13. Panasonic VZ580 question · golfsimulatorforum.com · forum · Dec 2018 · vertical shift math; flop shots reach 55 degrees
14. BenQ TK710STi, all Reddit reviews in one place · redditrecs.com · Reddit digest · Nov 2025 · five r/Golfsimulator owners: lights off great, lights on washed out
15. Epson LS800, all Reddit reviews in one place · redditrecs.com · Reddit digest · 2025 · UST needs an ALR screen
16. Ultimate Golf Sim Projector Comparison and Setup Guide 2024 · The Hook Up · review · Aug 2024 · measured TK710STi 2,448 and AH700ST 2,200
17. BenQ AH700ST Laser Golf Simulator Projector review · Projector Reviews · review · Mar 2025 · measured 3,812 in Bright, about 2,287 elsewhere
18. 5 Best Short Throw Projectors for Golf Simulator (2026) · Home Performance Lab · review · Apr 2026 · lumen estimates and 47 to 54 dB fan readings
19. Golf Simulator Projector Placement Guide (2026) · Home Performance Lab · review · Apr 2026 · offset targets; side mounting needs horizontal shift
20. Keystone Correction for Golf Simulator Projectors · MyGolfSimulator · review · Aug 2026 · keystone ranges by model; only two have shift
21. How to Choose a Projector for a Golf Simulator · ProjectorCentral · review · Mar 2024 · the 4:3 throw formula, the 1.33 lumen factor, UST does not work
22. ViewSonic PX701-4K Projector Review · ProjectorCentral · review · Mar 2021 · measured 2,582 lumens
23. Mounting and Setting Up Your Golf Simulator Projector · Carl's Place · retailer · 2026 · ceiling, frame, floor and cart; carts discouraged
24. Golf Simulator Projectors Guide 2026 · Top Shelf Golf · retailer · Oct 2026 · per-model distance to a 10 ft 4:3 screen; $99 mounts, $349 ProGuard
25. Golf Simulator Projector Buyers Guide · Rain or Shine Golf · retailer · 2026 · lumens by room; keep keystone under 15 degrees

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Every product above is also in the reference bag so you can add it to your own setup with one click. If you have built a sim and want it on Teed, add yours.