Projectors for a home sim, as people actually buy them

It is the first projector built for the impact screen rather than a living room: the Golf Mode and Auto Screen Fit mean a 4:3 screen fills itself. Reviewers say the cheaper models can do the job, but the brightness is what sells it in a lit garage.

Same throw as the AK700ST for a few hundred less; builders who control their light take the 4K and skip the golf extras. The GSF consensus in 2024 was that near $1,500 to $2,000 this is the only 4K short throw worth buying.

It is the proven cheap one. A GSF member summed it up: at 4:3 it mounts about 9 ft from the screen, right over the hitting spot, with only a couple of inches of offset, and blackout curtains fix the brightness.

They want the golf-specific setup tools without paying for 4K. The Hook Up and Home Performance Lab both say the TK710STi is the better buy at the current price, which is the argument to read before choosing it.

It was the entry 4K short throw from 2021 to 2024 and the forums are full of its placement threads. Buyers today choose it only when a deep room and a bargain line up.

It is the value laser the retailers push for tight garages: 30,000 hour light source, sealed, and it fills a 10 ft screen from about 5 ft so it hangs in front of the golfer where no shadow can reach.

BenQ's answer to the Optoma GT line for rooms where the projector has to sit in front of the golfer; Home Performance Lab's budget pick for tight rooms.

Same lens as the GT2000HDR with more light; Golfstead called it one of the most common projectors in golf sims before the GT2400HDR replaced it on their list.

Same Optoma 0.5 lens the forums already trust, now at 4,200 lumens for $1,299.

BenQ finally offered the 0.5 throw plus 4K that Optoma had with the UHZ35ST; it is the pick in 2026 guides for garages too short for the 0.69 to 0.83 models.

It is what the retailers sell with a starter enclosure: laser life at a lamp price, and the softness matters less when you are 10 ft from the screen swinging a club.

Because the GSF threads from 2020 to 2022 recommended it over the TK700STi for brightness and throw, and used units keep circulating.

A GSF regular talked a TK700STi buyer into it for the shorter throw and extra brightness; the buyer reported the trial image looked very good.

They do not, mostly; the forum verdict is that traditional short throws are still the way to go. It earns its place as the answer to 'can I use a UST?'

It shows up in 'best 4K sim projector' lists on price alone; the forum thread where it was suggested ended with the TH671ST instead, which is the honest summary.

When the ceiling spot over the ball is taken, this is the one that lets you move the projector sideways and fix it optically. Several r/Golfsimulator owners of cheaper BenQs say they would step up to it for brightness alone.

Lens shift at a price the home builder can reach; the forums' Panasonic VZ580 loyalty carried over to the VMZ line.