Impact screen

[TheGolfer]

if you are a serious buyer you can call foresight and they will send you their screen install instructions. very handy.

seriously looking at both foresight screen and hq. i tested gc2 using their screen and the sim image looked fine. didn't see hd movies on it. hitting golf balls into fairways and greens is not the same as watching high end action movies also. company does say they haven't done much testing with hd movies since their application is the sim and a lot of commercial settings. i think it is probably durable since they use it a lot in commercial settings - converting dicks, golfmsith, and golfwarehosues over to gc2 fitting / sim system. js1010 has a sample fabric and it looks up close like a mesh material that has some small air holes. company says its durable and the mesh is what makes it quite. from 6 feet away i didn't even know the screen was mesh and learned afterwards after seeing the upclose image. price is $750 for 8x14 or 10ft high screen less for smaller widths. Comes with extra side flaps in black that velcro to the screen and wall to cover the gromments / connections. they also provide parts list to bring to hardware store to get the intstall parts like angle iron, bungies, etc for a few dollars.

hq haven't seen in person. plan to talk with corey today and make a decision. heard the hq screen is weaved material for the softer sound but is more solid material than the mesh. emailed cory yesterday and he said he hasn't done enough testing in comparing each one to offer a professional opinion yet he said. price is $1120 ($80 linear foot) for 8x14 up to 10ft high i think. both products are finished for same comparison. you can buy the raw hq material for $40/ft but then need to buy the grommets and hire a seamstress to sew and finish. not sure if the hq at this price comes with the black side flaps to cover the top and side grommets / ties / and or bungies.


on the surface i think all impact screens are not going to show HD quality well. i wanted one to do both well but thats not reasonable. too different purposes. they have low reflective gain to save money and make the impact quiter and make it more durable for golf shots. i posted a link above where i found da-lite high quality cinema screen material that you can order raw by the foot.

one approach could be is to go with foresight first. test it and see how it compares to my 1080i picture quality which i don't think its fair to think it will be close now after everything i read (good and functional but probably not the same quality). but i have been wrong many times before. then if the HD quality is not there take the $400 differrence in screen price and order the da-lite high quality high gain HD raw material and find a way to attach to my frame easily to watch movies then rollup when not. then you have best of both worlds. maybe i get lucky in the first screen is good enough. just haven't see it.

another point to consider. since i am only going with 720P projector versus 1080P not sure how that resolution will look on a large screen watching movies. i would think its possible you can get a screen door effect (larger visible pixels) the bigger you go but the reseller i am working with "thinks"t his should not happen. i like the epson 3010 1080P 3d but given my throw distance i can't get a large image.

i will keep you posted on what i do. let me know vice versa. good luck,

regards,

[Libbing]

For anyone with a screen that has grommets down the side, wondering how you mounted it.

I will have a wooden frame with 1 - 1.5 feet of clearance from the back wall, and the two methods I'm contemplating are:
1) nails or something that the grommets would loop onto on both side and top - a much simpler option
2) some kind of bungee / elastic that would loop through the grommet and then through the frame - not hard but probably require a bit more work to get it all with exactly the right tension and to prevent them from coming off over time

My debate here is that I'd like the screen to be pretty tight for better home theatre viewing, but of course I don't want it to send balls 20 feet back either.

I've seen people use the elastic option. Anybody try to hang it tight around nails or something?

[jagmanjoe]

For anyone with a screen that has grommets down the side, wondering how you mounted it.

I will have a wooden frame with 1 - 1.5 feet of clearance from the back wall, and the two methods I'm contemplating are:
1) nails or something that the grommets would loop onto on both side and top - a much simpler option
2) some kind of bungee / elastic that would loop through the grommet and then through the frame - not hard but probably require a bit more work to get it all with exactly the right tension and to prevent them from coming off over time

My debate here is that I'd like the screen to be pretty tight for better home theatre viewing, but of course I don't want it to send balls 20 feet back either.

I've seen people use the elastic option. Anybody try to hang it tight around nails or something?

My screen is stitched with grommets and I initially tried a stiff fastening system - velcro. The screen stitching quickly started deteriorating - pulling and tearing at the stitching near the grommets. I switched over to bungee cords -- all equal length and have not had any further issues.

[Libbing]

My screen is stitched with grommets and I initially tried a stiff fastening system - velcro. The screen stitching quickly started deteriorating - pulling and tearing at the stitching near the grommets. I switched over to bungee cords -- all equal length and have not had any further issues.

Great point. Hadn't even thought about that. Can really see how that would happen with something slamming into it over and over. Thanks

[fhann]

Most definitely use bungee chords from the grommets to a fixed point. Almost all of the impact screen suppliers recommend such. It will provide a wrinkle free impact screen that will have some give to it and not overstress the fabric around the gromment, i.e. limits pull out. Don't overtighten the impact screen by applying too much tension on the bungee chords.

I learned about pull out when one of my grommets failed on my first edition of my impact screen. I improved the hemming and stiching around all of the borders and did not make the same mistake again with over tightening. I also folded the material at the hem providing for a double layer of material surrounding the grommet area. This helps to reduce stress on the fabric.

I have a light steel rod that is installed in a sleeve at the bottom of the impact screen to provide a gentle weighting of the screen in the vertical direction to smooth out wrinkles. The rod is suspended about a 1/2 inch above the floor by adjusting the screen position at the top hanging apparatus/bungee chord interface, so it doesn't come into play with ball impact, and yet will rise and fall upon and after ball impact at the screen

[Libbing]

Awesome input, thanks fhann! love this site!

[TheGolfer]

with the foresight screen they provide a parts list that includes angle iron (1" by 1" L with holes entire length) that you screw in the walls then bunge coord from grommets. Bungies are not directly end to end. They connect to gromment then through the angle then back to screen. If you have grommets on top you can do the same. Foresight screen has a small pocket on top instead and you use a steel coord that connects to each side of the wall with tighteners to make the top tight. all parts can be picked up at a hardware store.

[golfnuts]

and with my foresight made screen with grommets, I bought springs, with hooks on each end, about 4 1/4" long. ordered thru a company in California. however, using all of them created too much tension and the balls bounced out about 6-8 feet. so I unhooked all but 3-4 a side and arrange the Velcro to help make the balls drop almost straight down.

for TV and movies, I pop the springs back in to provide the tension for clearer picture. like all things, pros and cons to be considered . . . fore!

[fhann]

I use 4 bungee chords down each side and 5 bungee chords along the top. They are spaced at 2 foot centers. The lowest 2 feet in the vertical direction is unsecured. That section is weighted by a metal rod that is inserted in the full sleeve running across the bottom of the impact screen.

[TheGolfer]

@golfnuts, what company did you order the springs from in california. don't mind the extra leg work to watch movies to add a little extra tension if it improves the movie image. do you also have anything black behind the screen that supposedly helps the image? if so what material? was just thinking of hanging cheap dark black carpet 8-10 inches behind.

thanks.

[golfnuts]

the spring company is McMaster- Carr. probably need 6-8 per side -for movies. they come in packs of 8 for $14.36. original idea came from a foresight install. using foresight's dimensions the springs are 4 1/2". I bent the hooks to make them easier to put on and off the metal L beams.

yes, I used a black fabric material most commonly used for gardening- specifically keeping weeds from growing. very light weight, dense, and makes a BIG difference in image sharpness. they come in rolls (don't recall where my wife got the roll), but can probably grab some at a big box hardware store. I nailed up 3-4 pieces to cover the 11' wide screen behind the screen.

as to the optimum set-up, I would say it depends on what you end up doing. 2 screens and 2 projectors would be best. An expense I am not yet willing to make. I opted for a rare short throw projector 4x3 (by BenQ from the great folks at the projector people) for my 8x11 screen. I wanted to avoid my seeing my shadow on the screen when hitting balls. And, I wanted to see how much I really used this new toy! golf, movies, none of the above?

after 45 days of hitting golf balls, I looked at the screen. there were indentations forming in a common area. not a defect, just a reality. So I moved my old trusty, cheap, giant izzo golf net in front of the screen when I am in driving range mode hitting woods to 7 iron. For wedges, I remove the Izzo net. the impact is less harsh, and a lot higher up on the screen.

In other words, with full time employment and a desire to keep my swing sharpened, and make the screen last as long as possible, I do not need the golf simulator as much as I originally thought. (See my other post about putting/pebble beach/score . . .) I focus mostly the "carry" numbers off the GC2. As the winter sets in, and to maybe keep my 16 year old golfer's interest piqued, I/we will use the simulator more often. again, to each his/her own!

As for TV mode, I installed a HD cable box. LOVE the results/picture for sporting events!! Movies are fun, but we do not currently watch that many in a month.

hope this helps . . .

[Libbing]

I used a black fabric material most commonly used for gardening

after 45 days of hitting golf balls, I looked at the screen. there were indentations forming in a common area. not a defect, just a reality. . . .

What kind of screen do you have? is it one of those high impact screens that Cory sells? I was assuming those would be think by design and wouldn't allow much light through or leave many/any indentations.

[golfnuts]

the screen offered by Foresight Sports (GC2) back in March 2011

[stevnkrn]

I've noticed some screen have straps sewn to them and others have grommets. Is one attachment method better than the other? I bought screen cloth from Cory and I'm not sure I'm comfortable putting holes into it for grommets. I kind of like the idea of sewing straps on which to attach bungees if the screen can be made flat enough that way. Opinions?

[psace]

Stevnkrn, I have the same screen material from Cory and plan to use grommets. I plan to use bungie cords in a similar fashion to what Frank Hann has done. Either way there will be some pull on the impact screen.

[stevnkrn]

Stevnkrn, I have the same screen material from Cory and plan to use grommets. I plan to use bungie cords in a similar fashion to what Frank Hann has done. Either way there will be some pull on the impact screen.

My concern is not so much with the pull on the screen as it is the hole punched into the cloth for the grommets that over time will tear away next to the grommets under tension. Is this something I could be concerned with? The pre-made screens Cory sells have straps, not grommets. I can't help thinking there must be a reason for that.

[psace]

Maybe Cory could shed some light on the grommet versus strap method with the impact screen. I used grommets with my old screen for 2 years and it held up very well with no tears in the material around the grommets. I used cordura and it is not nearly as tough as the material from Cory.

[jagmanjoe]

My guess for Cory using the straps would be for a more professional finished look.
Just my 2 cents.

[js1010]

I don't think wearing near the grommets will be an issue. I am on my second CDG screen and the middle of the screen where the ball hits is what wears and eventually breaks down.

I would imagine his HQ material although its supposed to be stronger than teh CDG material will break down in the same manner eventually.

[TheGolfer]

maybe a cheap way of extending the life of the screen from heavy use is when using the range for practice is to have a white next drop down in front of the screen to take most of the impact then when playing a round on the simulator just roll it up and velcro it up.

[dockrue]

I have some mesh screen material but only with grommets in the four corners. My question is how far apart are the grommets to be spaced across when I add more? Thanks.

[psace]

I have some mesh screen material but only with grommets in the four corners. My question is how far apart are the grommets to be spaced across when I add more? Thanks.

I put mine every 12 inches on the top and every 24 inches on the sides. I want to be sure that the screen is secure and that it has very little wrinkles if any.

[TheGolfer]

recently received my screen from foresight. it defintely looks and feels like it is good quality. will have it up and going next week to test golf balls. they provide theirs with grommets on left / right sides every 12". the top they use a 2" pad where it hangs via a strong steel cable that attaches to your sides and has fastners to tighten the tension. the sides attach to angle iron via bungees looping from screen through angle iron back to screen. they also include black side / top flaps that fold over the area of the screen with gromments / bungees / wire to your wall / enclosure to hide them and make it look more polished. the flaps have ~2" wide velcro to affix to your enclousre / wall.

[TheGolfer]

could use anyone's advice. in the middle of my install and curiuos what options there are to help with my screen.

i am using the foresight screen which has bungees on sides with grommets but not along the top. it uses a 3/16" steel cable across top. i am using ratchet straps to tighten the cable. i think they typically install 10 foot wide screens so they don't weigh as much. since i have 15 foot width of screen there is some droop.

any ideas on how to connect and tighten the top to eliminate the droop?

we built a 2x4 frame around the screen with plywood / carpet on the front for protection. there is a 2x4 above the screen with a some space above. was thinking about getting a few zip ties and slit a hole in the pocket for the wire and tie up to slotted angle iron that i can install on the bottom of the 2x4 running across the top. maybe 3-4 may do it.

curious if anyone else has come across a solution for this or has any ideas.

thanks.

regards,

[jagmanjoe]

I would be hesitant to cut holes into the screen. I know at Lowe's and Home Depot there are some clips for attaching tarps. They grab the tarp at one end using a type of teeth and are called cinch-tite I believe. They have a loop at the other end. I almost feel that these might be a little tight as well and potentially damage the screen. I would first suggest a barrier piece of fabric between the cinch tite and the screen material to protect it.
I will try to pick up a couple tomorrow. If they seem a little tight, maybe I can do something in a slightly softer durometer for you that would not be as abrasive to the screen.

Or, perhaps there are some other thoughts out there.

[Libbing]

What about creating a home-made clamp using two angle irons facing each other that attach to a small board attached to the 2x4 - like steel teeth biting the screen. Think of the following where the screen hangs down the middle from the pole, depicted as the "o" here
_____
|_o_|


The trick is attaching the angle irons to a small enough board to fit between the angle irons but with a tight enough fit to allow the screen to float between them but not fall. Washers might be involved. Might be complicated but it would prevent you from having to create holes

Otherwise, get a do-it-yourself grommet kit and add a couple of new grommets in the right place

[TheGolfer]

thanks for the recommendations

very helpful.

[Tommy2Ball]

I would suggest aircraft cable and turnbuckles. You would have to tie these into studs with heavy eye-bolts. I did this with my nets and there is no sag.

[FaultyClubs]

I was at my local industrial supplier today and he had four material types that would work for real golf balls. I thought I'd post to this thread to give people more ideas for options.

1) 15 oz tight duck weave natural canvas. Very rugged, quiet sound but being off-white requires projector recalibration for best results.

2) For excellent HD viewing a vinyl of some sort with built in blackout layer, very white, durable but louder impact sound.

3) Third option was a mesh material, very white, least durable but still good, very quiet sound. HD picture was surprisingly good although up close one can see the mesh and it also caused some moire patterning. But the silent impact sound is addictive...

4) The fourth option was a butyl vinyl material, very white, extremely durable, moderate sound but requires a seam as only 61" wide...the seam is a flat welded seam so not too bad but still a seam.

All these were around $6/linearl foot (10.5' wide). I leaning towards the natural canvas for being very rugged and quiet and, since my projector has user settings for calibration, I'll recalibrate for the off-white material and store that as the "Golf" setting.

Right now I'm hitting into a heavy duty plastic tarp...cheap...but LOUD!

[bubba22]

My advice is try not to have a seam. My first impact screen had a seem and it was visually not great and eventually ropped at the seam. Itwas an industrial strength vinyl but ripped. I have Cory's impact screen and would recommend it. If you try the natural canvas post some pics and let us know how it holds up.