Skip to content
Golf Sim Oracle

Projectors

Short-throw projectors: throw ratio is what decides the room

Throw ratio multiplied by screen width is the distance a projector has to sit at, and it is the one figure that decides whether a unit works in a golf bay at all. Golf Sim Oracle counts how many short-throw listings publish it.

All components

Golf Sim Oracle tracks 12 projectors on Amazon and measures every listing against the specifications that actually decide the purchase. Of the 12 we currently hold, two state inverted ceiling mounting and ten do not. That gap is the finding. These are not obscure figures: they are the ones a buyer needs before choosing, and they are missing from the listing that is doing the selling. Prices and category rankings come from the Amazon Product Advertising API and are refreshed twice a day, so no figure here is more than 24 hours old; 12 of the 12 carry a live price at the moment this page was built. What follows is not a review. Golf Sim Oracle does not test equipment and does not claim to, and the brands that dominate this category publish no specification documents to cite either. Every claim quoted below is the seller's own wording, and the counts above are our measurement of those listings rather than of the products themselves. A listing that omits a specification has not told us the product lacks it.

5/12

state throw ratio

5/12

state lumens, measured to a standard

3/12

state native resolution

12

Listings tracked

What the listings state, and what they leave out

Counted across every listing we track in this category, when this page was built.

How many projectors listings state each specification
SpecificationListings stating itWhy it decides the purchase
Throw ratio5 of 12No throw ratio in the listingThrow ratio times screen width is the distance the projector has to sit at. Without it there is no way to know whether a unit can fill a 10-foot screen in the room you have.
Lumens, measured to a standard5 of 12Brightness given without a standard, or not at allANSI and ISO lumens are measured to a published method. An unqualified "lumens" figure is not, and the two differ by a factor of two or three on the same projector.
Native resolution3 of 12No native resolution statedA projector that accepts a 4K signal and shows it at 1280x800 is sold as 4K. Native resolution is the one that reaches the screen.
Inverted ceiling mounting2 of 12Ceiling mounting not addressedA simulator projector hangs upside down above the hitting area. Not every unit has the keystone range or the mount points for it.

A count of what the listing says is not a count of what the product does. A seller who omits a figure has told us nothing about the product, only about the listing, and these rows are worded that way on purpose.

Where each projector has to sit

Throw ratio quoted from the listing. The distance is our arithmetic against a 10-foot screen.

Throw ratio and the resulting projector distance for a 10-foot screen
ProjectorThrow ratio, as listedDistance for a 10ft screen
ViewSonic LS740HD 1080P Laser ProjectorViewSonic LS740HD 1080P Laser Projector1.1-1.511–15 ft
BenQ LU710 Golf Simulator ProjectorBenQ LU710 Golf Simulator Projector1.13-1.4611.3–14.6 ft
ViewSonic PS502X 4000 Lumens XGA Short Throw ProjectorViewSonic PS502X 4000 Lumens XGA Short Throw Projector0.66 ft
ViewSonic PX700HDH 3700 Lumens 1080p ProjectorViewSonic PX700HDH 3700 Lumens 1080p Projector1.5-1.615–16 ft
iSinbox Short Throw Projector 4KiSinbox Short Throw Projector 4K1.111 ft

Throw ratio multiplied by screen width gives the lens distance, so the numbers in the right-hand column are ours and the ratios in the middle column are the sellers’. A projector with a range quoted rather than a single figure has a zoom, and can sit anywhere between the two distances.

What is selling on Amazon

Ordered by Amazon’s own category placement weighted by price, not by us.

We may earn a commission from these links, at no extra cost to you.

“Stated in the listing” means the seller printed the figure somewhere in the title or the bullets. It is not a verification, and “not published” is a fact about the listing rather than about the product.

Questions people ask

What throw ratio do I need for a golf simulator?
Multiply the throw ratio by the width of your screen and you get how far back the projector has to be. A 10-foot screen and a 0.5 ratio puts the lens 5 feet out; the same screen at a 1.5 ratio needs 15 feet, which is further than most bays are deep. Work backwards from the depth you actually have.
Why do golf projectors hang upside down?
A projector on the floor is in the swing path and a projector behind the hitter throws their shadow onto the screen. Ceiling mounting solves both, which means the unit has to support inverted operation and have mount points for it. Most projectors do; listings often do not say so.
Are ANSI lumens the same as the lumens in the listing?
Frequently not. ANSI and ISO lumens are measured to a published method that anyone can repeat. An unqualified lumens number has no method behind it, and on the same projector the two figures can differ by a factor of two or three. If the standard is not named, the number cannot be compared with one that names it.

Where to go next

The other four components

What else a bay needs, and the specification that decides each one.

Check the room first

Ceiling height rules out more builds than budget does.

Launch monitors, sourced

The one component where makers do publish specifications, quoted and dated.

Prices and rankings read from the Amazon Product Advertising API and refreshed twice a day. Listing wording read on the date shown on each product page. Golf Sim Oracle does not test equipment.