Tool · 2 min read

Golf simulator projector throw distance calculator

By GolfSimIndex Editorial Team · Data checked · Updated
Illustration: Projector beam, screen width and throw distance in an isometric simulator bay.
Illustrative. Throw distance is the throw ratio times the image width.

The short answer

Enter your projector's throw ratio and lens offset from its own spec sheet, plus your screen width and tee-to-screen distance. The tool returns the throw distance, image height and lens height, and flags a shadow risk. It keeps no projector database and makes no image-quality claim.

  • Throw ratio and offset come from your projector's own spec sheet.
  • Formulas are on the page; the shadow check uses tee-to-screen and club length.
  • No projector database, no brightness or image-quality claims.
  • ratio × widthderived: throw distance formula
  • 4.9 ft1.5 m · derived: worked-example throw distance (ratio 0.5, 3.0 m image)
  • 5.0 ft1.53 m · derived: worked-example shadow limit
  • Noneprojector database kept: the throw ratio is yours to enter

maker manual or page support snippet · read 8 Oct 2026.

On this page (6)
  1. Inputs
  2. Result
  3. Use the calculator
  4. The formulas
  5. Worked example
  6. FAQ

Screen and projector

Result

Throw distance (lens to screen)
1.50 m
Image height
1.69 m

throw_distance = throw_ratio × width = 0.5 × 3.00 m = 1.50 m

Shadow check: with a projector mounted between the golfer and the screen, the lens has to sit closer to the screen than the club can reach, so throw_distance ≤ tee_to_screen − (club_length + 0.3 m). The 0.3 m margin is our default. This site keeps no projector database; take the throw ratio and offset from your projector’s own spec sheet.

Use the calculator

Take the throw ratio and the offset convention from your projector’s spec sheet; manufacturers quote the offset in several ways.

The formulas

  • throw_distance = throw_ratio × image_width
  • image_height = image_width ÷ aspect_ratio, and diagonal = √(width² + height²)
  • lens_height = image_bottom + image_height × (0.5 − offset ÷ 100)
  • Shadow check: throw_distance ≤ tee_to_screen − (club_length + 0.3 m). Otherwise the golfer or club can stand between the lens and the screen.

Offset convention: offset is the distance from the lens axis to the image centre as a percentage of image height. 0 = image centred on the lens; 50 = image bottom level with the lens; −50 = image top level with the lens. A lens height below the floor, or a projector body above the ceiling, is flagged.

Worked example

With the tool’s defaults (our assumptions): a 3.0 m (9.8 ft) wide 16:9 image and a throw ratio of 0.5 give a throw distance of 1.5 m (4.9 ft) and an image height of about 1.69 m (5.5 ft). With 3.0 m (9.8 ft) from tee to screen and a 1.17 m (3.8 ft) club, the shadow limit is 3.0 − (1.17 + 0.3) = 1.53 m (5.0 ft), so 1.5 m passes narrowly. This is our arithmetic, not a projector specification.

Questions people ask

Where do I find the throw ratio?

On the projector's own spec sheet. This site keeps no projector database.

What does the shadow check test?

Whether the throw distance is short enough that the golfer or club does not stand between the lens and the screen.

Does the tool rate image quality?

No. It only computes geometry from the numbers you enter.

GolfSimIndex Editorial Team

We read each maker’s manual and spec page and record the quote, URL and date. GolfSimIndex does not test hardware or score units. Methodology · Corrections

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