--- title: "The only three projectors worth buying for a golf simulator" url: "https://ifrothgolf.com/read/best-golf-simulator-projector" type: "comparison" topic: "simulators" author: "Marcus Bell" published: "2026-07-16T14:00" publisher: "ifrothgolf" --- # The only three projectors worth buying for a golf simulator > Forget the spec-sheet rabbit hole. For a golf sim the projector decision comes down to two things — your room's light and your budget — and it lands on one of three. ## In short - For a golf sim, brightness and budget decide the projector, not the spec sheet. Dim room: the BenQ TK700STi while remaining stock lasts, otherwise its current replacement, the laser TK710STi. Bright room: Optoma GT2100HDR (4,200-lumen laser). Dream room: BenQ AK700ST. All must be short-throw so you don't cast a shadow on the screen. The projector is the part of a home simulator people overthink the most, chasing 4K numbers and contrast ratios that vanish the moment the room isn't a blacked-out cave. Here's the honest shortcut: for a golf sim, only two things really decide it — how much light your room fights, and how much you'll spend — and the answer lands on one of three projectors. Everything else is detail. First, the one spec that isn't optional: short throw. In a sim you stand between the projector and the screen, so a normal projector throws your own shadow across the ball. A short-throw unit (roughly a 0.5 throw ratio) mounts on the ceiling near the screen and fills it from a few feet away, keeping the light over your head instead of behind it. Every pick here is short-throw; if a projector isn't, it's wrong for a sim no matter how good the image. ## If you can dim the room: BenQ TK700STi For most builds this is the answer and the search can stop here. The [BenQ TK700STi](https://ifrothgolf.com/product/benq-tk700sti) gives you true 4K, genuinely low input lag so the ball flight feels connected to your swing, and a short throw made for ceiling mounting — for around a grand. Its one limit is brightness: at 3,000 lumens it wants the lights down or a room without big uncovered windows. If your sim lives in a garage, basement or a room you can dim, that limit never bites and you've spent your money exactly right. Buying new in 2026, though, check the model number: the TK700STi was discontinued in 2025 and BenQ's current equivalent is the laser [TK710STi](https://ifrothgolf.com/product/benq-tk710sti), which drops the lamp entirely. Remaining TK700STi stock is still a bargain if you find it — just don't pay current-model money for it. ## If the room has real ambient light: Optoma GT2100HDR Brightness, not resolution, is what actually breaks most sim pictures — a sharp 4K image looks washed-out and grey the second daylight hits the screen. If your room has windows you can't fully cover or lights that stay on, the [Optoma GT2100HDR](https://ifrothgolf.com/product/optoma-gt2100hdr) is the fix: a 4,200-lumen laser that punches through ambient light and holds a watchable, contrasty image where the TK700STi fades. It's natively 1080p rather than true 4K, which sounds like a downgrade and isn't — on an impact screen at swing distance, a brighter 1080p image beats a dim 4K one every time. The laser also means no lamp to replace. ## If it's a dream room and the picture is the point: BenQ AK700ST When the sim is a dedicated, designed room rather than a corner of the garage, the [BenQ AK700ST](https://ifrothgolf.com/product/benq-ak700st) is the projector built for exactly that. It's the rare unit tuned for golf first — true 4K, a bright 4,000-lumen laser, golf-specific picture modes, and fast corner-fit keystone that makes the install less of a wrestle. It's a premium spend at around three grand and it's sold through golf specialists rather than Amazon, so it's overkill for a starter bay — but in a room where the image is part of the experience, nothing else here matches it. ## The mistakes that waste the money Three, in order of how often they bite. Chasing 4K over lumens: in a room with any ambient light, brightness wins, so buy the laser before the extra resolution. Ignoring input lag: a projector with sluggish response makes the ball leave the screen a beat after you swing, and once you feel it you can't unfeel it — all three picks here keep lag low. And forgetting the screen: a projector is only as good as the surface it hits, so pair it with a proper [impact screen](https://ifrothgolf.com/product/golf-impact-screen) inside an enclosure, not a bedsheet — the standoff and the screen material do half the work of the image you see. ## The honest decision Dim room, sensible budget: the TK700STi, and don't look back. Bright room: the Optoma laser, and enjoy not fighting your curtains. Dedicated dream room: the AK700ST. That's the whole decision — match it to your light and your budget, not to the longest spec sheet. If you're not sure which tier your whole build should sit in, our [Sim Room Architect](https://ifrothgolf.com/tools/sim-build-planner) fits the projector to your room and budget alongside every other component, and the [complete home simulator setup](https://ifrothgolf.com/guides/home-golf-simulator) shows where the projector sits in the wider build. For how the projector scales with the rest of the room, see [the four home-sim tiers](https://ifrothgolf.com/read/home-golf-simulator-builds-by-budget). ## The takeaway For a golf sim, brightness and budget decide the projector, not the spec sheet. Dim room: the BenQ TK700STi while remaining stock lasts, otherwise its current replacement, the laser TK710STi. Bright room: Optoma GT2100HDR (4,200-lumen laser). Dream room: BenQ AK700ST. All must be short-throw so you don't cast a shadow on the screen. ## FAQ ### What projector is best for a golf simulator? For most rooms you can dim, the BenQ TK700STi — true 4K, low input lag and short throw for around a grand. If your room has ambient light you can't control, choose a brighter laser like the Optoma GT2100HDR. For a premium dedicated room, the golf-specific BenQ AK700ST. ### Do I need a 4K projector for a golf simulator? Not necessarily. In a room with any ambient light, brightness matters more than resolution — a bright 1080p image on an impact screen at swing distance looks better than a dim 4K one. Prioritise lumens and low input lag first, then 4K if the budget and a dark room allow it. ### Why does a golf simulator need a short-throw projector? Because you stand between the projector and the screen. A standard projector throws your shadow across the image; a short-throw unit mounts near the screen and fills it from a few feet away, keeping the light above you. It's the one projector spec that isn't optional for a sim. ### How many lumens do you need for a golf simulator projector? Around 3,000 lumens is the sensible floor for a room you can dim; 4,000-plus from a laser unit if you're fighting ambient light. Lumens, not resolution, are what keep the image bright and contrasty on an impact screen. ## Products mentioned - [BenQ TK700STi 4K Short-Throw Projector](https://ifrothgolf.com/product/benq-tk700sti) · $1,000 approx — The long-time default: true 4K, low lag, around a grand. Discontinued in 2025, so buy it on remaining stock at an outgoing-model price. **Where to buy:** [Check price at Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08WYPWXX6?tag=ifrothgolf-20&ascsubtag=md_benq-tk700sti) (affiliate link) - [BenQ TK710STi](https://ifrothgolf.com/product/benq-tk710sti) · $2,200 approx — The current replacement for the TK700STi: same short-throw 4K brief, laser rather than lamp, so nothing to re-buy in three years. **Where to buy:** [Check price at PlayBetter](https://www.playbetter.com/products/benq-tk710sti-golf-simulator-projector?ghref=2301%3A1337342) (affiliate link) - [Optoma GT2100HDR Short-Throw Laser Projector](https://ifrothgolf.com/product/optoma-gt2100hdr) · $1,300 approx — The bright-room fix: a 4,200-lumen laser that beats the ambient light 4K units wash out in. **Where to buy:** [Check price at Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C4KWSFBW?tag=ifrothgolf-20&ascsubtag=md_optoma-gt2100hdr) (affiliate link) - [BenQ AK700ST 4K Laser Golf Simulator Projector](https://ifrothgolf.com/product/benq-ak700st) · $2,900 approx — The premium, golf-first pick: true 4K and a bright laser for a dream room where the picture is the point. **Where to buy:** [Check price at PlayBetter](https://www.playbetter.com/products/benq-ak700st-golf-simulator-projector?ghref=2301%3A1337342) (affiliate link) · also stocked by Shop Indoor Golf - [GoSports Golf Simulator Impact Screen](https://ifrothgolf.com/product/golf-impact-screen) · $150 approx — The surface it all lands on — a projector is only as good as the screen you point it at. **Where to buy:** [Check price at Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C1Z82V14?tag=ifrothgolf-20&ascsubtag=md_golf-impact-screen) (affiliate link) · also stocked by GoSports (PlayGoSports.com) --- Source: [ifrothgolf](https://ifrothgolf.com) — independent golf-gear editorial. 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