Golf simulation has evolved far beyond the luxury residential market. Today, it’s finding its way into corporate offices, hospitality venues, higher education, multifamily developments and entertainment spaces, creating an entirely new opportunity for AV integrators. In this episode of Rants & rAVes, I sat down with Danny Kogan, national sales manager for the Sports Sim team at Optoma, to discuss why this market continues to grow and what integrators should know before taking on their first simulation project.

One of the biggest takeaways from our conversation is that a golf simulator isn’t simply a projector pointed at a screen. Danny explains why these environments require specialized planning, from projector placement and throw ratios to screen dimensions and image optimization. We also discuss the challenges integrators often encounter the first time they tackle a simulator installation and how thoughtful system design can make all the difference.

We also explored how Optoma has developed tools specifically for this market, including Golf Sim mode, SmartFit, custom color modes and space-planning resources that simplify installation and reduce setup time. Rather than treating golf simulation as a niche application, Optoma is building an ecosystem that helps integrators confidently design and deploy these projects.

Finally, Danny shared where he’s seeing the strongest demand — from luxury homes and hotel lobbies to bars, training facilities and corporate spaces — and why he believes golf simulation is following a path similar to the home theater boom of the early 2000s. We also talked about how Almo Pro AV supports partners looking to expand into this growing category with access to Optoma’s solutions, planning resources and technical expertise.