A retractable golf screen is driven by a tubular motor, a cylindrical motor that lives inside the roller tube and winds the screen up and down. Ours is an RF tubular motor paired with a 433.92 MHz remote, running on a standard 110V outlet at 120V and 60Hz. RF matters because radio passes through walls and cabinet doors, so the remote works from anywhere in the room and the controller does not need to see you. The honest trade is that a motorized screen has moving parts and a fixed enclosure does not. You accept the mechanism because you want the room back.
What a tubular motor is, in plain terms
A tubular motor is a motor built into a tube rather than bolted beside one. The whole assembly, motor and gearbox, slides inside the roller the screen winds onto. Press the button and the tube turns, paying the screen out or rolling it back up. This is the same architecture used in motorized window shades and commercial roller doors, so the parts and the failure behavior are well understood rather than exotic.
The practical consequence is that no external motor box hangs off the end of your screen. On a Fairway 12 the main housing is 7 in by 7 in and each side screen housing is 4 in by 4 in, with the motors inside. That is why a retractable system can disappear into a ceiling line instead of announcing itself.
Limits are the other thing worth knowing. A tubular motor is set to stop at a defined top and bottom position rather than running until something binds, which is why a screen that starts stopping in the wrong place is usually a limit setting question rather than a dead motor.
RF versus infrared, and why line of sight matters
Infrared remotes work the way a television remote works. They send a light pulse, and the receiver has to see it. Point away from the receiver, put a cabinet door between the two, or stand behind the projector cart, and nothing happens. Radio frequency remotes send a radio signal instead, which passes through drywall and cabinetry.
This gets glossed over in product listings because both are called a remote. In a golf bay it decides how you live with the product. Controllers, receivers and PCs almost always end up in a media cabinet, a closet, or behind the hitting mat, because nobody wants a rack of electronics in the swing path. An infrared receiver in a closed cabinet is a system that does not respond.
Our remote runs at 433.92 MHz and works through walls, so you can retract the screen from the doorway on your way out, or from the next room, without pointing at anything. It is a small thing until the first time your hands are full and you want the garage back.
| Question | RF remote | Infrared remote |
|---|---|---|
| Needs line of sight | No | Yes |
| Works through a cabinet door | Yes | No |
| Works from the next room | Generally yes | No |
| Affected by projector or sunlight glare | No | Can be |
| What The Home Fairway ships | 433.92 MHz RF, one remote included | Not used |
Deployment time and noise, honestly
A tubular motor moves a screen at a steady, unhurried pace. It is not instant and it is not slow enough to annoy you. Expect deployment to take long enough that you start it, set your ball down, and find it already finished. We will not publish a stopwatch number, because run time varies with drop height and width and any figure quoted for one configuration would be wrong for another.
On noise, the honest description is that a tubular motor makes a low mechanical hum while it runs and is silent the rest of the time. It runs for a few seconds twice a session. It is quieter than a garage door opener and more noticeable than a ceiling fan. We do not publish a decibel rating, because we have not had our configurations measured in a controlled setting and an invented number is worse than none.
What actually fails on a motorized screen, and what does not
The useful way to think about durability is to separate the parts that move from the parts that do not. There is no wear mechanism on a screen panel that hangs still, and there is one on anything that turns, cycles, or carries a fastener under load. We publish no motor lifespan or failure rate figures, because we would be making them up.
The things worth thinking about
Remote batteries are the most common reason a screen stops responding, and the first thing to check before assuming anything is broken. Mounting hardware is second, particularly where brackets did not land in solid framing, since a fastener in the wrong material works loose under cycling. Obstruction is third: something stored where the screen drops, or a projector cart in the path, interferes with travel long before the motor is at fault.
The things that do not wear out
The impact screen material itself has no moving parts, and neither do the housings or the brackets. A 3 ply impact screen absorbs ball strikes for a living and does that job whether it was installed yesterday or three years ago. The parts that concern people most while shopping, the fabric and the frame, ask the least of you afterward.
What our warranty actually covers
We offer a 2 year limited warranty on the screen systems only. It runs from the purchase date, not the install date, and it is not transferable if you sell the house or the system. We would rather write that in a blog post than bury it in a footer. Comparing warranties across vendors, check three things: what is covered, when the clock starts, whether it survives a sale.
Power requirements
Our motors run on a standard 110V household outlet, at 120V and 60Hz. No dedicated circuit, no transformer cabinet, no electrician visit for the screen system itself. What you do need is an outlet within reach of where the housing mounts, a ceiling line detail people forget until the install is half done.
Plan the outlet position when you plan the bracket positions. On a Fairway 12 the main unit spans 148 1/16 in outside bracket to outside bracket and the two side screens each run 100 1/2 in from the wall, so three separate assemblies need power reachable. Check it against the sizing guide before you order, especially in a garage where the nearest outlet is at bench height on the far wall.
What to ask any retractable vendor before buying
These are the questions that separate manufacturers from resellers. Is the remote RF or infrared, and at what frequency. Is the motor tubular and internal, or an external drive. What voltage does it need, and does it require a dedicated circuit. Are side screens included or an upcharge, and are they motorized. What is the total delivered price for the configuration you actually want.
Then ask the awkward ones. What does the warranty cover, when does the clock start, and is it transferable. What is the lead time, and is the order final sale. Who do I call when something stops working. A vendor who cannot answer those in plain language did not build the thing.
The trade you are making
A fixed enclosure has no motor, no remote, no limits to set, and nothing that cycles. If your simulator lives in a dedicated room that will never be anything else, a fixed enclosure is the simpler machine and we will tell you so. Retractable exists for the person whose bay is also a garage, a gym, or a place a car needs to sit in December. The motor is the price of getting that room back, and you should be clear eyed that you are buying a mechanism rather than a static frame.
Frequently asked questions
What kind of motor is in a retractable golf simulator screen?
Ours is a tubular motor, meaning the motor and gearbox sit inside the roller tube the screen winds onto rather than in a box outside the housing. It is controlled by an RF remote at 433.92 MHz and runs on a standard 110V outlet at 120V and 60Hz. The tubular design is why the whole assembly fits in a 7 in by 7 in main housing and 4 in by 4 in side housings.
Why does RF matter instead of an infrared remote?
Infrared needs line of sight, the way a television remote does. In a golf bay the controller usually ends up in a media cabinet, a closet, or behind the hitting mat, and an infrared receiver behind a closed door will not respond. RF sends a radio signal that passes through walls and cabinetry, so our 433.92 MHz remote works from across the room or the next room without being pointed at anything.
How loud is a motorized golf screen?
A tubular motor makes a low mechanical hum while it runs and is silent otherwise, and it only runs for a few seconds at the start and end of a session. It is quieter than a garage door opener. We do not publish a decibel figure because our configurations have not been measured in a controlled setting, and quoting a number we did not verify would not help you.
What fails on a motorized screen over time?
Remote batteries are the most common reason a screen stops responding, so check those first. Mounting hardware is next, particularly where brackets did not land in solid framing, since fasteners in the wrong material work loose under repeated cycling. Obstructions in the drop path cause more trouble than motors do. The screen material, housings and brackets have no wear mechanism. We publish no lifespan or failure rate figures.
Does the screen need a dedicated electrical circuit?
No. Our systems run on a standard 110V household outlet at 120V and 60Hz, with no dedicated circuit or transformer required. What matters is outlet placement: the main housing and both side housings need power reachable at ceiling height, easy to overlook in a garage where the nearest outlet sits at bench height across the room.
Call and ask
If you want to know how the motor behaves or what happens when something stops working, call and ask. We build these, so we answer without checking with a supplier. We do not install, and we do not sell launch monitors, projectors, mats or turf. Freight is free to the contiguous lower 48 only. Call Matt or Kade at 817-458-8556 or email admin@summitvantagellc.com. Father and son, Aledo, Texas.
Keep reading: Sizing guide · Retractable vs fixed screens · Golf simulator ceiling height · Impact screen buying guide · Shop retractable screens