How to Plan an Indoor Golf Simulator: Room, Screen, and Launch Monitor

A golf simulator is usually bought in the wrong order. People choose the launch monitor first, fall for the shot data, and then try to fit it into a room that was never going to hold a full swing. Measure the room first. Every other part of the build has options. The room does not.

In a hurry? Put your three measurements into the golf simulator room planner and it will tell you whether the room works and which setup we would put in it. The rest of this guide explains the reasoning behind the answer.

Take three measurements before anything else

Measure to the lowest thing in the way, not to the highest point of the ceiling.

• Height: floor to the lowest obstruction. Light fittings, a garage door track, ducting, a beam.
• Width: wall to wall, across the hitting position.
• Depth: the screen wall to the wall behind you.

Our enclosures run from 8 ft to 9 ft tall and 8 ft to 12 ft wide, with a 5 ft deep bay. Whatever size you choose, leave two to three inches of clearance on each side and above it, so a ball never finds a wall.

What each ceiling height allows

• Under 8 ft: wedges, short irons and putting. Honest practice, but most adults will not swing a driver freely.
• 8 ft to 9 ft: workable for many players, and comfortable for juniors and shorter swings.
• 9 ft to 10 ft: the band where most adults stop thinking about the ceiling.
• Over 10 ft: nothing to plan around.

The test that settles it: stand where you intend to hit, and make a slow full swing with your driver. If you have to shorten it, you have your answer, and a shorter enclosure with an iron-and-wedge practice plan is the better buy.

Width, and the left-handed question

Width is decided by who plays, not by the screen. A right-handed player alone can work in a narrower bay. The moment a left-handed player shares it, you need the room to set up on both sides of the same hitting strip without moving the mat. If the household has both, size up. It is the one regret we hear most.

The launch monitor decides your depth

Launch monitors fall into three families, and they ask for different rooms.

• Radar: sits behind the ball and tracks flight, so it wants the most space behind the player. The Mevo Gen2 package is this type, pairing Doppler radar with image processing.
• Camera and photometric: sits beside the ball and reads it at impact, which suits shallower rooms. The SkyTrak MAX bundle works this way.
• Overhead: mounts on the ceiling above the hitting area and keeps the floor clear, but it needs the ceiling height to be there in the first place.

Check the placement requirement of the monitor you want against your measurements. An enclosure can fit a room that the launch monitor still cannot work in. The room planner applies these rules for you.

The screen is where the money shows

The impact screen is both a backstop and a cinema screen, and it is the part people notice every session. Ours are built for repeated shots up to 250 mph.

• White screens (Standard, Preferred, Premium) give the brightest image, and the step up the range buys a tighter weave, a quieter impact and a longer life.
• High-Contrast Gray gives deeper blacks and stronger colour in a room with daylight or pale walls.

Choose the size and aspect ratio around your projector and your usable wall, not the other way round. Finishing style matters at install: classic vinyl edging with grommets, flaps for a cleaner frame and space for safety cushions, or a loop-fastener border if you plan to add curtains or cushions later. Install it with the branded side facing the player, and keep it clean and dry.

Projector

You want a short-throw projector, ceiling mounted, so the player never stands in the beam. Our bundles pair the BenQ AH700ST, bright and reliable at 1080p with a golf mode, or the AK700ST for 4K. Both are sized for a golf bay rather than a home cinema, which is what keeps the image clean at close range.

Mat, floor and the rest of the bay

The hitting surface takes more punishment than anything else and it is the part your joints notice. Our Ready-to-Golf bundles include a 4 ft by 9 ft HotShot mat with an insert strip, which lets you replace the strip that wears rather than the whole mat. Level the floor first: a mat on an uneven slab will change your lie before your swing does.

The computer is not an afterthought

Simulator software is the part people forget to budget. On Windows, plan on a modern processor and a dedicated graphics card, more if you want to run at 4K. On Mac, an M1 chip or newer with macOS 13 Ventura or later. A wired network connection to the PC is worth the trouble. Some bundles include a GSPro subscription and the option to add a ready-configured PC.

Kit or complete package

There are two honest routes.

• The DIY enclosure kit gives you the screen, the BlackStop fabric surround, the steel corner fittings and fasteners, plus the pipe lengths you will need. Note that the pipe itself is not included: you source 1-inch EMT locally. It is the economical route if you already own a launch monitor.
• A Ready-to-Golf bundle arrives as a plan rather than a shopping list: launch monitor, enclosure, screen, projector, ceiling mount and mat, matched to each other.

If your room is short on depth, look at the curved enclosure, which wraps the player. Compare current golf enclosures and impact screens to find an option that fits your room.

Measure the room, then choose the bay that fits it. Every other part of a simulator can be upgraded later. The room cannot.

Ordering, delivery and help

Simulator packages, enclosures and screens ship in 1 to 2 weeks, and freight is complimentary and fully insured to the contiguous 48 states. Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico ship free under $4,000 and for a flat $1,000 at $4,000 or more. If you send us your three measurements and tell us whether a left-handed player will use the bay, we will tell you which enclosure sizes actually fit.

Plan your room, browse indoor golf simulators, or ask us to check your room.