How to build a golf simulator at home

1. Measure the room (before anything else)

The room decides everything that follows. Retailer consensus is 9 ft of ceiling (10 ft+ comfortable), 10 ft of width with an offset tee (14 ft centered) and 15 ft of depth (18–20 ft comfortable). Measure to the lowest obstruction above your swing, such as a joist, duct or garage door track, and subtract your mat. Then do slow driver swings in the spot.

Full rules: golf simulator room size and ceiling height, or plug your numbers into the room calculator.

2. Choose the launch monitor

This is the brain of the simulator and the biggest single cost. Choose the type to suit your room first, then the model:

• Short room or low budget for depth: a camera unit beside the ball (SkyTrak ST MAX, Square Golf, Foresight GC3, Uneekor EYE MINI).
• Deep garage and lots of outdoor practice: radar behind you (Garmin R10, Rapsodo MLM2PRO, FlightScope Mevo Gen2, Full Swing KIT).
• High ceiling, lefties and righties: overhead (Uneekor EYE XO2, Trackman iO, Foresight Falcon).

See my launch monitor picks or filter every model.

3. Set the real budget

My sourced builds came to about $1,300 (launch monitor, net and mat), $9,446 (mid-range with enclosure, projector and PC) and $29,036 (Trackman iO room before electrical and installation), all for the first year. The line most guides leave out is the yearly plan: from $0 to $1,100 depending on the launch monitor.

Details: how much a golf simulator costs and the cost calculator.

4. Net or impact screen

A net is the cheapest start. You watch the shot on a phone, tablet or TV. The Net Return Pro ($795) is rated for 225 mph ball speeds; budget nets like the Spornia SPG-7 cost about $350. Add side barriers to catch shanks.

An impact screen takes a projected image. Single-layer screens are tightly woven polyester; triple-layer screens add a cushioning middle layer that sellers say is quieter and bounces back less, though nobody publishes noise or bounce-back measurements. Standard sizes are consistent across sellers, from about 7.7 × 10 ft (4:3) up to 10 × 18 ft (16:9). Hang it 12–16 in off the back wall and never tight (Carl's Place).

5. Enclosure or DIY frame

The enclosure holds the screen and stops stray shots. Three routes:

• Kit enclosures: Shop Indoor Golf SIG8/SIG10/SIG12 ($1,799.99–$2,499.99), Rain or Shine SwingBay (from $1,999), Carl's Pro (from $3,409.95, pipes extra). These include padding and side netting.
• DIY kits on conduit: Shop Indoor Golf's DIY kit ($1,619.99–$2,089.99) and Carl's DIY kit (from $999.95) use 1" EMT pipe you buy locally; Carl's sells a pre-cut pipe kit for $325–$375. Owners cut EMT with a conduit cutter or a reciprocating saw.
• Avoid PVC: it bends too easily for a frame that takes hits (GolfersAuthority).

Leave 2–3 in above and beside the frame (Carl's Place) or 6 in per side (Shop Indoor Golf).

6. Projector

Four specs matter, and the sources line up closely:

• Throw ratio: short throw (about 0.4–1.0) is the default for home simulators. Distance = throw ratio × image width, so a 10 ft wide image at 0.5 needs the projector 5 ft from the screen (Rain or Shine). Ultra-short-throw units sit in the path of your shots (Carl's Place).
• Brightness: most guidance lands at 3,000–4,000 lumens; 2,500–3,000 is enough for a dark basement, and more for a garage with daylight.
• Aspect ratio: 4:3 is the most common golf screen shape. Match the projector's native ratio to the screen where you can, because cropping loses pixels and changes the throw distance.
• Mounting: ceiling mounts are most common, about 2–4 ft behind the tee depending on the source. Too low or too far back causes shadows and risks hitting it.

Popular models range from the Optoma ZW350ST ($909) and BenQ AH500ST ($1,999) to the 4K BenQ AK700ST ($2,899) and LK936ST ($4,899).

7. Hitting mat and flooring

The mat is where people under-spend and regret it. Firm, dense mats let the club bounce into the ball, hiding fat shots, and can jar your joints. In owner threads, golfers with wrist or elbow pain mostly moved to Fiberbuilt, gel-backed or replaceable-strip mats. That's anecdotal, but it's consistent.

• Size: a driver typically needs about 5 ft heel to toe, so 5 × 5 ft or larger. A 4 × 9 or 4 × 10 center mat lets lefties and righties share it.
• Prices I saw: Fiberbuilt Hourglass kit $349, Fiberbuilt Flight Deck $499, SIGPRO Softy 4×7 $999.99, Fiberbuilt Player Preferred center $1,699.
• Flooring: put turf or foam tiles over bare concrete. Shop Indoor Golf advises against a thin mat straight on concrete.

8. Computer and software

Many launch monitors run their own course software on a phone or iPad (Garmin, Rapsodo, SkyTrak), and the Garmin R50 runs it on the unit. For third-party software like GSPro ($250/yr, Windows only) you need a gaming PC. GSPro lists an RTX 3060-class card for 1080p and an RTX 3080 or better for 4K.

9. Light, power and climate

• Lighting: dimmable LEDs, mounted behind the golfer so they don't wash out the screen (Shop Indoor Golf). A darker room makes the image look brighter.
• Power: dedicated circuits for the projector and PC, outlets within about 10 ft and surge protection (Shop Indoor Golf). Rain or Shine puts electrical and lighting at $200–$1,000.
• Temperature: Rain or Shine suggests keeping a garage at about 50–85 °F; Shop Indoor Golf says 60–80 °F. Uninsulated garages need heat or AC to be usable year-round.
• Humidity and dust: run a dehumidifier in basements and seal concrete dust before installing electronics (Carl's Place).

10. Safety and your first swing

• Stand 10–12 ft from the screen; closer than 10 ft increases bounce-back (Carl's Place, Rain or Shine).
• Check your driver ball speed against the screen or net rating (for example 225 mph for the Net Return Pro, 250 mph for SwingBay).
• Pad the frame and nearby walls, and keep the projector out of your follow-through.
• Make your first swings slow, with a long club, to confirm ceiling clearance.