Measure Your Space and Choose the Right Projector for a Golf Simulator

The popularity of golf simulators has increased markedly over the last decade, with more and more golf fans eager to build a simulation setup that’s best for them right at home. 

Golf simulators provide a highly realistic recreation of golfing on real and fictional courses. They’re great tools for golfers who want to practice at home, or simply enjoy virtual golf while indoors. Provided you have a good setup for your needs, golf simulators allow you to sharpen your skills on your own schedule without having to worry about the weather or travel arrangements. 

When you set up a golf simulator in your home or in any space, there’s a lot to fit, from launch monitor and impact screen to projector. We show you how to measure for the ideal experience.

Golf simulators can be built in garages, basements, attics, spare rooms, and pretty much anywhere with sufficient space available to swing a golf club. But, how should you measure a given space before setting up a golf simulator? Here are some handy tips to keep in mind.

First, you need to figure out the ideal golf simulator room dimensions. You have to have enough room to comfortably swing your golf club without hitting anything, most importantly a wall or a window. Then, the requirements for your launch monitor, impact screen and projector installation should be taken into account, as they’re critical components for a golf simulator setup.

The space required revolves around your golf swing. Some players feel good golfing in a 9ft high x 10ft wide x 14ft deep golf simulator, while most indoor golfers go larger for a more immersive, widescreen experience. For example, if you want your simulator room with a 16:9 or 16:10 screen to project a massive 160” or even 200” image, you would typically need a 9-10ft high, 12-16ft wide, and 16ft deep space, which isn’t small by any means.

In general, if you have enough space to swing the longest club you have in your collection, then you have sufficient space for your current golf sim needs. But this is a very barebones way of describing things, so here’s more about the dimensions to consider when setting up a golf simulator space.  

The average golfer needs a 9-10ft ceiling to comfortably practice golf indoors. Low ceilings hamper experiences and limit swings. Depending on your height and arm length, you may get by with around 8.5ft clearance, but less than that would be inadvisable. 

The swing area to the left and right of the tee is also important. Generally speaking, give yourself at least 10-12ft either way. If you'll have both right and left-handed golfers using your sim, making sure there’s enough room to either side is essential. If that's the case, a golf simulator room size of over 15ft in total width is ideal.

One of the most debated topics regarding golf simulators is how much depth you need. Often times the launch monitor you use in your golf simulator room dictates the depth required. A radar-based system such as FlightScope Mevo+ requires more space than camera-based units such as Uneekor and SkyTrak. Room depth is also a critical factor that affects your choice of projector and where to position it.

When considering the ideal depth of a golf simulator room, generally you should consider: 

• Room to swing safely
• Space from tee to launch monitor
• Space from tee to impact screen, usually 10-12ft recommended
• Buffer space behind the screen, usually 1.5ft advised
• Space from tee to projector, typically 2-3ft behind the tee

In short, your impact screen should be around 1.5ft away from the wall behind it. Additionally, it's best practice to place your tee around 10-12ft away from the impact screen. Also make sure you have enough room behind the tee to swing easily and safely. In total, at least 13ft of depth are ideal for a golf simulator room. 

So, if you’ve decided to set up a golf simulator and have a particular room or space in mind for it, it’s time to start measuring. Don’t forget, measure for all of the important components of the golf sim, including launch monitor, impact screen, tee, and perhaps most importantly, the projector that will be at the heart of your virtual golfing experience.