How much space do I need for a Golf Simulator?

Thinking of building a golf simulator in your garage or spare room?

One of the first questions that needs to be answered is whether you have enough space.

In this article we will go through the minimum as well as ideal dimensions required to build a golf simulator. We will also provide you with some ideas on what you can do if you don't quite have enough space.

We hope that it will help with planning your golf simulator build. 

The summary

For those who are looking for a quick summary, the table below will give you a 'rule-of-thumb' reference if you want to hit all clubs in the bag.  

Not quite meeting the minimum dimensions? It's not all doom and gloom. Have a read below on space saving ideas that will still allow you to build a sim at home.

Alternatively, don't hesitate to contact us for a chat on how you can make your space work.

The Details

Here's a bit of information on each of the dimensions.

Width

To be able to swing all the clubs in your bag, you will need a minimum width of 3m. 

With a 3m width, you will be aiming at an offset position on the impact screen or net, i.e. if you are right handed, to be able to make a swing, you will be aiming at the right side of you screen. 

If you want to aim towards the centre of your screen, assuming you have a 3m screen, you will need a width of 4m to hit to the centre of your screen for left or right handed only set ups. You will need a width of 4.5m if you want to be able to accommodate having left and right handers all aiming to the middle of the screen. This will give you a better and safer simulator golf experience, as you will be able to swing the longer clubs more freely and have more screen real-estate on the 'shank' side. 

If you have a radar based launch monitor which sits behind the ball, having both left and right handers playing from the same position means that you don't have to go through the hassle of moving the launch monitor all the time. 

Height

As a rule of thumb, 3m is a safe height for swinging all the clubs in your bag, even if you have some tall players or players with very steep swings.

Having said that, if you don't have to deal with those extremes, most people will be able to get away with a height of 2.7m. The best way to find out is to go and swing an alignment stick in your space and see if you have enough ceiling height. 

Can my ceiling be too high? Potentially yes, if your ceiling is too high, you will have some challenges in installing ceiling mounted launch monitors or if you want to ceiling mount your projector. You will have to use an extension bracket to get them to the right height. 

Depth

The depth of your space is very much dependent on the launch monitor that you are using. 

• Photometric launch monitor - if you have a photometric launch monitor like the SkyTrak ST Max or the Garmin R50, you will only need enough depth to safely swing a golf club as the launch monitor only needs to read a couple of feet of ball flight. So this means you will only need around 4.5m of depth with a photometric launch monitor. This also applies if you are looking to use a ceiling mounted launch monitor.
• Radar launch monitor - if you prefer a radar based launch monitor that sits behind the ball like the Mevo Gen2 or the Rapsodo MLM2Pro, you will need just over 5m of depth depending on the launch monitor. As an example, the Mevo Gen2 requires a total of 4.8m of depth to read shots accurately, adding on another minimum of 30cm between the impact screen and the back wall (don't forget to add this in!), you are looking at a total depth of 5.1m minimum. 

What if my space is limited?

We appreciate that not everyone has the space that satisfies all the recommended dimensions, here are some ideas on how you can still get a golf sim set up at home.

Irons only

If you leave your driver in the bag, then you will be able to reduce the required space significantly. Just work on your iron play and short game and select the forward tees and you can still have a great sim experience.

For example, the space in our showroom (below) is actually only 3.3m wide x 4.2m deep so we've had to go 'irons only' and it works great! We are actually able to run the Rapsodo MLM2Pro perfectly with that depth as well which we were pleasantly surprised by. 

An outdoor set up?

Although you might not be able to use a projector, if you don't have the space indoors, an outdoor set up might just be the next best thing. 

If you have the space in your backyard, you can definitely still enjoy simulator golf by using a tablet or by casting the graphics to a big screen TV. Just be mindful that you will not be able to use some launch monitors that are not built for outdoor use (e.g. the Square home edition).

If you really want to use a projector, you can definitely still hang an impact screen outside and use a projector, but it would only work best in the evenings or in a semi-covered area where there's not much sunlight around. If this is an option that you want to explore you can 'try before you buy' by hiring a mobile golf simulator set up and see if it's something you want to have more permanently. For example, our friends at The Pop Up Golf provide a great 'pop up' golf sim service if you are interested in giving it a try.

Final Thoughts

The dimensions in your space is a vitally important part of your golf simulator set up so it's very important to measure out your space before you start typing in your credit card details on the check-out page. 

If you are looking to set up a golf sim, we hope that this article has helped you in planning it out. If you are looking to set up a golf sim in your garage or in your spare room and would like a bit more help in planning it out, don't hesitate to contact us and we would be more than happy to help you with this! 

Small shameless plug - at Kaizen Golf, we offer high quality, full golf sim packages at unbeatable prices, please be sure to check them out. 🙏