How to Build a Brag-Worthy Golf Simulator

Your buddy spent the winter practicing his swing on the simulator he built and is now kicking your butt all over the course this summer. Don’t let him get used to winning. Here are the tools you need to make a killer home golf simulator and get swinging with your own DIY indoor golf setup.

How To Build A Golf Simulator

1. SELECT A GOLF SCREEN

2. BUILD OR BUY A GOLF SIMULATOR ENCLOSURE

3. ADD A PROJECTOR

4. ADD A LAUNCH MONITOR

5. INVEST IN A QUALITY HITTING MAT

6. CONSIDER GOLF SIMULATOR ACCESSORIES

The golf impact screen is the foundation of your home golf simulator. Get started on the right foot by figuring out the basics.

• Aspect ratio: Aspect ratio is the relationship between the width of your screen and the height of your screen. Common aspect ratios for golf screens are 4:3 and 16:9, mostly because modern projectors are capable of outputting images in those sizes. If the aspect ratio of your impact screen and of your projected image match, the image should fit perfectly on the screen without overflowing or unused space. Your room ceiling height and width will play a large factor into the aspect ratio of your screen.

• Screen size: Simply put, how big is your screen going to be, and how are you going to come to that conclusion.

• Type of edges you need: Carl's Place offers different finishes to screen edges to help the customer match their specific need. Don't need a finished edge with grommets on one side? We've got options.

• Material: Carl offers three levels of screen materials: Premium, Preferred and Standard. 

We shared the top questions we get about golf simulators and screens to help you. And this guide on how to choose a golf impact screen material is great for an in-depth comparison.

Essentially though, you're looking for an indoor golf screen that can withstand the impact of a ball when golfing. A golfer hitting with a driver is a powerful force; the average home golfer can hit around 160 MPH with a driver. Any Carl's Place heavy-duty DIY golf impact screen can be used to build a golf simulator enclosure. Each offers finishing options like vinyl edges and grommets to suit your DIY build. The higher-end screens have a smoother texture for a better HD picture. All of our golf screens can the high-impact hits from golf balls being hit up to 250 MPH.

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You have a couple options when looking for a golf simulator hitting cage to surround your golf simulator DIY hitting area.

Unless you’re a seasoned pro, you probably don’t trust yourself to hit the ball exactly on target every time. You'll need to build a golf simulator with something around it to safeguard against mis-hits. We find most indoor golfers prefer the durability of a golf screen and enclosure.

You can build a custom frame, source fittings to piece it together, and even find raw materials to make your own impact screen and finish the edges. Or you can use a kit that helps you build a golf enclosure. With Carl's Place Golf Simulator Enclosure Kit, you get an easy-to-install solution with protection again mis-hits. If that's a little too easy for your custom golf simulator build, you can DIY your golf enclosure with your own frame fittings.

For high-end and commercial indoor golf simulator installations, our Pro Golf Enclosure Kit is a great easy-to-assemble choice. Not sure which enclosure to choose?

How do I hang a golf impact screen?

The best golf simulator DIY setups use a full golf enclosure kit where the screen is included and attaches to the enclosure frame with ball bungees. This is an easy and safe way to keep the golf ball from damaging walls and ceilings. We don't recommend hanging screens from ceilings. It can cause puckering and affect the image.

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To get that big image you’ll need a projector properly sized for the job. When you’re shopping for a projector, make sure that you’ll be able to get the image size you need in your mounting configuration by matching the aspect ratio of your projector to your screen with this calculator.

If you truly want your simulator to be brag-worthy, you'll want to invest in a top-notch projector with 4K resolution. However, there are 4K projectors, such as the BenQ LK936ST, that cost significantly more than the BenQ TK700STi or TK710STi. That's why we compared them for you.

If 4K is completely not in the budget, there are some great entry level options as well. At the entry level, you can still get a great 1080p HD picture for the price point.

If you really want to brag about your setup, you might consider adding a second projector to display your data and other information on your floor!

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You’ll need some sort of technology to read your golf ball as it is hit. We’ve got four major launch monitors for you to compare.

A lot of times in golf simulators (and life in general), you get what you pay for, which means the more you pay for a launch monitor, the more "brag-worthy" your golf simulator setup might be. There are certainly some launch monitors that might perform better at a lower price point, but in general, the more expensive the unit, the better.

Entry-level launch monitors typically provide basic ball data, such as carry distance, total distance, ball spin, and so on, while higher-end launch monitors will measure and/or calculate more ball data and also club data, such as angle of attack, club path, and more.

Also, one thing to keep in mind for a setup you can brag about: an overhead-mounted unit. Radar launch monitors that sit on the floor behind the golfer are just fine, but if you're able to mount them above and out of the way of balls, clubs, people, etc., it will be much easier to make a cleaner setup.

High-end radar launch monitors, such as the Trackman4, have been known to be very accurate, though. So, are you looking for that clean look with the launch monitor out of the way, or looking for data and accuracy?

Below, we will briefly take you through the pros and cons of some of the launch monitors we sell, but we also have more detailed information on how to choose a launch monitor.

Note: Many of the higher-end units either need a computer or work better with a computer to run the software. Each software has recommended computer specs, but in general, the minimum specs usually include: Intel i5 8400 CPU or better, 8GB of RAM, Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 graphics card or better, and Windows 10 or newer. Learn about the most important components of a golf simulator computer. 

BUILDING A GOLF SIMULATOR WITH A UNEEKOR EYE XO or EYE XO 2 or Trackman iO

Pros: Industry-leading data accuracy on both club and ball data and real-time footage of ball impact are provided by high-speed cameras.

Cons: The EYE XO bar needs to be mounted overhead so it's less portable than floor units.

Bonus: These units pair perfectly with a Pro Golf Simulator Enclosure kit from Carl’s Place. You can choose to either ceiling mount them, or mount it directly to the Pro Golf Enclosure for a fully custom setup.