Golf simulator room planning
Two numbers make or break a simulator room: the ceiling and the depth. Here you get both in feet and inches, plus four room plans, a garage playbook and a build order. The checker below runs your room against every launch monitor we cover.
Part of the home golf simulator guide.
The three measurements
Measure the ceiling first, then the depth, then the width.
Start with the ceiling. For most golfers with a driver, 9 ft is the practical minimum and 10 ft is comfortable. If you're over 6 ft 2 in or have an upright swing, aim for 10 ft or more.
The ceiling you need to swing a driver
Too low for a driver
Under 8 ft 6 in, it’s irons only
Tight but workable
The practical minimum
Comfortable
What you want over 6 ft 2 in
Under 9 ft
Too low for a driver
Under 8 ft 6 in, it’s irons only
9 ft to 10 ft
Tight but workable
The practical minimum
10 ft and up
Comfortable
What you want over 6 ft 2 in
Measure at the lowest point over where the mat will go. In a garage, that's under the door track and the opener. In a basement, it's under the duct.
Depth comes second, because it decides the launch monitor. A radar unit sits behind you, so it needs 7 to 8 ft behind the ball plus 8 ft of ball flight. Add 1 ft behind an impact screen. That makes 15 to 16 ft with a net, and 16 to 17 ft with a screen.
A camera unit sits beside the ball and only needs swing room behind you. So it fits in 12 ft with a net and 13 ft with a screen.
What fits in your room's depth
Too shallow
Even camera units need 12 ft
Camera units only
12 ft with a net, 13 with a screen
R10 and MLM2PRO fit too
15 ft with a net, 16 with a screen
Any launch monitor
Even a TrackMan with a screen
Under 12 ft
Too shallow
Even camera units need 12 ft
12 ft to 15 ft
Camera units only
12 ft with a net, 13 with a screen
15 ft to 17 ft
R10 and MLM2PRO fit too
15 ft with a net, 16 with a screen
17 ft and up
Any launch monitor
Even a TrackMan with a screen
Our space guide has the full table. The dimensions guide has four room plans with the mat and screen marked.
Width comes last. You need 10 ft for one golfer and a net, or 12 ft if a right-hander and a left-hander both hit from the center. Below 15 ft, an enclosure with side netting starts to feel boxed in.
Then the room you actually have
Garages are popular and awkward. The door hardware sits right where the ceiling needs to be, and they get cold. The garage guide works through the door, the car and the heating.
Building the frame and screen yourself? The DIY build guide gives you a build order that avoids two classic mistakes. One is a screen too close to the wall. The other is a projector that throws your own shadow onto the picture.
Once the room passes, pick the launch monitor. The under $1,000 list and the full list both show the depth each unit needs. The impact screens guide covers the gap behind the screen, which is easy to forget.
Read your room back
Every guide in this section
- Room and ceiling checkerType in your ceiling, depth, width and swing. Get a verdict and the launch monitors that fit.CalculatorOpen
- DIY golf simulator: a build order that avoids the expensive mistakesHow to build your own golf simulator in the right order: measure, pick the launch monitor, then the frame, screen, mat, projector and PC, with what each costs.GuideOpen
- Garage golf simulator: how to plan a bay around the door, the car and the coldHow to fit a golf simulator in a garage: the door track, one bay or two, which way to hit, heat, light, dust, and what a budget or full build costs.GuideOpen
- Golf simulator dimensions: room sizes that work, with a plan for eachFour golf simulator room plans, from a 10 by 12 ft spare room to a 15 by 20 ft dedicated bay, with where the mat, launch monitor and projector go.GuideOpen
- How much space do you need for a golf simulator?The ceiling, depth and width a home golf simulator needs, in feet and inches, with minimum and comfortable sizes and which launch monitors fit which rooms.GuideOpen
Questions people ask
What size room do you need for a golf simulator?
A workable minimum is 9 ft tall, 12 ft deep and 10 ft wide, with a camera launch monitor and a net. Comfortable is 10 ft tall, 17 ft deep and 15 ft wide. That fits any launch monitor and a full enclosure.
Can you put a golf simulator in a garage?
Usually, yes. A single garage bay is deep enough for any launch monitor. The problem is the ceiling at the door track and opener, which is often 8 ft or less. Measure under them, and plan to hit from the spot where the ceiling is highest.
What are good golf simulator room ideas for a small space?
Use a camera launch monitor beside the ball, a net instead of a screen, and a TV on the side wall instead of a projector. The space guide covers each of these.