Check whether a golf simulator fits your room

How the checker decides

The ceiling figure starts at 9 ft. That's for a golfer up to 5 ft 10 in, swinging a driver on a neutral plane (not too flat, not too upright). For every 2 in you're taller, it adds 3 in. Irons only? It takes off 9 in. A flat or upright swing moves it 3 to 6 in either way.

If you're within 6 in of the figure, the chip still says Fits. But the note tells you to make a slow practice swing first.

The depth figure is worked out for each launch monitor. It uses the maker's own advice on where the unit sits, from our launch monitor guides. It adds three things. First, how far behind the ball a radar unit has to sit. Then the 8 ft of ball flight most units ask for. Last, 1 ft of gap behind an impact screen so the ball never hits the wall. A net needs no gap.

A camera unit sits beside the ball, so it only needs about 4 ft of swing room behind you. That's why it fits a 12 ft room with a net, or 13 ft with a screen, where no radar can. Our space guide walks through the same numbers with diagrams.

Width is simpler. You need 10 ft for one golfer and a net. Make it 12 ft if a righty and a lefty will both hit from the center. An enclosure with side netting feels tight until about 15 ft. Want to see what goes where? The dimensions guide has four sample room plans.

When the answer is no

A ceiling a few inches short usually means irons and hybrids, not no simulator at all.

Room a foot too shallow? Try a net instead of a screen. A net needs no gap behind it, and a screen needs a foot. In a garage with a low door track, you may find 10 ft of ceiling two feet further in.

And if nothing works, there's still an option. A system with no real ball flight, like the OptiShot, is in our budget simulator list for exactly that room.