Building your own home golf simulator can be a rewarding and cost-effective alternative to buying a ready-made one. There are many benefits to having your own home golf simulator, but as my work and travel schedule has continued to increase over the years, my primary motivation for this project was the ability to practice year-round, in the convenience of my own home.
This blog serves as your comprehensive guide to building your own budget-friendly yet sophisticated simulator. We'll dive deep into the instructions, breaking down each step from building the enclosure to choosing the right software. I will also provide a complete parts list with pricing, to make it easy to plan your budget and source the materials.
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Now, grab your tools and put your thinking cap on, and let’s start building your dream simulator, one step at a time!
Planning
The first step in any major design or build project is clearly defining our goals, budget, and space constraints. when I set out on this project, I had 3 major goals in mind:
- be as price conscious as possible
- it had to be able to fit with my limited space constraints
- it had to be convertible so that I could still use the space as a regular gym
with all that in mind, I set out to design a home simulator that would work best for me.
There are 3 main components that we need to plan our budget for:
- the launch monitor
- the enclosure
- the computing & software components
Launch monitors range from a couple hundred-dollar budget options like the Garmin R10 all the way up to $20,000+ for the trackman. For this project I chose to go with a middle price range model, which left us with the chose between the Mevo+, Skytrak+, or Bushnell Launch Pro.
I ended up going with the Skytrak+ for this project, which I will explain more in the launch monitor section of this blog post.
For the enclosure, there are many sites that offer pre-built/fully fabricated solutions, this is great if you want a turnkey solution, but they can be a little pricy. I enjoy building things myself, and I needed some flexibility in the enclosure, so I decided to build it myself and save some money.
For the software and computing, the pricing primarily comes down to 2 options, do you want a subscription-based model or pay it all up front. It costs a little more to buy the software outright but could save you some money in the long run.
Space Constraints
A golf simulator can take up a lot of space, and with my two initial goals to build this with limited space constraints, and still have the ability to have a full working home gym, I wanted to spend a lot of time planning and designing to make sure I got everything write the first time. You know what they say, "Measure twice, cut once."
First, I measured all the dimensions of the room to get a floor plan, and started drawing out what I wanted the space to look like:
The space in front and behind me was a little limited and was one of the main reasons I decided to go with the Skytrak+. Typically, you want 10-12 feet in front of you and behind you for safety purposes and to make sure you get accurate readings on the simulator.
Ultimately, I decided it would look like this:
The last thing to measure was the height of the room. With the amount of space that I had for the simulator, I decided it would be better to go with an enclosure hanging from the ceiling as opposed to a pre-fabricated solution. this way I could save an extra couple inches from the pipes and enclosure since space was limited, and I could move the curtains if I wanted to convert the space into a full gym.
It's typically recommended to have at least a 10 ft ceiling height, but I took some driver swings and my ceiling height of 9ft was going to work out ok.
Based on my room specifications, the biggest impact screen I could have is a 9'x9' screen. These measurements will become very important when calculating the throw distance of the projector, which we will cover in the projector section of this blog.
Launch Monitor
Probably the most important part of the simulator, the main factors you want to consider when purchasing a launch monitor are:
- Accuracy
- Price
- Portability or space constraints
- Outdoor usability
I wanted to go with a middle range launch monitor, so my choices were the Mevo+, Skytrak+, and Bushnell Launch Pro. Here are the main reasons why I decided to go with the Skytrak+. One of my biggest swings flaws is definitely in in-to-out swing path, so I wanted something that could accurately measure swing path. All 3 models have this feature so they were all still in the running. When it comes to pricing, the Mevo+ is definitely the most cost-effective option, and I really liked that you can buy their software outright, as I am not a fan of subscription-based models. The Bushnell has the most expensive subscription and because of this, it was eliminated as an option for me.
The Mevo+ has pretty strict requirements for 10ft both in front of and behind you to pick up accurate data since it sits behind you like trackman, so because of my limited space constraints, I needed a launch monitor that sits in front of you. I only plan to use my launch monitor indoors as a golf simulator, so taking all 4 of these points into consideration, the Skytrak+ is the one that is going to work best for me.
I ordered the Skytrak+ from Skytrak directly on their website and the process was pretty seamless and arrived in a couple days. I got it around black Friday so they had a promotion running and I managed to get it for $2560. I also ordered their protective case for $71 and it has some nice legs to make it easier to level the device.
Enclosure
This is the area of the project with the most potential cost savings, and the most flexibility in design. As I mentioned previously there are many sites that offer a turnkey package, but today I will focus on how I built my own. The main design choices you have to make when creating your enclosure are:
- Flooring
- Impact screen or netting
- and if you want to have a projector or not
Flooring
For the flooring, I really wanted it to be covered with fake grass, so I chose to do a combination of foam gym tiles with grass turf on top of it. I ordered the foam gym tiles off of Amazon, based on my floorplan, I measured that I would need 50 2'x2' tiles, so I ordered that many off of amazon for a total cost of $210.
For the grass turf, I looked at several online options, but they were quite expensive, and only came in smaller chunks. I wanted one giant piece to cover the whole floor, so I went to my favorite hardware store, Menards. In the carpet section, they have an artificial grass turf carpet, that was the right thickness and texture I was looking for, and only cost 44 cents/sq ft. The max width you can get is 12' for a 12'x13' piece ended up costing me about $68.
The last thing I needed for the flooring was some double-sided carpet tape, which I also ordered off Amazon for $13.99. I cut the tile to length, and taped and rolled out the carpet, and originally, I had intended to cut a hole to put the driving range mat into, but when I finished the flooring, it looked really good as one piece so I just put the mat on top of it. This was the first mistake I made when building my simulator. So, if you guys’ plan to cut a hole for your hitting mat, make sure you plan accordingly ahead of time, and make sure the mat thickness matches the thickness of the foam tile + turf.
Impact Screen
For the impact screen, I needed a custom size made, and all the options seemed about the same price, so I decided to go with the Carl's Place standard impact screen. I needed a 9'x9' impact screen, and the nice part about it being a square, is that with the grommet holes around the edges, if one part of the screen gets worn out, I can rotate it and get some longer use out of it. The price of the standard impact screen at this size was $214.95.
For mounting the screen to the ceiling, this was probably my favorite part of the build and I’m really proud of the solution I came up with to solve this problem.
First, I started by finding where the studs were located, so that I could drill and mount some I bolts into the ceiling. These were only a couple dollars from Menards. Now the location of the studs didn't quite line up with the grommet holes on the impact screen, so what I decided to do was run a cable across all the I bolts, and then use carabiners to clip the impact screen onto the cable. Not only did this evenly distribute the weight across all the bolts evenly, but it makes it super easy to rotate the impact screen, all I have to do is unclip the carabiners.
The carabiners can easily be purchased from Harbor Freight or Amazon for $10, and the cables I got from Menards for $13. Disclaimer: One point to note about this solution is that using a cable crimper at an awkward angle on a ladder is nothing short of a Super Saiyan effort, so keep that in mind.
Netting and protection
The last part of the enclosure build is the netting. Originally, I was going to use black curtains, but they were much more expensive, and I think the black net mesh still turned out really good. As I mentioned earlier, I wanted to make the space convertible into a full gym, so I decided to go with ceiling mounted certain tracks to hang the netting.
Because I am closer to the screen then normal, my ball will hit the impact screen lower down, so I didn’t feel netting on the ceiling was necessary, so I built a U-shaped cage around the impact screen for extra protection. I ordered the 3 ceiling curtain tracks from Amazon for $67 and the netting I picked up from Harbor Freight for $23 apiece.
For the dimensions of the netting, I got two pieces that were 8'x10', and one piece that was 10'x10' to make sure it went around the back of the impact screen, and was long enough to reach the floor with some slack. Then I sewed all three netting pieces together to create the U-shaped net. For the sewing thread, I just used some sailors thread which I ordered off Amazon for $10.
One tip for the curtain tracks, they were shipped to me rolled up, so after unrolling them when you mount them to the ceiling, make the coiled part face outward, this creates a nice open netting effect.
The last thing I did was attach some of the left-over foam gym tiles to the wall, in case I need happen to hit a really hard punch shot or drive, the back wall would still be protected.
Projector
For those that really want the immersive golf experience, the projector is the way to go. This was definitely the part of the build where I made the biggest mistakes so here are some tips to avoid the mistakes that I made.
Mistake #1:
The first major mistake I made in this build was not calculating the throw distance correctly the first time, so I ended ordering and mounting the wrong projector, only to have to tear it down and order a different one.
When planning out your projector, make sure to use a projector centric website (ProjectorCentral) that can give you all the specifications and throw distances of your projector, before you make some costly mistakes.
Mistake #2:
The first time I mounted the projector, I didn’t take enough time finding the studs, and the holes I tapped accidentally hit a stud, so when I went to hammer in the plastic cap, it didn’t go in all the way.
Most projectors will have an aspect ratio of 16:9 or 4:3, but my impact screen is a square, I didn't take this into account the first time, and my projected image didn't look very good on the screen. The second time around, I used the projector central website to see what the actual image would look like with a 4:3 aspect ratio on a square screen. Depending on your room size, you'll probably want a projector with a "Short throw" to make sure your head isn't going to cast a shadow on the screen.
I decided to go with the BenQ TH671ST 1080p Short Throw projector that supports a 4:3 aspect ratio off Amazon for $800. I managed to get this on black Friday, but you can always shop around for good deals. The mounting hardware and HDMI cable (30ft) I also ordered from Amazon for $21.99 and $17 respectively, and the last thing ill mention about the projector is to make sure you get one with a remote!
Computing and Software
To run the simulator software, you will most likely need a gaming level computer. Some options also allow you to use iPad or tablets, but lucky for me I had a spare gaming computer around, so that was one component I didn't have to buy. This could be another expensive part of the build but odds are, you probably have a computer or tablet lying around these days that you could use.
Software and pricing plans were one of the key deciding factors in which launch monitor I chose. As I mentioned earlier I do not like subscription-based plans, so that immediately disqualified the Bushnell Launch Pro because their software subscription is so expensive.
Mevo+ has the best software options in my opinion because you can buy it outright, but if your space is limited like mine, then the Skytrak is probably your best bet.
Now if you want to use the Skytrak to its fullest extent, you have to get one of the two subscription plans. They have the Game Improvement plan which costs $129.95 per year, and the play and improve plan which costs $249.95 per year.
This next piece of information is absolutely critical,
If your main goal of this project is to use it as a golf simulator, you ONLY need to get the Game Improvement Plan for $129 to enable to simulator features!
I went with TGC 2019 and bought the software outright, so if you plane to do the same, save yourself a couple hundred bucks a year and only go with the Game improvement plan. The play and improve plan does come with some built-in simulator features, but it's only 15 courses, and you need to be using an IOS device if you want to access the other 15 courses.
Wrap Up and Price Breakdown
That covers everything from the simulator build side, let's quickly recap the cost breakdown then get into some testing.
The total cost of the enclosure was $730.73, but because we sourced most of the materials ourselves from Menards, and they offer a 11% rebate, we were able to get $53 back, bringing our total cost down to $677.73.
The launch monitor we got with a promotional rate, so including the protective case, the cost was $2631.
The projector/CPU was $838.88, and the software was $1024.95 going with the one-time TGC 2019 purchase and the GIP plan from Skytrak.
These prices may vary a little bit depending on your specific setup, but if we just look at the cost of the custom-built enclosure, hitting area and launch Monitor, it comes to $4148 for a simple, cheap, and safe home simulator that meets all my goals for this project.
Here is the pricing breakdown for all the components listed in this build guide:
I'm really happy with the way this project turned out, the simulator looks really nice in the room, and it can still function as a regular gym space. That pretty much wraps it up, if you guys have any questions, please let me know, I'm happy to answer anything.
If I can leave you guys with one piece of advice, make sure to take extra time when you are planning this project to make sure you have everything right, and avoid wasted effort or wasted materials.
If you guys enjoyed this guide or found some of the tips useful, be sure to Subscribe to the channel, we just finished building our simulator and our home studio, so we have a ton of new, exciting content coming in the future.
I look forward to seeing you out on the course! (virtually or in-person!)