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What would you change about your home simulator setup?

The Indoor Golf Shop
Shepx13

Shepx13

Cleveland Baseball Nut
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I’m planning on having a shop built that’s large enough to put in a simulator setup. The simulator room will also be used as my home office.

For those who have built a setup at home, what tips would you give beforehand? Is there anything you would have done differently? Is there some design decision you made that you love?
 
I’d say however wide, tall, or deep you plan on making it - go bigger. You’ll need at least 10.5 foot ceilings to full swing a driver (more depending on how tall the golfer would be).
 
I would build one. :LOL:;)
 
Definitely design for the sim / LM you have, but what you may upgrade to.

Keep in mind that while your sim/LM type dictates flight distance (impact to screen / net), the flight distance is also limited by the height of your screen / net. At some point you may reach a distance that doesn't allow use of higher lofted wedges.

In my mind, the most important item is the impact mat, not just for safety, but also to get realistic spin that replicates on-course play. I bet more than a few have gone into their sim over winter, and come back outside in spring, only to find they don't take a divot anymore. Not me, personally, of course. LOL!
 
I built a sim room in my pole barn 4 years ago. I am just over 6' tall and have 10' ceilings and can swing a driver with no problem.

Things you need to consider:
1. Ceiling height. See above.
2. Depth of room, this will determine the type of launch monitor that you can use. Camera systems need way less room, they generally get all the info they need from about 2 feet of ball flight. They also sit about a foot away from the ball. Radar systems are the opposite, they need to see roughly 8 to 10 feet of flight. They sit well behind the ball, generally 6 to 10 feet.
3. Room width, if you want to accommodate LH and RH players you need a wide space!!
4. Ease of use if you have LH and RH players, radar systems do not need to be moved. A camera system will have to be spun around at a minimum (this means you have to realign most likely)
5. Overhead systems are also available, very good for LH and RH players.
6. Hitting matt, several different matts on the market. Opinion is all over the place. I personally have a Country Club Elite, it punishes you on a shot hit fat.
7. What software do you want to run, different software runs on different LM's. You will need to research this.
8. Noise, hitting indoors is loud. If you are building inside your home the rest of the family may want you to sound proof!!
9. Impact screen size and projector. Good quality will result in a great sim experience. Lots of good resources on the web.
10. Quality PC, most likely a gaming PC with a hi level graphics card. This provides smooth, crisp video.
11. Most likely some kind of internet access. Many systems require internet for checking licenses, online tourneys, etc...

I have:
Skytrak with TGC 2019.
Carl's preferred impact screen
BenQ projector.
CCE hitting matt insert fit into a stance pad.
Leveno Desktop Gaming PC.(Upgraded from a Gaming laptop due to dropping it!!!) I would buy the desktop right from the start if I did it all over again. Much easier to upgrade.
My room is 22' long, 12' wide , reduces down to 10' wide as you can see in the attached pic. I hit from 7'6" from the screen. You can see that I am biased towards the RH wall. I could have got away with a much shallower room but wanted room for extra golf stuff, other people, etc...

resized.JPG
 
@jpotas I really like your setup. You bring up a good point when you refer to "bias" or impact area that can't be centered on the screen due to lack of room width. In some cases a bit of extra protection is needed for that right side in case of <ahem> "laterals."
 
I’ve got Uneekor EyeXO. My room is just over 14 feet wide. I’m a lefty so I mounted a TV on the left wall but it’s a little tight for RH golfers. I thought I had lots of room, but if I could do it again, I would build it at least a foot wider. My brother couldn’t hit his driver because he has a flat swing. I’m going to try move the TV up higher and see if that helps. That is the only thing I would change. Now I just have to finish the room!
 

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Has anyone seen the add on TV for the new putting simulator ??? It’s on adjustable legs to simulate breaks and change elevation. I don’t know the name, just caught a bit of the advert. I DID however, catch the price….an eye-popping $14k 😳

Edit: Tried to find the brand and ran into ANOTHER simulator for $70,900

I stand corrected. I guess $14k is a bargain.
 
I’ve put this off for too long. I have 12ft plus ceilings. I have a master bedroom with 12+ft ceilings I don’t use. I need to do this. 3k. I can live with. Dad will do the build if I buy, but he’ll expect to play whenever he wants? Hmm? 😂
 
Add electrical outlets. One per wall. More than 1 per wall. As many as you think you'll need. Add more than that.
 
NeverWiff said:
Has anyone seen the add on TV for the new putting simulator ??? It’s on adjustable legs to simulate breaks and change elevation. I don’t know the name, just caught a bit of the advert. I DID however, catch the price….an eye-popping $14k 😳

Edit: Tried to find the brand and ran into ANOTHER simulator for $70,900

I stand corrected. I guess $14k is a bargain.
Click to expand...

It was a "Well Putt" putting simulator


us.wellputt.com

Big Tilt Platform - Wellputt USA

THE REVOLUTION OF HOME TRAINING, BY WELLPUTT. The BigTilt is a tilting platform that allows you to reproduce real game situations in order to train effectively. The BigTilt Pro are a complete putting solution offering the player to train on various slopes from 0% to 5% right to left & left to...
us.wellputt.com us.wellputt.com
 
The mat makes a HUGE difference. Don’t go cheap because you will pay later.
 
Get one.
 
The thing I would change, if I could, would be to actually have it in the house. I put a shed in my barn (long story) and it's a bit warm in summer and a bit cool in winter.
 
Bryndom said:
I’d say however wide, tall, or deep you plan on making it - go bigger. You’ll need at least 10.5 foot ceilings to full swing a driver (more depending on how tall the golfer would be).
Click to expand...
Scorpion12 said:
Add electrical outlets. One per wall. More than 1 per wall. As many as you think you'll need. Add more than that.
Click to expand...
Absolutely these two things. Ceiling height at 9 foot is good but go bigger everywhere else. Going to install side mount garage openers and raise the rails to free up a lot more swing space in my setup this year.
 
At the course they section off part of the pro shop for a Trackman simulator setup. It is a classic old Montana do more with less kind of thing. It is like golfing in a tent. Not much that can be changed without adding square feet.

The shop setup I frequent has 2 GCQuads and 1 GCHawk (lefties are people too). It is the best sim layout I have seen. Open, tables, TVs, putting area. I love going there. I wouldn't change anything with one exception. It is a little too open and the screen brightness is on the low side as a result. But I prefer the open feel. I can see well enough, and there are large computer monitors to look at as well..
 
I would have one!
 
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