For golfers who would love to perfect their skills or would like to be able to play rain or shine, a golf simulator could be the perfect addition to their home. Having friends over and enjoying a game of golf will make the perfect weekend activity throughout the winter and even the summer.
Before you invite everyone over to play a round of golf, the simulator will need set up. This leads to the question just how much space you will need between the golf simulator and the screen. The last thing you want is to hit and tear the new screen or damage your home.
Here is the quick and dirty answer for how far should a screen be from a golf simulator.
Different golf simulators may require varying distances between the golf simulator and screen, the recommended distance to place the simulator from the screen is around 8-10 feet. Although you need to take your height and arm length into consideration, with this distance you can safely swing while not worrying about hitting the screen.
Now that you know just how far to space the simulator from the screen now let’s dig into the next question on your mind, how much space will you need in your room to safely swing your golf club without knocking down a wall.
How Much Space Is Needed For A Golf Simulator?
Spacing can differ with every type of golf simulator and the size of your room so its best to follow the recommended spacing for each specific golf simulator. The information below will give you a good idea where to start though and is more of just a general size and not a one size fits all measurement.
The most important step is to measure your room before purchasing your golf simulator to ensure a safe environment to swing your club. The smallest space allowed for a typical simulator is at least 10’ x 10’ x 8.5’ in height. You will also need to take into consideration your own height and arm length. A 6ft person will need far more space than a 5ft person, and will most likely need 10′ high.
Height clearance is also something that should not be overlooked. If you are not sure what your particular swing height is you can go into the room you are thinking about setting up your golf simulator and do a slow back swing to see if there’s enough height. Also, just because it needs to be said. Watch out for ceiling fans and hanging lights. Here is our full guide for how tall a golf simulator should be for more information.
The last part to take into consideration is the spacing between your wall and the hitting net. Nets are not a solid structure and will have some give typically a few feet. If you don’t leave enough space, you could have a golf ball size hole added to your wall.
Distances From The Screen
You know the size needed to safely set up your golf simulator. You may wonder just how far is too far to stand from the screen. Is there an ideal distance for the simulator to work properly?
Depending on your system, you need to be around 8 feet away from the screen. This gives you plenty of space to fully swing and you are within the simulators view. Any closer you could hit it, or get hit by a stray ball bouncing back. Some simulators may require you to be farther back than others. They average out to 8 feet away though.
If you have a nice impact screen like this, hitting further back will make it last longer as the ball will hit it just a bit slower. The last thing you want to happen is to hit a ball through the impact screen.
Set Up For A Left Handed Person Versus A Right Handed?
If you have left handed friends or family that will be over it could become an issue with your space. If your simulator cant pick up the change you could have people standing on the very end of the mats and swinging. This wouldn’t be taken into consideration in your initial measurements. It could become a headache when you realize the issue too late as you may need another 10 feet on the other side of the sensor.
To try and get past this problem some golfers choose to purchase two simulators aiming for each golfers preferred hand. While other golfers had a make shift lazy Susan or turntable that they could simple rotate the simulator when the next golfer steps up.
Before trying this you need to make sure you simulator is wide enough to still read both golfers when the turn table is moved.
Permanent or Portable Golf Simulators?
If you have an extra room that has plenty of space, there is no reason you can’t keep your golf simulator there year-round. It can be a great addition to you game room, a spare room, the basement or even your garage.
If you are like the many people out there that may not have the extra space and your family doesn’t love the idea of turning the living room into a golf zone a portable golf simulator is the way to go. Being able to move it from which ever room is available and taking it down when the rooms needed is a very simple process.
To be portable, you may not get the fancy impact screen and projector, you would only need a hitting net, golf simulator, and a laptop.
There are many options to fit your needs and style out there that come fully ready to set up. However, if you would like a little something different it isn’t as hard as you would think to create a one of a kind set up.
Simply pick out the equipment you like and piecing it all together. A golf practice mat to hit the ball off. Also, a golf simulator impact screen whether building your own or buying one you need to make sure you have an impact screen/net in place every time you play.
There are many different brands to choose from at all price points and as long as you follow the minimum requirements you will be safely playing golf in your home in no time.
