The home golf simulator went from aspirational to achievable somewhere around 2020, when the combination of launch monitor accuracy at sub-£2,000 price points and subscription simulator software reached the quality threshold where indoor sessions genuinely improve outdoor performance. Here is how to build one properly at three different budgets.
What you need regardless of budget: a net (minimum 3m wide, 2.7m tall), an impact screen or net, a mat that simulates fairway and rough lies, a launch monitor, a simulator software subscription, and a projection or screen system. The space requirement: minimum 3m deep × 3m wide × 2.7m ceiling height. Standard UK garages are borderline at 5m × 2.5m — check your ceiling height before committing.
Budget A: £1,500–2,500. Net: Spornia SPG-8 (£280) — the most popular practice net in the UK amateur market, sturdy and portable. Mat: Carl's Place Launch Pad Hitting Mat (£180) — thick dual-layer foam with separate tee and fairway surfaces. Launch monitor: Garmin Approach R10 (£499). Software: E6 Connect Basic (£150/year) or the free Garmin Golf simulator mode. Screen: none required at this budget — use a wall behind the net as the target. Total: approximately £1,200–1,600 in equipment plus software subscription. This setup delivers real data on your ball striking, basic simulator software, and a functional practice station. The limitation is that indoor play on simulated courses requires hitting at the screen, which needs projection.
Budget B: £3,000–5,000. Add to the above: an impact screen (Carl's Place 4m×2.5m, £400) and a short-throw projector (Optoma GT1080HDR, £600). Upgrade the mat to a better hitting surface (ProTee United, £350). Upgrade the launch monitor to Flightscope Mevo+ (£1,799) for accurate spin data. Software: E6 Connect Full (£300/year) or TruGolf E6 (includes 80+ courses including Pebble Beach, St Andrews, and Augusta). Total: approximately £3,500–4,500. This is the setup at which home simulator golf becomes indistinguishable from a commercial simulator bay in terms of shot data quality.
Budget C: £8,000–15,000. Professional build. Dedicated room, acoustic foam wall panels (£800), premium impact screen with frame (£1,500), laser-aligned projector mount, Bushnell Launch Pro or Full Swing Kit (£3,500–5,000) launch monitor, built-in putting green section, Full Swing software with Tour data overlays. At this level you are building what a PGA professional's practice facility looks like. Several of our clients who travel to Portugal 3+ times per year have found that the £10,000 home simulator investment pays back within 3 years versus travel costs alone, with the additional benefit of being able to pre-play courses before arriving at the destination.
The pre-trip simulator use case: this is the one I find most compelling from a golf travel perspective. E6 Connect and TruGolf both include St Andrews Old Course, Pebble Beach, and several Algarve and Algarve-adjacent courses. Playing a simulated version of Quinta do Lago South before your trip gives you a hazard awareness and club selection baseline that makes the first real round significantly better. Our clients who've done this consistently report lower scores on day 1 of a trip.
What I would buy today with a £4,000 budget: Mevo+ Pro + Carl's Place impact screen + Optoma projector + decent mat + E6 Connect subscription. This setup plays properly, produces tour-adjacent data, and fits in a standard British garage if the ceiling is at least 2.6m.
Marcus Webb
Golf Travel Specialist · View profile →
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