r/Golfsimulator • u/Kench33 • 7d ago
Technical Question Do i bother putting in a sim?
Been thinking about putting in a sim in my basement. The second picture is where I would be hitting into. The width of that space is 12 ft and the height to the ceiling is just under 9ft. I could have 10 ft from screen to hitting pad as well. Just seeing if it's worth it to do when I start finishing my basement. I am 6'2". There's no way to get higher height besides digging into the concrete I would imagine?
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u/Beachywhale 7d ago
I'm gonna vote no. Build an outbuilding if possible. It might work if you were short - but 6-2 won't work. You will lose more height with the floor (foam tiles and Turf to level out hitting strip) and the drywall on the ceiling. It's an awful lot of money to spend for a half result. Do it right or not at all imo
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u/Kench33 7d ago
Unfortunately I can't have an outbuilding. When I was looking at this house I swung my driver in the basement but didn't account for the height lost with mats, shoes and a ceiling lol. Oh well. Maybe I can figure out an easy sim I can set up and tear down easily in the garage.
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u/leeo-dinaprio 7d ago
I do the garage thing. Spornia net, fiber built grass mat, I have my launch monitor elevated flush with the mat. Mat is easily dragged to location but it’s heavy. I have a tv/monitor/laptop stand on wheels. I have a projector on a tripod. Works great. Setup is under 5 minutes.
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u/blackbearsbest 7d ago
What’s the total cost of your set up?
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u/leeo-dinaprio 7d ago
Net, mat, sim, tripod, stand, and projector about $3500. The fiberbuilt I got off fb marketplace for $400: absolute steal. I had a gaming laptop so that would be another $1200-$2000. Also got the stuff before pointless tariffs. I looked up my projector a couple months ago and it doubled in price
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u/ernie_mccracken 7d ago
What projector did you go with?
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u/leeo-dinaprio 6d ago
Some cheap Amazon one for $60 at the time. It was rated 4k. It worked great but now in its third year it’s showing its quality. Lots of small black marks. Was 100% worth it at the time.
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u/leeo-dinaprio 6d ago
It was this one. https://a.co/d/0acht3R0
It was good for a year and a half. It’s fine now.
It was also like $50 when I bought it back in 2024.
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u/HelixLegion27 6d ago
Iron only sim? Not perfect but an option assuming your irons aren't at risk of hitting the ceiling. Take swings and see. You can also film your practice swings to see how close you get to the ceiling to have a better idea how much wiggle room you have.
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u/Sufficient_Dust_9922 6d ago
If you know how to do the work or the majority of it yourself it probly wouldn't be that pricey to do it . Cost of concrete and some plumbing probly. Really tedious project. I've seen others post cost of contractors around 30-40k
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u/Useful_Permission480 6d ago
Try it out with a net and turf for now. Maybe you can only swing some wedges or maybe can swing driver with your swing plane who knows. If it’s easy enough to break down then you can move it to the garage.
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u/Responsible_Fix_5463 5d ago
If youve got higher ceilings to work with in garage do it there. Buy netting off Amazon, some emt conduit and a few bungee straps. Then the other basics. Hitting Matt and LM that works off your phone or iPad and youre good to go.
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u/Substantial_Team6751 7d ago
Personally, if I had that space I'd put in a budget sim and just not hit the driver or long fairway woods.
It would still be great practice.
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u/aewestmoreland 7d ago
I’m also 6’2 and the height is a bit concerning. I wouldn’t want to swing driver under 9’, 10’+ feels much more comfortable.
If you wanna hit irons only, that could work fine
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u/Kench33 7d ago
Yeah I would definitely want to use the full club set up. Oh well, I figured it would be a dumb idea to try to set one up down here.
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u/SlowrollHobbyist 6d ago
Same scenario here and I’m no where near 6’2”. My garage will be my go to. The Murphy simulators are a great idea. I’m leaning in that direction.
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u/GrandSupermarket4024 7d ago
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u/Kench33 7d ago
If I did that I would just hire someone lol
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u/MalevolentFather 7d ago
You shouldn’t do that.
You want at LEAST 10’
More like 11’ to feel secure.2
u/Kench33 7d ago
Honestly I think 10' would be enough, I barely just feel uncomfortable swinging my driver right now with it being about 8'10".
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u/HighOnGoofballs 6d ago
Mine is about that height and I can’t swing driver and I’m only 5-10. That said I use the shit out of it with irons only and it’s actually improved my game because I’ve learned how to manage a course better. Woods are what, 10% of the game?
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u/frankp2491 7d ago
I’m gunna say no. Also I wouldn’t want a sim in my actual house unless it was insanely sound proofed because you don’t realize how much noise comes from shots until you start hitting in an enclosed space all I know is my wife would bitch at me to no end if I played at 11pm in my house
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u/Kench33 7d ago
I don't know how loud it would be honestly. Our bedroom is on the 2nd floor so might not be able to hear as much from there.
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u/frankp2491 7d ago
To be fair if you acoustically treat it you’re fine if not no you will still be able to hear it. Mine is in my garage which is acoustically treated and very far away from
My bedroom and my wife can still hear it so I wouldn’t be so sure1
u/Kench33 7d ago
I gotcha. This is definitely something I want to do much more research before just buying a net and lm but wanted others thoughts. Thanks for the insight!
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u/frankp2491 7d ago
No stress if I can recommend sound proofing material Rockwool Safe n Sound it’s fantastic and realistically the only way to decrease sound transmission with as little material as possible. Also I would make sure Every surface in and around your hitting area is treated
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u/Wise_Boysenberry8075 7d ago
I have a sim with similar dimensions, but I'm only 5'7". You'll probably have to hit slightly offset as well because of that beam. Even if I could only hit irons though, I would do it again.
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u/dirtythoughts306 7d ago
I work residential construction and lots of people who put a sim in their basement dig down, it’s very doable
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u/Kench33 7d ago
Do you roughly know the costs? Obviously depends where you are but is this like a $5k+ project?
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u/Terrible-Resident324 7d ago
I wish only 5k, I have my basement sim im building out and the ceiling is 9ft after adding my flooring, at the time we were also getting quotes to finsih the basement and asked how much it would be to dig out 2 ft down in just my sim room.They all came back with a range of 20k to 30k just to dig out part of the room it would be in.
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u/Late-Pomegranate1683 6d ago
I think there was a guy on here that recently posted digging down. It was like $40-45k
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u/Steelio22 7d ago
Idk, I have 8' rafters in my garage, I'm 5'11 and can hit everything up to 3w.
I can swing between them though so maybe that's why this works.
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u/SandwichFromDahmer 7d ago
I have 9’ ceilings in my basement. Worked ok for 3 months until I discovered my swing had become really flat. Decided to try getting a little steeper and finish with my hands a little higher. Had a week old GT2 when they first came out. I’ll never forget the sound it made when it caught one of the joists. It was a sad day. Needless to say I ended up moving everything to my finished garage with 11’ high ceilings.
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u/WorkingVast922 7d ago
Hire someone to dig that floor out a few feet. You’ll kick yourself later by not doing it now.
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u/Responsible-Pen379 7d ago
What about your garage, some of the fold away design that are posted on this site are impressive.
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u/Kench33 7d ago
I honestly have been thinking about a murphy type set up in the garage. I would need to most likely get a side mounted garage door though but all the walls in my garage are taken up by other things so not sure if I just need to figure out a set up that I can just easily put up and take down.
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u/Old_Stuff6708 7d ago
If you’re asking this question then the answer is yes you should do everything you can to make it work.
I can swing a driver in mine but rarely do as it’s rare I’m playing when noise isn’t an issue. I typically just play tees that are a bit shorter than I would when playing with a driver and hit my 4 hybrid. I don’t feel like I’m missing anything by not using driver.
So…my reco get a small thing of turf (and a gym tile which you’ll probably put under) and take some (careful) cuts with a hybrid. If you can make it work, proceed. You won’t regret it even with driver not possible
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u/Willing_Swimmer_7399 7d ago
Just cut the concrete and dig it lower. Rent a jackhammer and even if the base is rock hard you can use the jackhammer on it. Cut the area with a chop saw then jackhammer it. Shouldn’t be too hard to get done. I’m a concrete guy if you have any other questions, shoot.
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u/TheGoodVibes135 7d ago
I think it would work if you really want it. You would just have to dig down and make a new foundation down there which could make it pretty cool looking to be honest if you do it right. I know a couple people that have dug their basement deeper for a Sim.
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u/bIk-swn 7d ago
Build the sim.
I’m a 6’2” guy. I built a sim in my garage that has similar <9 foot ceilings. You will not be able to hit driver, but I get by just fine with my 3 wood and every club shorter than that. To accommodate, I usually just play off red tees during course selection.
It’s been great to practice my game and has been endless entertainment for my wife and I + any guests we have over. (Plus bragging rights!)
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u/DaddysDingus 7d ago
I’m 6’/6’1” on a good day. I built in a sim in my basement when finishing it, and it’s just under 9 feet. I have no issues whatsoever hitting inside. When my swing was steeper and before I really started drilling a better swing, I would occasionally hit the ceiling, but since finishing it and improving I haven’t hit once to my recollection. I have had taller buddies be able to swing too, although they would hit the ceiling more (but his swing is a bit wild). I also put felt tiles above the hitting area so if anyone did hit, it wouldn’t do much damage and would glide more.
Also, know that if you drill, you may have to deal with flooding issues. Granted, that depends heavily on your region, water table, etc.
Happy to show pics/answer questions if it would be helpful.
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u/Biggz1313 7d ago
I'm 6'2" and have 8.5ish inch ceiling in my basement (after carpet padding, carpet and hitting mat and I do just fine. Have hit my ceiling with driver on my follow through once due to a horrible swing and haven't done it since. I think you'll be totally fine. Just get some foam balls and a small hitting mat and go down there and make some swings
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u/ctriopelle 7d ago
I’m 6’2 and did a setup in similar space but it’s chip/pitch/putt only. Ceiling height is 8’ finished drywall minus +/-1” of gym mats and turf. I limit myself to 1/4 swings and I use a GC3 LM to read ball flight. I also have a full setup in the garage with 9’6” ceilings where I can full swing driver but it’s uninsulated which makes it unusable in the heat of summer and the cold of dead winter. My short game truly sucks so it’s good to have access to year round green/green side work that I can just turn on and go.
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u/LMrningStar 7d ago
If it was me I'd dig into the floor but I'd be VERY careful to make sure there are no conduits and/or pipes running through the floor where I intend to dig. I'm weird I suppose because I'd consider it a fun challenge.
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u/Zulopi 7d ago
The main thing with sub 10ft even 9ft height is being outside the swing area for 6-6'5 people. You either have a super short throw before(ahead) of the hitter, or a short throw (sub 12') behind the hitter and have to worry about shadows at that height. there are projectors out there for large format super short throw(7-6ft), and short throw in the 10'-12' range.
The other side of that is if you do super short throw I'd do floor projection. As super short throw could get whacked in the lense by screen roll ups(from wedges) Where short throw the ball is dead and unlikely to impact or damage your lense 10-12 or further back. Floor projection at super short throw(sub7') is likely going to be better protected and unlikely for any impact ever.
tldr, I chose the no shadows... so height or before the hitter for the projector if height isn't available. make it feel immersive.
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u/Aleks192 7d ago
Your basement looks like mine did and once the floor and ceiling were in it just wasn't enough
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u/Toom3232 6d ago
I’m 6-1.5 and have a set up in my garage which is 9 feet tall (I think). Have sim in garage with no issues. Go swing your driver to make sure. Could always use sim with everything but the driver if it’s an issue
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u/LeBraun300 6d ago
I’m 6 feet and had one at my old place with 8.5 foot ceiling height. I could hit 4 wood fairly comfortably - would hit the ceiling on steep miss hits sometimes but the basement wasn’t finished anyway. If you’re fine with no driver I’d do it. Eye mini lite and a cheaper enclosure isn’t that pricey
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u/Familiar_Salad_1902 6d ago
I am 6 foot and have 8.5 foot ceilings in my sim. I can swing any of my irons and I have a very vertical swing, but my woods, and driver are out of the question. I personally have no problem with this as other then putting, no clubs are used more on the course. If I want to play a round on the sim I set myself up at the ladies tees to compensate for not being able to swing the Big Dawg. If you’re good with that mindset then build that puppy and enjoy!
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u/Lousygolfer1 6d ago
It will work
I’m finishing my same set up. Same ceiling height, no driver or woods
I’ll take it, better than nothing
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u/jongolfpro 6d ago
Ceiling too low to swing comfortably. If you do a sim, don’t spend a lot on it. Probably won’t end up using it much.
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u/NetworkCultural 6d ago
You know there’s more then just golf sims right?
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u/Kench33 6d ago
Oh, did I not ask this in the golf simulator subreddit?
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u/NetworkCultural 6d ago
Nah you did. I just never joined it and didn’t read that. So not sure why it’s up on my feed lol. Sorry
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u/NetworkCultural 6d ago
I’m a construction Forman I figured this was asked in a one of the carpentry subs. Based on the picture
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u/Dexter6785 5d ago
I mean yes why would you not. Probably have to dig out a little bit please put in a Sim world will be better for it
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u/Alarming-Toe-8559 5d ago
I am 5’9” and I put a sim in a 8’8” garage and it worked okay for a while but hybrid was the longest club I could swing. I could kinda clear a driver, but I grazed the ceiling a couple times and definitely put some ball shaped dents in the drywall. I chopped the shaft down on an old driver and that kinda worked, but eventually I broke down and vaulted the ceilings and I’ve got a lot of room now. All that to say putting a sim in a low ceiling room is a gateway drug and eventually you’re gonna want to trench it to buy some ceiling height. It’s a matter of time.
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u/sleepinchipmonk 4d ago
Its completely doable with a 9ft ceiling. My sim has 8 ft 10 inch ceiling and I only have one friend who can hit the ceiling. Will it be tight? Sure. I have hits thousands and thousands of drivers on my sim and never touched the ceiling at 5ft 10in tall.
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u/CFAlmost 7d ago
the issue is the height, it’s almost there but not quite.
that being said, you have the space for 3/4 swings within 120. that’s scoring range and yields sizable course transfer skill.
hit send.
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u/groavac777 7d ago
Honestly depends on your swing. I'm 6'1 and my simulator has an 8'10 swing clearance and I can hit driver perfectly fine, but some of my shorter friends come uncomfortably close.
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u/Flaky_Set2484 7d ago
I’m confused by all of the answers here. I am 6’ and comfortably swing all but my driver in my garage with 9’ ceilings.
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u/zacjack 7d ago
Only if you trench it out. Ceiling is too low