How to Build a DIY Golf Simulator (Full Parts List and Budget)

I have built more home sims than I can count, in two-car garages, an unfinished basement, and one spare bedroom that barely fit a lefty swing. Building your own is the right call for most people. You save real money over a packaged bay, you control every part, and you end up understanding your setup well enough to fix it when something acts up. The catch is that the parts list is longer than folks expect, and the launch monitor is the one decision that drives everything else.

Here is the honest verdict up front: a budget DIY simulator runs about $700 to $1,200, a solid mid build runs $3,000 to $5,000, and a premium room starts around $8,000 and climbs. Before you spend a dime, measure your space, because your ceiling height and depth decide which launch monitor will even work. Let me walk you through it the way I would if we were standing in your garage with a tape measure.

Step 1: measure your space before you buy anything

This is the step people skip and then regret. Your room dictates your launch monitor, not the other way around. Grab a tape measure and write down three numbers: width, depth (the distance from where you stand to the wall the screen will hang on), and ceiling height.

Here is what those numbers need to be. A comfortable bay is roughly 10 ft wide by 12 ft deep by 9 to 10 ft tall. Minimum ceiling is about 9 ft, and 10 ft is where you stop worrying about clipping the roof on the way up. You also need clearance for both a right-handed and a left-handed swing if more than one person will use it, so do not plan the width around just your own stance.

Depth matters most because of how launch monitors read the ball. Radar units like the Garmin Approach R10 and the FlightScope Mevo+ track the ball in flight, so they want roughly 8 to 16 ft of ball-flight distance to give you good numbers indoors. If your room is shallow, a radar unit will struggle. Photometric units like SkyTrak+, the Bushnell Launch Pro, and the Uneekor EYE XO sit beside or above the ball and read it at impact, so they fit tighter rooms much better. If you are squeezed for depth, that single fact will steer your whole build. I cover the dollars in detail on the golf simulator cost page if you want to see how each piece adds up.

Step 2: pick the launch monitor (this is the core choice)

The launch monitor is the brain of the whole thing and usually the single most expensive part. Get this right and the rest is just carpentry and cables. I keep a full breakdown on the best golf launch monitors page, but here is the short version for a DIY build.

The Garmin Approach R10 at around $600 is the budget pick and the one I hand to most first-time builders. It is portable doppler radar, it pairs with its own app and with GSPro, and it punches well above its price. Just remember it needs that roughly 8 ft of ball flight to read well, so it belongs in a deeper room.

Step up and you have two strong photometric options for tight rooms. SkyTrak+ at about $3,000 combines a camera with radar, plays beautifully with GSPro and E6, and fits a shallow bay because it sits beside the ball. The Bushnell Launch Pro, roughly $2,000 to $3,500 depending on which license you buy, is the accuracy leader at this level and also sits beside the ball, so it works in tight spaces too. Its subscription unlocks the data and features, so factor that in.

The FlightScope Mevo+ at about $2,000 is doppler radar that shines both indoors and outdoors, with a Pro Package add-on for more data, but like the R10 it wants space indoors. At the top, the Uneekor EYE XO around $9,000 is overhead photometric, ceiling mounted, gives full club and ball data, and uses marked balls. That one is for premium builds. And if you just want cheap fun, the OptiShot 2 at about $300 reads the club over an infrared pad rather than tracking your real ball, so it is not precise, but it is a low-cost way to get swinging.

Step 3: the rest of the parts list

Once the launch monitor is settled, the supporting cast is straightforward. Here is everything else you need and what each piece does.

• Hitting mat: Spend a little here. A cheap mat is hard on your wrists and elbows over time. A good commercial-grade mat with some give runs $150 to $500. This is not the place to cut corners if you plan to hit a lot of balls.
• Enclosure or net plus impact screen: You either build a full enclosure with a screen you project onto, or you run a simple net for practice. A retailer like Carl's Place sells impact screens, enclosure kits, and netting sized to your room, which saves a lot of guesswork. I dig into framing and screen material on the golf simulator enclosure page.
• Projector: Only needed if you want a projected image, which means an enclosure with an impact screen. A short-throw projector keeps it out of your swing path. Details and picks are on the golf simulator projector page.
• PC: GSPro and most sim software need a Windows PC with a decent graphics card. A laptop works if it has the horsepower. Budget $700 to $1,500 for a capable machine, more if you want max visuals.
• Flooring: A level base under the mat, plus turf or a putting surface around it. This is cheap and easy and makes the whole bay feel finished.

Step 4: software, the part that makes it a simulator

Without software you have a launch monitor and a net, which is fine for pure practice. Software is what gives you real courses to play. The enthusiast favorite is GSPro at around $250 a year. The community course library is enormous, the graphics are excellent, and it is what most serious DIY builders run. It needs a Windows PC and a compatible monitor connected through the OGT connector, so confirm your launch monitor is on the supported list before you commit.

Your other options are E6 Connect, TGC 2019, and Awesome Golf, plus the native app that ships with your launch monitor. The native apps are usually the cheapest path and a fine place to start. Most R10 owners, for example, run the Garmin app for a while before adding GSPro once they are hooked. There is no wrong answer here. Start with what comes free, then upgrade when you know what you want.

One honest note on cost: several launch monitors gate their best features behind a subscription. SkyTrak+ needs a plan for sim play, the Bushnell Launch Pro license unlocks data, and GSPro is a yearly fee. None of these are dealbreakers, but pencil them into your annual budget so the project does not surprise you twelve months in.

Three budget tiers, what you actually get

Here is how the money shakes out at each level. These are real builder numbers, not best-case marketing math.

The mid tier is where I point most people. You get projected courses, accurate data, and a setup that feels like a real golf room without the premium price. The budget tier is genuinely good too, and I would rather see someone start there and upgrade than overspend on day one.

DIY vs buying a package

Packaged bays exist for a reason. A retailer like Shop Indoor Golf sells complete kits where the launch monitor, enclosure, mat, and software are matched and ready to assemble. The upside is zero guesswork and one support number to call. The downside is you pay for the convenience, and you may get parts that do not exactly fit your room.

Going DIY saves money and lets you size every piece to your space, which matters a lot in a tight garage or basement. The trade-off is that you are the system integrator. You pick the parts, confirm they work together, and troubleshoot when the projector and the screen do not line up. If you are handy and patient, DIY wins on both cost and fit. If you would rather not think about compatibility, a package is worth the premium.

Last thing, and I say this on every page: a simulator is a optional, not essential. For a lot of golfers, a net and the app on your phone is plenty of practice and costs a couple hundred bucks. Build the full room because you want the experience, not because you think you need it to get better. And to be clear, the retailer links here are affiliate links, but they never change what I recommend.