Well, I took a lot of inspiration from people posting on this site, so thank you. I had a SkyTrak and net in the garden, and to be honest it never really occurred to me that I could have an indoor sim. Until reading posts on this site. And then it did. And now I have! Best ... big ... boy ...toy ... ever!
My sim room is up and running, so I thought I’d share my build:
The room
I’ve used the children’s play room, so the room needed to be multi-functional. Wifey doesn’t want a putting green for a carpet 🙁, but mustn’t grumble.
Dimensions: 3m wide (at narrowest), 4.1m deep (but effectively less than this because of the radiator under the window), 3.74m deep from doors to impact screen, with 2.95m high ceilings. It’s unusual to have such high ceilings in the UK, so I was very lucky. The room is only just big enough, and I need to be offset, but now I’m used to it, I don’t think about it. It does take some getting-used-to, though.
Impact screen
The only direction I could hit is at the windows 🤔 so I’ve erected an impact screen from archery netting on a quality curtain rail. Fixed at the sides with angle iron, hoops, bungees and plastic ties. I simply pull across and fix at the other end with a single bungee. The image was washed out because of light leaking through so I’ve hung cheap Amazon black-out curtains behind, which does the job (and gives extra protection in case I make a hole in the screen).
For gaming and movies I have a floor standing, portable, retractable projector screen (100”) which is great. I use it in the games room, the living room, and we even had a couple of garden movie nights.
Seating
The room’s not big enough to have fixed seating, so I bought two futons: these are comfy seats, which fold out flat: One goes behind the impact screen to protect the radiator behind, and one lies on the right hand wall as shank protection. They can also be used as beds, so the room is an extra bedroom too.
Mat
I’ve been using a Truestrike mat, but it’s not great to putt off, and is cumbersome to move. Also, the ball rebounded onto the hard floor or frame of the Truestrike and bounced all over the place. I’m now trying a putting surface laid over 25mm foam in two 200x75cm strips, which I can easily move. It’s working well so far (putting is much more enjoyable and the ball lands nice and soft off the impact screen), but it is too squishy as the stance mat, so I’ve got a piece of hardboard between the foam and putting surface ATM, but this is a work in progress.
Projector
I bought a second hand Optoma GT1080 which turned out to actually be an Optoma EH200ST. I can’t really see any difference in the spec, and it works very well. I use the projector in our living room for family movie nights, so it is simply floor mounted at the back of the room. There is a bit of a shadow, but I don’t notice it when playing.
Computer
I wanted the computer to be multi-use too, so I bought a second hand laptop (PC Specialist i7 GTX1070)
Launch monitor
I started outside with a mat, net, and SkyTrak. I got fed up with the levelling of the SkyTrak every time I wanted to practice, so bought a second hand GC2. Both are great (but I’m selling the SkyTrak now).
Approximate cost
Impact screen and fixings: £400
Projector screen: £120
Futons: £300
Home made mat and putting strip: £150 (Truestrike ~ £500)
Second hand projector: £300
Second hand gaming laptop: £700
Second hand GC2: £3,500 (SkyTrak ~ £1,900)
Second hand Bose sound system for cinema: £100
So, all in, I reckon the cost is c. £5,700 (but would’ve been c. £4,100 if I’d stuck with the SkyTrak).
Best money I’ve ever spent!
My sim room is up and running, so I thought I’d share my build:
The room
I’ve used the children’s play room, so the room needed to be multi-functional. Wifey doesn’t want a putting green for a carpet 🙁, but mustn’t grumble.
Dimensions: 3m wide (at narrowest), 4.1m deep (but effectively less than this because of the radiator under the window), 3.74m deep from doors to impact screen, with 2.95m high ceilings. It’s unusual to have such high ceilings in the UK, so I was very lucky. The room is only just big enough, and I need to be offset, but now I’m used to it, I don’t think about it. It does take some getting-used-to, though.
Impact screen
The only direction I could hit is at the windows 🤔 so I’ve erected an impact screen from archery netting on a quality curtain rail. Fixed at the sides with angle iron, hoops, bungees and plastic ties. I simply pull across and fix at the other end with a single bungee. The image was washed out because of light leaking through so I’ve hung cheap Amazon black-out curtains behind, which does the job (and gives extra protection in case I make a hole in the screen).
For gaming and movies I have a floor standing, portable, retractable projector screen (100”) which is great. I use it in the games room, the living room, and we even had a couple of garden movie nights.
Seating
The room’s not big enough to have fixed seating, so I bought two futons: these are comfy seats, which fold out flat: One goes behind the impact screen to protect the radiator behind, and one lies on the right hand wall as shank protection. They can also be used as beds, so the room is an extra bedroom too.
Mat
I’ve been using a Truestrike mat, but it’s not great to putt off, and is cumbersome to move. Also, the ball rebounded onto the hard floor or frame of the Truestrike and bounced all over the place. I’m now trying a putting surface laid over 25mm foam in two 200x75cm strips, which I can easily move. It’s working well so far (putting is much more enjoyable and the ball lands nice and soft off the impact screen), but it is too squishy as the stance mat, so I’ve got a piece of hardboard between the foam and putting surface ATM, but this is a work in progress.
Projector
I bought a second hand Optoma GT1080 which turned out to actually be an Optoma EH200ST. I can’t really see any difference in the spec, and it works very well. I use the projector in our living room for family movie nights, so it is simply floor mounted at the back of the room. There is a bit of a shadow, but I don’t notice it when playing.
Computer
I wanted the computer to be multi-use too, so I bought a second hand laptop (PC Specialist i7 GTX1070)
Launch monitor
I started outside with a mat, net, and SkyTrak. I got fed up with the levelling of the SkyTrak every time I wanted to practice, so bought a second hand GC2. Both are great (but I’m selling the SkyTrak now).
Approximate cost
Impact screen and fixings: £400
Projector screen: £120
Futons: £300
Home made mat and putting strip: £150 (Truestrike ~ £500)
Second hand projector: £300
Second hand gaming laptop: £700
Second hand GC2: £3,500 (SkyTrak ~ £1,900)
Second hand Bose sound system for cinema: £100
So, all in, I reckon the cost is c. £5,700 (but would’ve been c. £4,100 if I’d stuck with the SkyTrak).
Best money I’ve ever spent!
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