Planning stages on new sim build out

[final442]

We are currently in the planning/drawing stages of a build out. We have a walk out finished basement and plan to extend it out an additional 30'. The sim portion is planning on being approximately 14'6" wide and 19'6' deep. We will dig down about 3 feet in this space to create 10.5 foot ceilings in this portion.


Room size 14.5x19.5x10.5h
1. Plan to use Uneekor Eye XO as the launch monitor as we have lefties and righties in the family.
2. 12 x 10 fiberbuilt mat with centerline hitting
3. 8'x14' premium Carl's screen
4. Planning to also use as a home theater/movies as points and want to install surround speakers/atmos.


Any suggestions on the above or things to think about? Still meeting with the architect a few times before finalizing and getting bids from contractors.

Attaching preliminary drawings and renderings.

[wbond]

I would suggest you mark a spot on the floor at 7’3” to represent the ball placement and see if you can swing all clubs freely without hitting the wall behind your back or see if it makes you feel cramped. That may be a little narrow for a centered hitting position.

[Kaos]

I to use the EXO. My room is 15x20 (with 11 ' ceiling) and I had to offset the center line 6" and the screen by a like amount in order to feel really comfortable. Ideally, you should have at least 6-7' to the golfer's back to allow full space for through swing. In addition, you need a full 6-7' to the golfer's front between the ball placement and screen for full driver swings. I would suggest the ball being at least 9-10' from the screen (Uneekor recommends 10' and I totally agree) to allow for bounce back issues. In addition, you should make sure you have at least 6' behind the golfer (down the line) to insure full back swing space. If you space correctly and safely you may have to lose the chairs behind the golfer. Remember, you need space for golf bags and standing room and room for computer, table and extra monitor (if desired). One other point, if you are planning on swing camera's, you need to allow side space and space down the line for rear camera. A nice tight professionally looking screen will bounce 4-8 feet depending on ball speed. A thin shot, depending on the type of mounting, may bounce much further.

[adilgolf]

Fully agree with Kaos.
1' from wall to screen
9-10' from screen to tee
6' behind the golfer
That already adds up to 16'-17' out of your available 19.6'
It would be a bit scary sitting in those chairs.
Maybe move the bar to the very back wall or against one of the side walls at the back and keep the space open ?

[final442]

So current plan is the ball will be about 10 feet from the screen when centered. If we go with the smaller 10x10 mat the ball will be approx 8 feet from the screen but frees up an additional 2 feet behind the golfer.

The chairs behind are a worry, so we may move back the dug out area another foot or so. Currently on measurement the front edge of the chairs are 6'6'' from the golfer, so it may feel uncomfortable. So either we will make that depth longer to use the seats if it feels too tight or just have the behind space for bags and computer.

Also good advice about practice swing at 7'3'' for centerline hitting. We are pretty maxed out on the width we can use.

[fortner28]

My simulator room is similar in size and I too use my sim space as a theater room. I hit from about 8' in front of my screen. There is some bounce back but it is from wedges with a lot of backspin and they don't come at you with great speed. The big sticks hitting lower on the screen don't tend to come back at you that hard. I think you can swing in there with the chairs but it may mess with you and make you feel cramped. I am using office style chairs with casters that I can move to the corners or completely out of the space when i need to. Golf impact screens aren't the best for high def movies but they aren't terrible. The go to surround sound would be a combination of in wall and in ceiling speakers. I have a 7.1 in ceiling system that sounds really good but it's not the best for movies as everything is overhead. It was the best solution for my space. I had to make some sacrifices from the optimal movie room setup to use it as a golf simulator.

[StalefishFS3]

I agree with most of the feedback here. My thoughts:

I would try and push back the dug out space by a foot, unless by doing so it cramps the hangout area above it. This may add a benefit if you ever want to get an indoor Trackman. And my own personal preference is 10 feet ball to screen minimum, but I realize many are closer.

I would remove the chairs in the hitting area -- will make it feel too cramped. If you do this, you may not need to expand the dug out area by a foot.

I would have a small bar area with sink/fridge/dishwasher in the back, as AdiGolf drew. BUT, I would remove the bar area on the left side, and put in an L shaped couch instead. However, if the L shaped couch makes it too cramped, then the two sitting chairs are good.

My opinion would to sacrifice sitting space (chairs/barstools) for an open feeling space.

I would also recommend two TVs on the wall. One to show the stats of the launch monitor, the other for just watching sports, kitten videos, porn or whatever suits your fancy.

I think 14'6" might feel a little tight for a center location. Only you can determine this.

Good luck!