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Enclosures & impact screens
Which golf simulator enclosure size do I need?
Tom Hayward, founder of OpenGolfer · Last reviewed · 3 min read
The short answer
SimSpace makes seven sizes. SIM 1 to SIM 4 are 2.5m high and 1.5m deep, from 2.6m to 4.0m wide. SIM 5 and SIM 6 are 3m high and 3m deep. SIM 0 is 3.3m wide and 1m deep. Choose the widest bay whose outer frame leaves 8cm each side, in a room at least 3.0 × 2.7 × 4.2m.
How to read the sizes
Enclosure sizes are given as width × height × depth, measured inside the frame. Width runs across the screen, height is from the floor to the top bar, and depth is how far the bay comes out from the screen towards you. The outer frame is about 10cm bigger each way, and the outer frame is what has to fit in your room. If a word is new to you, the glossary explains it.
To turn an enclosure size into a room size, I add three things:
- Wall width: the outer frame plus at least 8cm clear each side. That gap comes from SimSpace's own assembly sheet.
- Ceiling: at least the outer frame height, and never under 2.7m, the height most people need to swing a driver freely. A ceiling of 3m or more is ideal.
- Length: 30cm clear behind the screen, about 2.5m from the ball to the screen, and room behind you to swing. That makes 4.2m for SIM 0 to SIM 4, and 4.3m for SIM 5 and SIM 6, which are 3m deep.
The 30cm behind the screen is added on top of the enclosure's depth, not built into it. The screen needs that space to give when the ball hits it.
The seven SimSpace sizes
SIM 1 to SIM 4: the 2.5m-high bays
These four share the same inside height, 2.5m, and the same depth, 1.5m. They differ only in width: 2.6m, 3.0m, 3.6m and 4.0m. A SIM 1 is 2.7m across its outer frame, so with 8cm each side it needs 2.86m of wall, and our 3.0m minimum room covers it. SIM 2 needs 3.26m of wall, SIM 3 3.86m and SIM 4 4.26m. Under a ceiling between 2.7m and 3.1m, these are the bays to look at.
SIM 5 and SIM 6: the 3m walk-in bays
SIM 5 is 3.0 × 3.0 × 3.0m inside and SIM 6 is 4.0 × 3.0 × 3.0m. Because they're 3m deep, you stand inside the bay to swing and more of the ball's flight is surrounded. Their outer frame is 3.1m high and 3.1m deep, so the ceiling has to be at least 3.1m and the room at least 4.3m long.
SIM 0: the 1m-deep bay
SIM 0 is 3.3m wide, 2.5m high and only 1m deep inside, with an outer frame of 3.4 × 2.6 × 1.1m, and it comes with side netting. It takes the least floor of any bay, but it's wider than a SIM 1, so it needs 3.56m of wall. The room still needs our full 4.2m length, because the ball-to-screen distance and your swing don't shrink with the bay.
UltraMAX: the same sizes with a grey screen
The SimSpace UltraMAX comes in SIM 1 to SIM 6, with the same frame sizes as the standard bays. It swaps the white Platinum screen for a grey high-contrast one, which holds the picture better in a room you can't fully darken. There's no SIM 0 UltraMAX.
Vanish: the retractable option
The SportScreen Vanish Series rolls its impact screen, side screens and ceiling panel up to the ceiling when you've finished, so the room can go back to being a garage, a gym or a lounge. Every model is 1.52m deep when it's down, and SportScreen asks for a room at least 5.18m long, with 20 to 30cm clear behind the screen and 15 to 20cm each side.
- Vanish 11: 3.12m wide, for rooms 3.43 to 3.73m wide with a 2.74 to 3.20m ceiling.
- Vanish 13H: 3.73m wide, for rooms 3.96 to 4.34m wide with a 3.19 to 3.65m ceiling.
- Vanish 16 and 16H: 4.72m wide, for rooms 5.03 to 5.33m wide; the 16 suits a 2.74 to 3.20m ceiling and the 16H 3.05 to 3.51m.
It fixes into ceiling joists or wall studs with the brackets supplied. Fitting takes two people, and SportScreen recommends a contractor.
Which size, by room
- A room 3.0 to 3.25m wide: SIM 1.
- 3.26m wide or more: SIM 2, which leaves more room either side of the swing.
- 3.56m wide or more and short on floor: SIM 0, the 1m-deep bay.
- 3.86m and 4.26m wide or more: SIM 3 and SIM 4, for wider rooms and double garages.
- A ceiling of 3.1m or more: SIM 5 or SIM 6.
- A room that has to stay a living space and is at least 5.18m long: the Vanish.
Width is usually the number that decides it. A driver needs room either side, so when two sizes fit, I'd take the wider one rather than squeeze a bay into the last few centimetres.
The launch monitor changes the length
The lengths above are for camera launch monitors, which sit beside the ball. A radar unit sits behind you, and we follow its manual: a FlightScope Mevo Gen2 makes the room 5.2m long, and a Full Swing KIT 5.85m, or 5.8m and 6.45m with SIM 5 and SIM 6. Will a golf simulator fit my room? walks through measuring.
If your room is under 3.0 × 2.7 × 4.2m, I'd rather tell you now than sell you a bay you can't use. A garden cage, a launch monitor for the range or putting is a better start.
Every enclosure size
| Enclosure | Inside W × H × D | Outer frame | Screen W × H | Wall width | Minimum ceiling | Room length, camera unit | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SIM 0 | 3.3 × 2.5 × 1.0 | 3.4 × 2.6 × 1.1 | 3.1 × 2.3 | 3.56 | 2.70 | 4.20 | £999.99 |
| SIM 1 | 2.6 × 2.5 × 1.5 | 2.7 × 2.6 × 1.6 | 2.4 × 2.3 | 3.00 | 2.70 | 4.20 | Per size, on the enclosure page |
| SIM 2 | 3.0 × 2.5 × 1.5 | 3.1 × 2.6 × 1.6 | 2.8 × 2.3 | 3.26 | 2.70 | 4.20 | Per size, on the enclosure page |
| SIM 3 | 3.6 × 2.5 × 1.5 | 3.7 × 2.6 × 1.6 | 3.4 × 2.3 | 3.86 | 2.70 | 4.20 | Per size, on the enclosure page |
| SIM 4 | 4.0 × 2.5 × 1.5 | 4.1 × 2.6 × 1.6 | 3.8 × 2.3 | 4.26 | 2.70 | 4.20 | Per size, on the enclosure page |
| SIM 5 | 3.0 × 3.0 × 3.0 | 3.1 × 3.1 × 3.1 | 2.8 × 2.8 | 3.26 | 3.10 | 4.30 | Per size, on the enclosure page |
| SIM 6 | 4.0 × 3.0 × 3.0 | 4.0 × 3.1 × 3.1 | 3.8 × 2.8 | 4.16 | 3.10 | 4.30 | Per size, on the enclosure page |
| UltraMAX (SIM 1 to SIM 6) | As SIM 1 to SIM 6 | As SIM 1 to SIM 6 | As SIM 1 to SIM 6, grey | As the size | As the size | As the size | from £1,499.99 |
| Vanish 11, 13H, 16, 16H | 3.12 to 4.72 wide, 1.52 deep | Fixed to joists or studs | 3.05 × 2.29 to 4.65 × 2.59 | 3.43 to 5.33 | 2.74 to 3.19, by model | 5.18 | from £3,499.99 |
Inside, outer frame and screen sizes are SimSpace's own guideline figures (SIM 0 from our product page); Vanish figures are SportScreen's. Wall width = outer frame + 8cm each side, never under 3.0m. Length = 30cm behind the screen + 2.5m ball to screen + swing space; radar needs more (Mevo Gen2 5.2m, Full Swing KIT 5.85m). SIM 1 to SIM 6 are priced per size on each enclosure page.
Best practice
- Size to the outer frameThe inside size is what you stand in; the outer frame, about 10cm bigger each way, is what has to fit. Add 8cm each side for the wall width.
- Leave 30cm behind the screenIt's added on top of the enclosure's depth. Without it the screen can't give, and balls come back harder.
- Take the wider bay when two fitA driver needs room either side. If SIM 1 and SIM 2 both fit with the clearances, SIM 2 gives the swing more space.
- Check the ceiling against the outer heightSIM 0 to SIM 4 need at least 2.7m to swing freely; SIM 5 and SIM 6 have a 3.1m outer frame, so the ceiling must clear it.
- Match the length to the launch monitorCamera units work in 4.2m. Radar sits behind you: 5.2m for a Mevo Gen2 and 5.85m for a Full Swing KIT.
Gotchas to avoid
- Reading the inside size as the footprintA SIM 1 is 2.6m wide inside but 2.7m across the frame, and it needs 2.86m of wall. Measure against the frame, not the label.
- Assuming SIM 0 needs a short roomSIM 0 is 1m deep, but the ball still sits about 2.5m from the screen. The room needs the same 4.2m length.
- Forgetting SIM 0 is wideAt 3.3m inside and 3.4m outside, SIM 0 needs 3.56m of wall, more than SIM 1 or SIM 2.
- Fitting a Vanish to a short roomSportScreen's minimum room length is 5.18m for every model. The retractable design saves floor when it's up, not length when you play.
- Measuring the ceiling in the middleBeams, lights and garage door runners lower the real height. Measure at the lowest point over the bay and the swing.
Our recommendation
For most rooms I start with SIM 2: it needs 3.26m of wall and a 2.7m ceiling. Go to SIM 1 only when the width forces it.
- If your room is 3.0 to 3.25m wide
- SIM 1, the narrowest bay, at 2.86m of wall.
- If your room is wide but short on floor
- SIM 0, 1m deep, if you have 3.56m of wall and 4.2m of length.
- If your ceiling is 3.1m or higher
- SIM 5 or SIM 6, 3m high and 3m deep inside.
- If the room must stay a living space
- The Vanish, in a room at least 5.18m long.
For your room we'd pick…
For most roomsSimSpace (Sim 2) Golf Enclosure 3 x 2.5 x 1.5 mSIM 2 needs 3.26m of wall and a 2.7m ceiling; the same page offers every size from SIM 0 to SIM 6.from£999.99
For a room short on floorSimSpace SIM 0 Golf Enclosure 3.3 x 2.5 x 1m (with side netting)1m deep inside, with side netting included. It needs 3.56m of wall and the full 4.2m length.£999.99
If you can't darken the roomSimSpace UltraMAX Golf Enclosure — High-Contrast Grey ScreenSIM 1 to SIM 6 with a grey high-contrast screen that holds the picture in ambient light.from£1,499.99
If the room must stay a living spaceSportScreen Vanish Series Retractable Golf Simulator EnclosureRolls up to the ceiling between sessions; 1.52m deep, in a room at least 5.18m long.from£3,499.99
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Questions people ask
Are the sizes inside or outside the frame?
Inside. The name gives the space inside the bay as width × height × depth. The outer frame is about 10cm bigger each way, for example 2.7 × 2.6 × 1.6m for a SIM 1, and that is what has to fit your room.
Why is SIM 0 called SIM 0?
It's the shallow bay, 1m deep instead of 1.5m, and it sits alongside SIM 1 to SIM 6 in the same range. It's 3.3m wide, so it suits rooms with plenty of width but less floor to give up.
What is the smallest room a SimSpace enclosure fits?
We design from 3.0m wide, 2.7m high and 4.2m long. That takes a SIM 1 with a camera launch monitor. Below that, I would start with a garden cage, a launch monitor for the range or a putting setup.
Do I need space behind the enclosure?
Yes. Leave at least 30cm clear behind the screen and 8cm each side of the frame, on top of the enclosure size. The screen should never touch a wall.
How long does a SimSpace enclosure take to build?
SimSpace says 45 minutes or less, with an assembly video linked from the instruction sheet. A second pair of hands makes the screen easier to fit.
Still unsure? Ask SIM:ON about this page. It knows our full range and live prices, and can pass your room to Tom.
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