How do I make a home golf simulator safe, especially with children?

Where the risk actually is

A simulator is a small room with a club moving at full speed and a ball that has to stop somewhere. Almost every problem I hear about comes from one of four things:

• Someone standing in the swing, or too close to it.
• A ball coming back: bounce-back off the screen, or a ricochet off the frame or a hard wall.
• A shank or toe hit that leaves the bay sideways.
• The club hitting the ceiling, a light or the projector on the backswing.

Each has its own fix. If a term is new, the glossary explains it.

Where people stand

This is the one rule that matters most, and the makers all say it. Foresight's enclosure warnings are blunt: always keep a safe distance behind the player, and "NO ONE SHOULD STAND in front of player when in use." Uneekor's EYE MINI manual says swinging a club while others are present "may result in serious injury or death."

1. One person in the hitting area at a time. Use the edge of the mat as the line nobody crosses while someone is swinging.
2. Everyone else waits behind the golfer, beyond the reach of a full swing, never level with or ahead of the ball.
3. With a radar behind the ball, keep the strip between the unit and the ball clear. FlightScope says to keep it clear "of any objects and people" for the Mevo Gen2, so the seating goes to the side of that line, not on it.
4. With a camera unit beside the ball, nobody sits by the unit. A Garmin Approach® R50 sits about 0.5m from the tee, inside the swing area.
5. When a left-hander takes over, the camera unit moves to the other side of the ball and the safe waiting spot moves with it. Say so out loud each time.

SimSpace adds a simple check: take a few slow practice swings to confirm the club clears everything around you before hitting a ball.

Bounce-back

Bounce-back is the ball coming back off the screen towards the golfer. Three things control it.

Space behind the screen

A screen needs room to give. SimSpace's assembly instructions ask for at least 30cm behind the impact screen and 8cm each side of the enclosure, and that 30cm is on top of the bay's depth. Its safety guidelines go further and ask for 50cm behind and 20cm either side as a buffer for ball impacts. If your room has the extra, use it. Never let the screen touch a wall: SimSpace's care guide asks for 30cm to 40cm (12 to 16in) from any wall. A foam backing layer behind the screen protects the wall and soaks up some of the energy.

Tension

SimSpace puts the trade-off plainly: a tighter screen gives more bounce-back and less wear, a looser one less bounce-back but faster wear. I set them firm, not drum-tight.

Where you hit from

The two suppliers we use don't agree. GolfBays says to hit from about 2.5m in a 2.5m-high bay, because further back sends wedges over the screen into the fabric surround. SimSpace's care guide says to stand at least 10 to 12 feet (3.0m to 3.7m) back to reduce bounce-back. Our rooms are planned at 2.5m from ball to screen, which keeps high shots on the screen in a 2.5m-high SIM 1 to SIM 4. In a 3m-high SIM 5 or SIM 6 you can stand further back and get both.

Ricochets and sideways shots

The impact screen is the only part made to take a full-speed ball. Garmin's R50 manual lists what else the room needs indoors: a net or screen high and wide enough for high-lofted and errant shots, free space behind it, and padding on any frame "to help reduce ball ricochet."

• The velour side and ceiling panels on every SimSpace bay catch mishits inside it. They are in every room package.
• Side netting, a 1.5 x 2.5m panel either side of the bay, catches what leaves it sideways. It is an add-on for every bay except SIM 0, which comes with its own.
• The bumper pack covers the base bar, where topped shots hit metal and come back.
• Foam on any exposed wall. SimSpace asks for all hard surfaces near the screen to be padded. Where to pad and how much works it out for a real room.

The full set of layers is on how to stop balls escaping.

Ceiling strikes

The ceiling is the most common thing to get hit, and it is the club, not the ball. Our minimum is 2.7m, and 3m is comfortable. SkyTrak makes the useful point that safe ceiling height "varies and depends on your physical height and the length of your club", so a tall adult with a driver needs more than a junior with a 7-iron. Before you commit, stand where the tee will be, take a slow full swing with your driver, and look up. In a 2.7m room, pad the ceiling line above the tee. A light fitting or a ceiling projector over the hitting area needs moving; our packages use a floor case for the projector instead.

Children and juniors

Access to the room

SimSpace's own guidelines ask you to think about whether children or pets can get into the room, and suggest a closed door, baby gates or a pen. Keep clubs in a bag or rack out of reach, and treat the room like a workshop: an adult present whenever a club is being swung. Foresight's warning cards say to never let children play "without strict adult supervision."

Club length

A child swinging a cut-down or adult club has a longer, heavier club than they can control, and the arc reaches further than you expect. U.S. Kids Golf sizes its junior clubs by the child's height, measured with shoes on, in bands from 36 to 39 inches up to 66 to 69 inches. Size by height, not age, and re-check every season. A shorter club also needs less ceiling.

Settings for juniors

• Give each child their own player profile. E6 Connect's profile sets the tee box, handedness and tee height per player, and Foresight's software sets tee box, handedness and handicap for each player.
• Use a forward or junior tee so the course plays to their distances.
• Start with wedges and short irons before the driver.
• Foam or plastic balls are fine for toddlers playing about, but most launch monitors won't track them. Garmin and Rapsodo both say so.

Before every session

SimSpace asks for a check before each use: look for wear on the screen and frame, replace damaged parts, keep cables tidy and on a surge protector, and make sure the projector is fixed securely. Keep a first aid kit in the room. It takes a minute.