Used Golf Simulators & Second-Hand Golf Cages UK: Read This First

Every week someone messages me a Facebook Marketplace or eBay listing and asks the same question: “is this used golf simulator a bargain, or am I about to buy someone else’s problem?” I sell this kit new for a living, so you would expect me to say never buy used — and I am not going to say that, because sometimes used genuinely is the right call. But the used market for golf simulators and cages has three traps that do not exist when you buy a used driver or a used trolley, and they are invisible in the listing photos: warranties that do not transfer, software licences that die with the first owner, and netting that has quietly been destroyed by two British summers. Here is how each one works, when used still makes sense, and what I would buy new at every price instead.

Trap one: the warranty stays with the first owner

A launch monitor is a precision measurement device stuffed with cameras or radar electronics, and when one goes wrong it is not something a local repair shop fixes. That makes the manufacturer’s warranty a real part of what you are paying for when you buy new — and on most launch monitor brands, that warranty does not transfer to a second owner. The original purchaser had cover; you have a shrug.

Think about what that means at real prices. A used camera launch monitor at, say, two-thirds of new price looks like a saving — until you price in that a fault which would have been a free warranty repair for the first owner is now entirely your problem, on a device where repairs are specialist or simply uneconomic. You are not buying the same product for less money; you are buying a different, riskier product. Sometimes that gamble is priced fairly. Usually, in my experience of what these listings actually ask, it is not.

Trap two: the software licence problem

This is the one almost nobody checks before handing over cash. A modern launch monitor is half hardware, half software ecosystem — and the simulation software licences attached to a unit are often non-transferable. The seller may not even realise: they activated everything three years ago and have long forgotten what is tied to their account.

FlightScope is the example I always give customers because the policy is explicit: FlightScope simulation software is non-refundable once activated, and it is worth reading flightscope.com’s own terms on how licences and activations work before buying any FlightScope unit second hand. The pattern repeats across the industry in different forms — subscriptions tied to the original account, activations that cannot move, tiers that lapse on transfer. The practical result: the used unit that “comes with all the software” may come with none of it once it is in your hands, and re-buying the software can wipe out most of the saving. Before any used LM purchase, make the seller demonstrate, in writing from the manufacturer if possible, exactly what transfers to you.

Trap three: the second-hand cage and the UV problem

Used cages fail differently. Steel frames are honestly fine second hand — galvanised tube does not care who owns it, and if a used frame is straight and complete it will serve you for years. The net is another story. UV degrades netting fibre by fibre through every summer it stands outside, and the damage is almost invisible: a net can look complete, feel intact, and be one winter away from holing because the cords have lost their strength. British weather is the number-one killer of nets full stop, and a used net has already spent its life savings.

We found this repeatedly with customers who bought used cages elsewhere and then came to us for parts: the frame was a genuine bargain, and the net lasted them months. A customer in Somerset picked up a second-hand 3m cage locally, and by the following spring was buying a replacement 3m cage net at £172.99–£275.99 — which, added to what he paid the seller, put him within touching distance of a brand-new cage with a fresh net and a warranty. When you price a used cage, price it as frame-only and assume the net is dead. If the maths still works, it might be a good buy.

When buying used genuinely makes sense

Now the fair-minded half of the argument, because blanket “never buy used” advice is retailer self-interest dressed up as wisdom. Used works when the thing you are buying has no licence, no warranty dependence and no hidden consumable:

• Frames, weights, bases and hardware — low-risk, inspectable, no small print. Good used buys.
• A used cage priced as frame-only — fine, if you budget a new net on top and can view it standing before you pay.
• A used launch monitor at a genuinely deep discount — can make sense if you have confirmed exactly what software transfers, accepted that there is no warranty, and tested it hitting real shots before money moves. Some sellers are golfers upgrading, the unit is immaculate, and the deal is real. Just know that you are the warranty now.

What I would never buy used: an impact screen (it is a wear item, like buying used brake pads), any netting, or any launch monitor the seller will not let you see working.

What I would buy new instead, at each price

The theme in that table is not “new is always better” — it is that the used discount has to beat the cost of the risks, and at current used asking prices it usually does not. My rule of thumb — a personal judgement from years of pricing these listings for customers, not a market statistic — is this: when a used listing is genuinely around 50% of new for kit you can inspect and software you can verify, take it seriously. When it is 75% of new with “barely used, no longer have the account details”, walk away, because at that price you are paying nearly-new money while carrying all of the risk yourself.

Questions to ask any used seller before you pay

Ten minutes of asking the right questions is the cheapest insurance in the used market. These are the ones I would put to any seller before travelling to view a cage or launch monitor, let alone handing over money:

• Can I watch it working — real shots, real numbers — before money changes hands?
• Exactly which software licences transfer to me, and can you show that in writing?
• How long has the cage or net stood outside, year-round or seasonal?
• Is there any remaining warranty, and does the manufacturer honour it for second owners?
• Why are you selling? (Upgrading golfers are good sellers; “never got into it” sellers often have immaculate kit — both beat silence.)

Frequently asked questions

Do launch monitor warranties transfer to a second owner?

On most brands, no — the warranty covers the original purchaser. That should materially change what you are willing to pay used, because you are absorbing the full repair risk on a specialist electronic device.

Is golf simulator software transferable when I buy used?

Often not, and this is the most expensive surprise in the used market. Licences and activations are frequently tied to the first owner’s account, and FlightScope simulation software, for example, is explicitly non-refundable once activated. Verify what transfers, in writing, before you buy — not after.

Are used golf nets safe?

Treat any net that has lived outside for multiple summers as end-of-life regardless of how it looks. UV damage is invisible until the net fails, usually at driver speed. Price used cages as frame-only and fit new netting.

What is the cheapest safe alternative to buying used?

New at the budget end. The ProFlex pop-up cage at £279.99 undercuts most used cage listings I get sent, arrives with an unweathered net, and comes from a retailer who answers the phone. In launch monitors, buying one tier down new — a Mevo Gen 2 rather than a used camera flagship — gets you warranty, working software and honest numbers.

My honest position: I recommend used freely for frames and hardware, cautiously for launch monitors with verified software transfer, and never for nets or screens. If the used listing you are weighing up cannot clear those bars, the new kit above is where the same money buys certainty.

Not sure which option fits your space or budget? Message Tom on WhatsApp for a free consultation — no obligation, real answers from someone who installs this kit weekly.