Your Most Valuable Golf Simulator Investment Isn’t Technology. It’s Space.

Why the space you leave empty may be one of the most important design decisions you make.

One of the most valuable things you can put into a golf simulator room is nothing at all: empty space. Room around the golfer, room above the golfer, room for friends, golf bags and people moving through the space, and room for the unexpected shot that doesn’t go where anyone thought it would.

Through owning and using my own golf simulator and designing systems for clients, I have come to believe that space is one of the most underestimated investments in a simulator project. Unlike most of the technology we put into these rooms, space is extremely difficult to upgrade later. You can replace a projector, change your launch monitor, or upgrade your computer and software. Adding another foot to the ceiling or two feet to the width of an existing room is a very different proposition.

That is why I increasingly think about simulator design from the space outward rather than the equipment inward.

Space Is Part of the System

For the simulator rooms we design at SimCaddy, I like approximately 16 feet wide, 10 feet high and 18 feet deep as an optimal target whenever the available space allows it. Those dimensions are not a universal standard. Every golfer, enclosure and equipment package is different, and manufacturer requirements always need to be considered.

What those dimensions provide is something extremely valuable: margin. Margin around the golfer, margin above the golfer, margin for spectators, golf bags and movement, and margin for the shot that goes somewhere nobody expected it to go.

That empty space is not wasted square footage. It is part of the simulator.

Early in my career, I sold advertising for newspapers and magazines, where every headline, photo and ad competed for attention. I quickly learned that empty space could be just as powerful as the content itself. Clients often wanted to fill every inch they were paying for, but the goal was not to fill the space. It was to use it effectively.

Think about flipping through a busy newspaper or magazine and suddenly coming across a page with almost nothing on it. You would notice it immediately. Empty space creates contrast, draws the eye and gives the message room to breathe.

I think golf simulator design works the same way. Most people look at a room and ask what they can put into it. I often ask a different question:

What space do we need to leave available?

Making It Fit Is Not the Same as Designing It Well

Many customers come to us with a room that already exists. The walls are built, the ceiling height is fixed, and the doors and windows are already in place. Very often, we can make a simulator work, but there is an important difference between asking, “Can I fit a golf simulator in this room?” and asking, “Can I create a great golf simulator experience in this room?”

Those are not always the same thing.

An empty room can also be deceptive. Put four golfers into it, add four golf bags, seating, a table, drinks and people moving in and out, and suddenly it feels much smaller. That is why I like to create a clear distinction between the playing area and the spectator area.

Whenever possible, seating and bar tables are positioned toward the back of the room. Besides making the space more comfortable, they help create a natural boundary. Golf bags need somewhere to live, and entrances and pathways should allow people to move through the room without unnecessarily crossing into the golfer’s swing area.

These may sound like small details, but they make a major difference once people actually start using the space. They also create a greater margin for safety. A well-designed simulator should make it intuitive where the golfer belongs, where spectators belong and how people move through the room.

Assume the Unexpected Shot Will Happen

There is another simple principle I use when thinking about simulator design: anything in front of the golf ball should be considered capable of being hit.

Eventually, somebody is going to shank one. Good golfers do it, and beginners certainly do it. Walls, windows, lighting, televisions, speakers and other equipment all need to be considered. Ideally, an errant ball should have somewhere safe to go.

That is why enclosure depth, side protection and appropriately selected padded surfaces can become important parts of the room. In commercial environments, this matters even more because you do not know who will be using the simulator. One golfer may be highly experienced. The next may never have swung a club before.

Good design has to account for both while still giving the golfer enough room to swing freely. Safety and risk management do not need to dominate the simulator experience. In fact, I think the best design does the opposite. It quietly builds them into the room from the beginning.

I Know What Compromise Looks Like

When I built my first golf simulator at my home, I was working with a space approximately 14 feet wide with a 9-foot ceiling. It is not what I would consider an optimal room, but I still enjoy using it.

Living with that space has also taught me where the compromises are. A lower ceiling gives you less clearance. A narrower room reduces flexibility for different golfers and hitting positions. Less depth can bring spectators closer to the playing area.

None of that means a simulator cannot work in a smaller room. Mine certainly does. It means every foot you give up makes thoughtful design more important.

If I were building my simulator room again from scratch, I would give myself more width, more height and more depth.

That experience influences the way I design systems for clients today. I am not only thinking about whether the equipment will work when we install it. I am thinking about the overall experience and what it will be like to use that room years from now.

Technology Can Be Upgraded. Space Is Harder to Change.

Golf simulator technology continues to evolve quickly. You can upgrade a launch monitor, replace a projector, buy a faster computer, change software or replace a screen.

But if your ceiling is too low, there is no software update for that. If the room is too narrow, a more expensive launch monitor will not create more swing clearance. And if spectators are standing too close to the golfer, a brighter projector does not solve the problem.

That is why I believe space should be treated as one of the most valuable investments in a simulator project.

At SimCaddy, we spend a lot of time thinking about technology, but good simulator design starts before the technology. It starts with the golfer, the room and the way people will actually use the space.

There is a big difference between installing a golf simulator and designing a great golf simulator environment.

Sometimes the most valuable part of that environment is the space you deliberately leave empty.