You have a spare bedroom. It’s 10x11. Carpet. A closet. A window with blinds that barely work. Ceiling height is 8 feet 4 inches if you’re lucky.
You’ve been telling yourself it’s too small. You’ve been looking at garage builds and basement builds and thinking this room doesn’t have what those rooms have.
You’re wrong.
The spare bedroom is actually the easiest room to convert into a simulator. Not the best — a garage with 12-foot ceilings is better. But the easiest. No cars to evict. No moisture to fight. No HVAC ducts to dodge. No sump pump. No arguing over shared space. It’s a room nobody uses that’s already finished, climate-controlled, and wired for power.
The spare bedroom sim is the most practical move most guys never consider. You walk past it every day. It’s been holding a bed your mother-in-law sleeps in twice a year and boxes of Christmas decorations for the other 363 days.
That room is about to have a new purpose.
Step 1: Measure Your Bedroom (The Real Dimensions, Not the Zillow Listing)
The spare bedroom has three dimensions that matter, one material that matters, and two architectural features that either help or hurt.
Dimensions
Ceiling height. You already know where this is going. The minimum ceiling height guide covers the math in full detail, but here’s the spare bedroom version:
- 9 feet or more: Full unrestricted swings with every club. You hit driver, you hit fairway woods, you hit everything. This is the best-case scenario and more common in newer construction (post-2000) spare bedrooms.
- 8 feet 6 inches: Comfortable for irons and wedges. Driver is tight but doable — you’ll feel the top of your backswing getting close but won’t hit unless you’re over 6 feet tall or have an unusually upright swing.
- 8 feet: Irons work. Driver is a problem. Most standard-height guys (5’9“ to 6’0“) can hit a 7-iron through wedge without issue. Driver, 3-wood, and hybrid will hit the ceiling or force a modified swing. You have three choices: hit irons only (which is where you actually score), get a shorter driver shaft, or read the minimum ceiling height guide for the full fix.
- Under 8 feet: This is a problem. You can hit wedges and short irons with a compact swing. You cannot hit a driver. The 8-foot ceiling guide covers the specifics of what works and what doesn’t at each height increment.
Most spare bedrooms built before 2000 have 8-foot ceilings. Most built after 2000 have 9-foot ceilings. Measure yours. That single number determines everything downstream.
Depth. Standard spare bedrooms run 10 to 12 feet deep. Here’s what that means for each length:
- 10 feet deep: Tight but workable with a camera-based launch monitor. You place the ball 2 feet from the back wall, the screen at 10 feet. Your launch monitor sits next to the ball, not behind it. You have no room for a radar unit at all. A 10-foot deep room forces you into camera LMs only.
- 11 feet deep: Comfortable. Ball at 2 feet from the back wall, screen at 11 feet. You have 9 feet of ball flight. This is enough for any camera-based unit and even the tighter-swinging radar units like the Garmin R10 if you’re creative.
- 12 feet deep: Ideal for a bedroom. Ball at 2 feet, screen at 12 feet, 10 feet of ball flight. This gives you the most flexibility in launch monitor choice.
Width. Standard spare bedrooms run 10 to 12 feet wide.
- 10 feet wide: You fit an 8-foot wide enclosure with 1 foot on each side for frame clearance. That’s tight but fine. You cannot fit a 10-foot wide enclosure. Don’t try.
- 11-12 feet wide: An 8-foot enclosure fits comfortably with 1.5-2 feet on each side. You have room for a side table, a laptop stand, or a mini-fridge. This is the sweet spot.
The Material: Carpet
Your spare bedroom has carpet. This is different from every other room guide on this site.
Basements have concrete floors. Garages have concrete floors. Apartments have hardwood, tile, or thin carpet over concrete.
Spare bedrooms have thick, padded carpet over wood subfloor.
This matters because a hitting mat on thick carpet does not stay in place. It slides. It rocks when you swing. It compresses under your weight, changing the effective height of your stance relative to the ball.
The fix is mandatory: A 4x4 or 4x6 foot sheet of 3/4-inch plywood or OSB under your hitting mat. This gives you a stable, rigid base that doesn’t compress into the carpet padding. Place the plywood on the carpet, put your hitting mat on top. The plywood distributes your weight and keeps the mat level. Without it, you’ll feel the mat shift on every swing, and you’ll develop compensations that don’t exist on real grass.
Home Depot will cut a 4x4 sheet of 3/4-inch plywood for you. Cost: $35. This is not optional. Do it.
The Features: Closet and Windows
The closet. This is your secret weapon that basement and garage builds don’t have.
A standard spare bedroom closet is 4 to 6 feet wide and 2 feet deep. It has shelves, a rod, and a door. Here’s what you do with it:
- Equipment storage: The launch monitor, extra balls, tees, alignment sticks, laptop, cables, and tools all live in the closet. When guests come, everything disappears behind the door.
- Projector nook: If the closet is on the side wall (perpendicular to the hitting direction), you mount the projector on a shelf inside the closet, pointed at the screen. When you’re not simming, close the door. The projector is hidden, dust-free, and out of the way.
- PC/server closet: If you run a dedicated sim PC, put it on a shelf in the closet. Ventilation is important — leave the door cracked or cut a vent in the closet door. But keeping the PC out of the hitting zone means one less thing to worry about.
- Nothing at all: Some closets are in the wrong position (directly behind the hitting zone, or on the screen wall). That’s fine. You still get the storage benefit.
The windows. Every bedroom has at least one window. Windows cause two problems: light leakage that washes out the projector image, and the risk of a shanked ball breaking the glass.
Solutions:
- Blackout curtains. Not blinds. Not shades. Blackout curtains. A $40 set from Amazon that completely blocks daylight. If you sim during the day, these are mandatory. If you only sim at night, regular curtains are fine.
- Shank protection. Put a heavy moving blanket or a piece of 1/4-inch plywood over the window during sessions. Yes, it looks ridiculous. Yes, it’s better than replacing a broken window. I’ve seen plenty of forum posts from guys who’ve broken their bedroom window with a hosel rocket on an early session. Don’t be that guy.
- Window behind the screen. If your impact screen is mounted against the window wall, the screen itself protects the window. The screen absorbs the impact. This is the ideal orientation if your room layout allows it.
The Obstacle: The Door Swing
This is the most overlooked problem in spare bedroom sims.
The door swings INTO the room. When it’s open, it takes up 2 to 3 feet of your width. When it’s closed, you’re hot and stuffy after 20 swings.
The fix: Remove the door from its hinges. Store it in the closet. You don’t need it. You’re not sleeping in there. The door is eating your already-limited space.
If you need privacy (guests, kids, noise), replace the door with a sliding barn door or a curtain. A heavy curtain that slides on a ceiling track costs $30 and takes zero floor space when open. The door is gone, and you gained 3 feet of usable width.
Step 2: Camera Launch Monitors Are the Only Choice for a Bedroom
I’m going to be direct about this.
Do not buy a radar launch monitor for a spare bedroom. It will not work. The room is not deep enough. I don’t care if the Garmin R10 is on sale for $499. I don’t care if your buddy says his MLM2PRO works fine in his living room. In a 10- to 12-foot deep spare bedroom, radar units give you inaccurate data or no data.
Here’s why: radar launch monitors sit 6 to 8 feet behind the ball. They need the ball to travel 8 to 12 feet in front of them to get a full read. That’s 14 to 20 feet of total room depth. Your spare bedroom is 10 to 12 feet deep. The math doesn’t work.
Camera-based launch monitors sit next to the ball. They take a photo at impact. They need 6 to 8 feet of ball flight. They work in any room where you can swing a club.
| Launch Monitor | Price | Tech | Depth Needed | Why for Bedroom |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Square Golf Omni | $1,599 | 4-camera photometric | 8 ft | Best value — no sub, GSPro free, compact footprint |
| Uneekor Eye Mini | $1,499 | Camera | 8 ft | Club data + ball data, no sub, small unit |
| SkyTrak+ | $1,995 | Camera + radar hybrid | 8 ft | Largest software ecosystem, established pick |
| Uneekor Eye Mini Lite | $1,000 | Camera | 8 ft | No sub, club data, budget-friendly |
| Square Golf HE | $699 | Camera | 8 ft | Budget king — no sub, GSPro compatible |
| Bushnell Launch Pro | $2,499 | Camera (Foresight) | 8 ft | Foresight accuracy, optional subscription |
| Uneekor Eye XR | $6,999 | Overhead camera | 4 ft | Ceiling-mount, zero floor clutter, endgame |
The spare bedroom pick: Uneekor Eye Mini at $1,499. Club data, ball data, no subscription, compact unit that sits on a small table next to the hitting area. It works in 8 feet of depth. It works with GSPro, E6 Connect, and TGC 2019. It’s the perfect match for a spare bedroom where you want serious data without a permanent install.
The value pick: Square Golf Omni at $1,599. Four-camera photometric accuracy, no subscription, GSPro included free. It’s slightly larger than the Eye Mini but still fits on a side table. If you’re building a sim on a budget and want the best accuracy-to-dollar ratio, this is it.
The budget pick: Square Golf HE at $699. Camera-based, no subscription, GSPro compatible. It doesn’t give you club data (no face angle, club path, or attack angle). But for ball data and course play, it’s the cheapest camera unit that actually works. If you’re building a spare bedroom sim for under $1,000, this is your launch monitor.
The endgame: Uneekor Eye XR at $6,999. Ceiling-mounted overhead unit. Nothing on the floor. Walk into the room, step onto the mat, swing. If your ceiling is 9 feet or higher and your budget allows, this is the cleanest possible spare bedroom setup — zero floor clutter, zero setup time, zero spouse complaints about equipment being in the way.
Step 3: Screen, Enclosure, Net — What Fits in a Bedroom
You have three options for catching the ball. Each has different tradeoffs in a spare bedroom.
Option 1: Full Enclosure with Impact Screen ($400-$1,200)
This is the best experience. You mount an enclosure against one wall with an impact screen. The ball hits the screen, drops into the enclosure’s ball return, and rolls back to your feet. You add a projector, and the room becomes a full simulator.
The size: For a spare bedroom, buy an 8-foot wide enclosure. Do not buy a 9-foot or 10-foot wide enclosure. Your room is 10-12 feet wide, and you need 6-12 inches of clearance on each side for the frame. An 8-foot enclosure leaves you 1-2 feet on each side in a 10-12 foot room. That’s enough.
Carl’s Place sells 8-foot wide DIY enclosure kits for about $250 to $400 depending on the screen quality. The SIG8 enclosure is about $800. The full best enclosures guide breaks down every option.
Depth: The enclosure frame is about 18-24 inches deep. In a 10-foot deep room, the screen surface is at 10 feet, and the frame takes up 2 feet behind it. Your hitting zone starts at 2 feet from the back wall. That leaves 8 feet from ball to screen. That’s enough for any camera-based launch monitor.
The carpet problem: A full enclosure is heavy. On carpet, it won’t slide around, but it might tilt if the carpet is thick. Shim the frame legs with thin pieces of plastic or wood to level it.
Option 2: Net Only ($150-$400)
Skip the enclosure, skip the screen, skip the projector. A net catches the ball, and you watch the sim on a laptop or tablet. This is the practical choice for a spare bedroom that still needs to function as a guest room.
The Spornia SPG-7 ($200-350) is the best net for this. It’s 7 feet wide, sets up in under 2 minutes, and folds flat for storage in the closet. It handles full driver swings. The ball return chute drops balls at your feet instead of bouncing them back at your face.
The Net Return Pro ($400-500) is the step up. It doesn’t fold flat, but it’s wider (8 feet), more durable, and has a better ball return. If you have the closet space to store it assembled, it’s worth the upgrade.
Net setup on carpet: The net’s base sits on the carpet. It won’t slide during normal use. But make sure the net is far enough from the walls that a shank doesn’t skip past the net edge. Add 2 feet of clearance on each side of the net.
Option 3: DIY Frame with Screen ($200-$500)
Build a simple frame from 1-inch EMT conduit or PVC pipe. Stretch an impact screen across it. This is the budget DIY option.
For a spare bedroom, an 8x8 or 8x7 DIY frame works. The material cost is about $50-80 for conduit and fittings. The screen is $100-200 from Carl’s Place or Amazon.
The frame sits on the carpet. It’s light enough to move, heavy enough to stay put during a session. Disassemble it in 10 minutes and store it in the closet when guests arrive.
The Guest Room Problem
Here’s the question nobody wants to ask: “Can I still have guests?”
Yes. With the right setup.
The net-only approach (Option 2) is the most guest-friendly. Everything folds or packs into the closet. The plywood subfloor board slides under the bed. The room looks like a bedroom in 10 minutes.
The enclosure (Option 1) is the least guest-friendly. It’s bolted together and heavy. You’re not taking it down for weekend guests. Either accept that the room is now a sim room, or pick a different approach.
The DIY frame (Option 3) is in the middle. It disassembles in 10 minutes. You need storage space for the frame pieces and the screen. If you have a large closet (or a garage), this works.
My advice: If you’re still on the fence about the sim, build the net-only setup first. The Spornia is $200. A Square Golf HE is $699. A hitting mat is $80. Total: under $1,000 for a setup that produces real results. If you use it for three months and love it, then buy the enclosure, the projector, and the full build. If you don’t use it, you’re out $1,000, not $4,000.
Step 4: The Projector Question (and the Carpet Problem)
You can add a projector to a spare bedroom sim. You don’t need one. But if you want the full immersive experience, here’s what you need to know.
Short-throw projector: You need a short-throw or ultra-short-throw projector. In a 10-foot deep room, a standard-throw projector would need to be 10-12 feet from the screen — which puts it behind you, on the back wall, where it casts a shadow. A short-throw projector sits 4-6 feet from the screen, above and slightly behind the hitting zone, and doesn’t cast a shadow.
The BenQ TH671ST is the standard pick. $800-1,000. 1080p. 3,000 lumens. 4-6 foot throw distance for an 8-foot wide image.
Ceiling mounting vs. shelves: In a basement, you mount the projector on the ceiling. In a spare bedroom, the ceiling is drywall over joists. You can ceiling-mount if you find a joist and use appropriate anchors. Most DIYers can do this in an hour.
But here’s the better option for a bedroom: wall shelf. Mount a small shelf on the back wall of the room (or on the side wall, or inside the closet), at about 7 feet high. Put the projector on the shelf. No holes in the ceiling, no worry about hitting the projector with your backswing, and easy access for cable management.
The projector + carpet combination: A ceiling-mounted projector on a carpeted floor above a wood subfloor is fine. The carpet doesn’t affect the projector. But the vibration from your swing can make the projector image shake if the projector is on a shelf attached to the same wall your mat sits against. Mount the projector shelf on a different wall if possible, or use rubber isolation pads under the projector ($10 on Amazon).
Skip the projector if: Your ceiling is under 8 feet (the projector image gets cut off by your head), your room has a window you can’t black out, or you’re on a budget. A laptop on a desk next to the hitting zone running GSPro is a perfectly fine experience. The projector is a luxury, not a necessity.
Step 5: Four Complete Spare Bedroom Builds
Build 1: The Guest-Friendly Practice Setup ($800-$1,100)
The room stays a bedroom. Everything goes in the closet. Setup is 5 minutes. Teardown is 5 minutes.
| Component | Product | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Launch monitor | Square Golf HE | $699 |
| Net | Spornia SPG-7 | $200 |
| Mat | 4x5 foldable mat (GoSports or Garvee) | $80 |
| Subfloor | 3/4“ plywood sheet (4x4 ft) | $35 |
| Total | $1,014 |
The Square Golf HE sits on a small table next to the mat. The Spornia goes up in 2 minutes. The plywood stays under the mat — slide both under the bed when guests come. Everything else goes in the closet.
You practice with the Square Golf app or connect to GSPro on a laptop. No projector. No enclosure. But real ball data on every swing, and you can play 4,000 courses through GSPro.
Who this is for: The guy who still needs the guest room for his mother-in-law three times a year. The guy who wants to prove to himself he’ll use it before spending real money.
Build 2: The Dedicated Bedroom Sim ($2,500-$3,500)
The guest room is officially a sim room now. You’re not hiding it. You’re building it.
| Component | Product | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Launch monitor | Square Golf Omni | $1,599 |
| Enclosure | Carl’s Place DIY 8x8 enclosure kit | $350 |
| Mat | Fiberbuilt Studio Mat | $450 |
| Subfloor | 4x6 ft 3/4“ plywood | $50 |
| Projector | BenQ TH671ST (short throw) | $1,000 |
| Software | GSPro ($250/yr) | $250 |
| Blackout curtains | Amazon basic blackout curtains | $40 |
| Total | $3,739 |
This is the real thing. The enclosure goes against the wall. The projector mounts on a shelf on the back wall or side wall, pointed at the screen. The Omni gives you camera accuracy without a subscription. GSPro gives you the course library.
The room doesn’t work as a bedroom anymore. The enclosure is permanent. The mat stays on the plywood. The projector is on the shelf. You’re not taking this down for weekend guests.
But here’s the thing: you don’t want to. The room is better now.
Who this is for: The guy who has a spare bedroom he never uses, wants the full sim experience, and has accepted that his in-laws can get a hotel.
Build 3: The Detachable Bedroom Sim ($3,000-$4,500)
The middle ground. The room looks like a bedroom most of the time and becomes a sim in 10 minutes.
| Component | Product | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Launch monitor | Uneekor Eye Mini | $1,499 |
| Impact screen | Carl’s Place DIY screen only (8x7) | $150 |
| Frame | DIY EMT conduit frame (8x7) | $80 |
| Mat | Fiberbuilt Flight Deck | $150 |
| Subfloor | 4x4 ft 3/4“ plywood | $35 |
| Projector | BenQ TH671ST | $1,000 |
| Blackout curtains | Amazon basic blackout curtains | $40 |
| Total | $2,954 |
The DIY frame is the key. It’s light enough to disassemble in 10 minutes. The screen folds and goes in the closet. The frame pieces go in the closet or under the bed. The projector stays on the shelf (or goes in the closet too).
The Uneekor Eye Mini sits on a small side table. It goes in the closet when guests arrive.
Setup: 10 minutes. Teardown: 10 minutes. The room is a bedroom for 23 hours a day and a sim for 1 hour.
Who this is for: The guy who has guests 5-10 times a year, but wants the full sim experience the other 355 days. The guy who doesn’t want to explain to his wife why the guest room looks like a golf simulator store.
Build 4: The Premium Permanent Bedroom Sim ($5,000-$6,500)
You’re all in. No compromises. The best possible spare bedroom sim.
| Component | Product | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Launch monitor | Uneekor Eye XR (ceiling mount) | $6,999 |
| Enclosure | Carl’s Place premium 8x9 enclosure | $800 |
| Mat | SIGPRO Softy | $600 |
| Subfloor | 4x6 ft 3/4“ plywood | $50 |
| Projector | BenQ AK700ST (short throw) | $1,100 |
| Gaming PC | Dedicated sim PC (RTX 4060) | $900 |
| Software | GSPro ($250/yr) | $250 |
| Blackout curtains | High-end blackout curtains | $80 |
| Total | $10,779 |
Wait, that’s $10,779. Let me be honest: the premium build with the Eye XR is expensive. But it’s also the cleanest possible bedroom sim.
The Eye XR mounts on the ceiling. Nothing on the floor except the mat. No cables to trip over. No launch monitor to store. You walk in, step onto the mat, and swing. The projector is ceiling-mounted above and behind you. The enclosure frames the screen. The PC sits in the closet on a shelf with ventilation.
The room looks like a golf simulator room. It does not look like a bedroom. That’s the point.
If the Eye XR is too rich for you, swap it for the Uneekor Eye Mini ($1,499) and the total drops to $5,779. The trade-off is the Eye Mini sits on a floor stand or side table instead of being invisible on the ceiling.
Who this is for: The guy with a $6,000+ budget who wants the best possible spare bedroom simulator and doesn’t care about using the room for anything else.
What I’d Actually Build
Build 2. The Square Golf Omni permanent build at $3,739.
Here’s why: the Omni gives you four-camera photometric accuracy at $1,599 with no subscription and free GSPro. That’s the best value in the launch monitor market right now. The Carl’s Place DIY enclosure is $350 and takes a weekend to assemble. The BenQ projector gives you a 1080p image that looks great in a dark room. The Fiberbuilt Studio Mat protects your joints. Total: $3,739 for a real, permanent, full-size golf simulator in a room you already own.
If you need the room to occasionally function as a bedroom, Build 3 (the detachable version) is your move. The DIY frame and disassembled storage add 10 minutes to every session, but you keep the room dual-purpose.
If you’re not sure you’ll use it, Build 1. The Square Golf HE at $699 plus a Spornia net at $200. Under $1,000 for a real practice setup that proves you’ll actually use it. Upgrade later.
The Spare Bedroom Specifics Nobody Tells You
Ventilation. A room with no windows open gets hot fast after 100 swings. If you removed the door, you have airflow from the hallway. If you kept the door, crack it open or add a small fan. A $20 box fan on the floor in the corner of the room makes a massive difference in comfort during 30-minute sessions.
Carpet maintenance. Your carpet will get wear marks where the plywood sits. Rotate the plywood position every month to prevent permanent depressions. Vacuum under the plywood regularly — dust accumulates in the darkness.
The bed. If you’re keeping the bed (Build 1 or 3), move it against the wall that’s NOT the screen wall and NOT the hitting zone wall. You need clear floor space for the swing. A bed in the corner behind the hitting zone is fine. A bed in the middle of the room is a problem.
Electrical outlets. Most bedrooms have outlets on two walls. You need power for: launch monitor, projector, laptop/PC, hitting mat (if it has a sensor), and a fan. That’s 3-5 devices in one area. Buy a power strip or extension cord. Don’t daisy chain. A 12-gauge, 15-amp extension cord is $20.
Noise through walls. Bedrooms share walls with other rooms. Your partner will hear you hitting balls in the next room. The noise is a muffled thump through drywall, not a crack. Most people find it acceptable. If you’re simming at 10 PM and your partner is trying to sleep, the thump will carry. Pick reasonable hours or add a layer of soundproofing (mass-loaded vinyl, $50-100) behind the screen.
The wife/partner conversation. This is the real obstacle. “You’re taking the guest room” is a harder sell than “I’m building something in the garage.” The answer is Build 1 or Build 3 — the setups that preserve the room’s ability to function as a bedroom. If you go with Build 2 or 4, you need the direct conversation: “This room is now a golf simulator room. We need a different plan for guests.”
That conversation is easier if you frame it in terms of use. If guests stay 5 nights a year and you use the sim 200 nights a year, the room is 40 times more useful as a sim. A $200 inflatable mattress in the home office covers the guest situation. A sim that costs $3,739 covers 200 nights of practice.
The Verdict
Your spare bedroom is not too small. It’s not the wrong shape. It’s not missing the right features. It’s an empty room you’re paying for anyway, and it has everything you need.
The carpet needs a $35 sheet of plywood under your mat. The door probably needs to come off its hinges. The windows need blackout curtains. The launch monitor needs to be camera-based, not radar.
Those are small jobs. They take a Saturday afternoon and $100 in materials.
What you get back is a golf simulator in a climate-controlled room that’s 20 feet from your kitchen. No walking to the garage in January. No basement stairs. No evicting cars. Just walk into the room and hit balls.
The spare bedroom sim is the best entry point for most golfers. It’s cheap, it’s easy, and the room was already wasted.
Go measure your ceiling. Go measure your depth. Find the build that fits your budget and your guest situation. Order the gear.
And if your mother-in-law complains she has to stay at a hotel? Tell her the internet says it’s fine.
Check your space requirements → Read the minimum ceiling height guide → Best launch monitors for small rooms → Best golf simulator enclosures → Best impact screens → Best hitting mats → Best golf simulator for apartments → Basement golf simulator setup → Golf simulator game room guide → Will it fit tool →
Prices listed are approximate as of July 2026. Launch monitor pricing fluctuates — check current prices before buying. We may earn a commission if you purchase through links on this page, but this guide is independent and based on documented spare bedroom builds.