5 Reasons NOT to Buy a Home Golf Simulator

Let’s be honest. If you’re reading this, it’s probably already too late.

You’ve got the itch. The sim studio itch that only a launch monitor, a projector, and a 10-foot-wide impact screen can scratch.

You’re watching YouTube videos of other people’s setups and muttering things like, “Honey, do we really need both cars in the garage?”

You’re in deep.

But before you take the plunge—before you fire off five grand for a Garmin Approach R50 and forget to budget for a hitting mat—let’s pump the brakes. Take a deep breath. Maybe head to the range to clear your head.

Because believe it or not, there are a few very real, very valid reasons why you might not want to buy a home golf simulator. Some of them are practical. Some are emotional. And some are just the cold, hard truth that no one on YouTube wants to say out loud.

So in the spirit of full disclosure—and fun—here are five reasons not to buy a golf simulator (even if you’re definitely going to anyway).

Because It’s Christmas, and You Need to Think About Others

(An actual spouse's quote given by a PlayBetter customer who had to return his R50 last year!)

Let’s start with the obvious one: It’s a selfish purchase.

And, like, that’s cool… For you.

But you’ve got to admit, dropping several thousand dollars on your dream golf studio just weeks after promising your spouse you’d “cut back on Amazon orders” might not win you any household MVP awards.

And yes, you say it’s for the whole family.

“You know, the kids can use it too.”

“It’ll be great for family bonding.”

“Remember how much you liked Wii Golf?”

But unless your 7-year-old is eager to dig into Uneekor’s spin axis data, let’s not pretend: This one’s for you.

That’s totally OK. Just maybe ease off the “everyone’s gonna love it” angle. A golf simulator is not an air fryer. It is not a family appliance. It is a me machine. And if you’re going to buy it anyway, might as well just own it.

You Think It’s Going to Fix Your Swing (Like, Magically)

We’ve all been there. Standing in the garage, eyeing the space where your future simulator might go, thinking: “If I just had one of these setups, I’d finally get rid of that banana slice.”

And hey, maybe you will! But let’s just slow our roll for a second.

Because while a golf simulator can absolutely help you improve (and we mean really improve), it’s not some magical swing-healing chamber. It doesn’t come with a button that says “Remove Push Fade.” It’s not going to teach you proper sequencing or fix your grip.

What it will do is shine a big, beautiful spotlight on your golf swing. It’ll show you your path, face angle, attack angle, club speed, ball speed, spin rate, launch angle. Most importantly, it’ll show you patterns. Truthfully.

That kind of data? That kind of consistency? It’s exactly what you need to start getting better. IF you’re willing to put in the work. If you’re someone who’s excited about identifying problems, experimenting with changes, and tracking progress, a golf simulator can be the best coach you’ve ever had.

Just don’t expect to step into your sim bay and come out a month later with a plus-handicap.

A golf simulator doesn’t hand you a better game. It hands you the tools. It’s up to you to build something with them.

You Didn’t Actually Measure Your Space (Correctly)

Here’s a fun fact: 70 percent of home simulator dreams die the moment someone realizes their ceiling is 8’4” inches tall and there’s a duct running right through the middle of the backswing zone.

Look, we’ve all done it. You think you’ve got the room. You eyeball it. You do a few slow swings with your driver and think, “Yeah, I can make this work.”

You cannot.

The first rule of building a golf simulator is measure, then measure again. Then measure a third time while pretending you’re 6’4” and swing like Bryson DeChambeau.

A few space-related buzzkills you might not be accounting for:

• That light fixture you forgot about
• The garage door track that hangs just low enough to eat your follow-through
• The fact that you’re a righty and your buddy’s a lefty and now nobody can swing safely
• Your ceiling height is 9 feet… except for that one soffit that’s right where you want to hit from

Before you even think about simulator gear, know your dimensions. To be on the safe side, we recommend:

• 10 feet wide (12 to 14 feet if playing with both righties and lefties)
• 10 feet deep for camera-based launch monitors (as much as 21 feet for radar devices)
• 9 feet tall (taller golfers and longer swings may require higher ceilings)

Bottom line? Don’t be the guy who buys the launch monitor first and then realizes his sim space is only big enough for a Peloton and a prayer.

You Will Become Obsessive

Let’s not sugarcoat it. Owning a home golf simulator will change you.

At first, it’s innocent. You’re excited. You open the boxes. You follow the setup guide. You hit a few shots. You’re a normal person.

Then it begins.

You start watching every simulator content creator on YouTube.

You begin referring to your garage as “the lab.”

You post screenshots of dispersion patterns to Reddit and ask strangers to analyze your data.

You debate hitting mat qualities at dinner parties.

And you say things like, “This is actually good for my mental health. It keeps me relaxed.” Meanwhile, you’re on hour six of troubleshooting a GSPro update because your right-side bunkers aren’t rendering correctly at Bethpage Black.

I’m not saying this will happen to you.

I’m just saying this will totally happen to you.

Or… You’re Not Actually Going to Use It That Much

This is the part no one talks about.

You spend weeks researching launch monitors. You finally settle on a hitting mat. You agonize over projector throw ratios and whether you should go 4:3 or 16:9.

You build the thing. It’s awesome. You hit balls every day for two weeks.

Then life happens.

The kids have sports and plays and concerts. Work gets crazy. You throw your back out after you come out of the gates too hot. Suddenly it’s been three weeks since you opened the garage simulator door.

Life is busy. But if you’re justifying the investment saying, “I’ll use it all the time,” understand this: Not everybody does. It takes real intentionality to make simulator practice a regular habit.

If your real goal is to have a cool toy to show your buddies when they come over for the game, that’s totally fine. Just don’t lie to yourself about how many hours you’re going to “grind short game” in your off time.

Bonus Reason: You Will Never Stop Upgrading

Let’s say you ignore every reason on this list. You go ahead and build the golf simulator.

Congrats! You made it.

Except now, you’re going to keep spending.

First it’s, “I need a better hitting mat (you do!).”

Then, “I should really upgrade to 4K.”

Or, “Why don’t I just go all-in and get the Foresight QuadMAX?”

It doesn’t end. Sim golf is like real golf. The rabbit hole has no bottom.

So, Should You Buy a Golf Simulator?

Come on, let’s be real. You probably should buy a golf simulator. It’s undeniably awesome and it has the potential to make you a much cooler human being.

It’s fun. It’s immersive. It gives you a way to practice, play, and improve your game without ever leaving the house. And once you’ve built your space right, it becomes the kind of thing that delivers value for years to come.

But you also now know the truth:

• It’s not cheap
• It won’t magically fix your game
• It takes space and time
• And if you’re not careful, it’ll take over your entire personality

Still in?

Good. Let’s get building.

About PlayBetter Golf Reviewer Marc Sheforgen

Marc "Shef" Sheforgen is a golf writer whose passion for the game far exceeds his ability to play it well. Marc covers all things golf, from product reviews and equipment recommendations to event coverage and tournament analysis. When he’s not playing, watching, or writing about golf, he enjoys traveling (often golf-related), youth sports coaching, volunteering, and record collecting.