SkyTrak Plus Space Requirements - How Much Space Do You Need? [Home Golf Simulator Guide - Full Indoor/Outdoor Specs]
How much space do you need for a SkyTrak+ in your home golf simulator? Our golf reviewer has spent a lot of time with this launch monitor indoors and he lays it out below!
There are two primary considerations for anyone planning to build a home golf simulator studio, including with a SkyTrak+: cost and space.
Not long ago, cost was the biggest roadblock for most golfers dreaming of an indoor golf setup. Golf launch monitors were just too expensive for anyone but the true hardcores. But that’s changed dramatically in the past few years. There are now multiple options for every budget, including for people who want to spend less than $1,000.
Space is now the biggest issue for most home golf simulator builds.
And among the most common questions we receive is: “How much space do I need for a SkyTrak+ indoor golf simulator?”
Good news! Of all the golf launch monitors available, the SkyTrak+ offers some of the best space-saving opportunities. Let’s take a look at how big of a room you’ll need to use a SkyTrak+ indoors.
How Much Indoor Space Do You Need for a SkyTrak+ Golf Simulator?
One of the biggest reasons that the SkyTrak+ is such a great indoor golf simulator is that to use it, you really only need enough room to comfortably swing a golf club without damaging your surroundings.
Because the SkyTrak Plus reads golf shots from the side of the golf ball rather than from behind it, you’ll need considerably less room depth than what is required with other golf launch monitors.
Also, because the SkyTrak golf launch monitor’s photometric system records data at the moment of impact, you don’t need as much room in front of the ball as you would with competing products. Once again, that means significantly less room depth.
So, how big of a room do you need to use a SkyTrak Plus indoors?
Well, that is going to depend a bit on the size of the golfer. Remember that taller golfers with longer swings are going to need more space than shorter golfers with more compact swings.
But, generally speaking, here are our room-size recommendations to comfortably use a SkyTrak+ indoors:
- 10 feet wide
- 10 feet deep
- 9 feet tall
Again, these SkyTrak+ space requirements can vary. You may be able to build an indoor golf simulator studio with less space, especially when it comes to room depth. While we recommend 10 feet of depth to operate a SkyTrak+ comfortably, you really only need enough room behind you so that you don’t hit the wall with your backswing and enough room in front of you so that you don’t hit your impact screen or net on your followthrough and so that the ball can travel from your clubface to the screen or net without ricocheting back into your body.
Our best advice for determining how much space you’ll need to use a SkyTrak+ indoors is to swing your driver (your longest club) in the space you want to use as your indoor golf simulator studio. Swing slowly at first, gradually building up to full-speed swings. If you can swing your driver freely without hitting the walls or ceiling, your space can most likely accommodate a SkyTrak Plus. Just remember to consider the size of any other golfers who might visit your sim studio.
The Downside of the Space-Saving SkyTrak Plus Golf Launch Monitor
The tradeoff for having a golf launch monitor like the SkyTrak+ that sits to the side of the ball and requires less room depth is that it’s a bit of a pain if you have right-handed and left-handed golfers playing at the same time.
With a radar-based golf launch monitor — something like the FlightScope Mevo Plus, Rapsodo MLM2PRO, or Garmin Approach R10 — the unit sits 6 to 8 feet behind the golf ball. That means you need a lot more room depth. But it also means that you can stand on either side of the golf ball without having to move the launch monitor.
With the SkyTrak+, or options like the Bushnell Launch Pro or Foresight Sports GC3, the launch monitor sits to the side, with the golf ball in between the golfer and the launch monitor. That means if you switch from a righty to a lefty, you’ll need to move the golf launch monitor to the opposite side of the golf ball. Doing so would of course disrupt the rhythm of a simulated round of golf, so that is something to take into account if you plan to play sim golf regularly with both righties and lefties.
Is the SkyTrak+ a Good Indoor Golf Simulator Option?
As long as you’re not planning to regularly switch back and forth between right-handed and left-handed golfers, the SkyTrak Plus is an outstanding golf launch monitor choice if you’re building a golf simulator studio.
We talked about how much less room depth you’ll need with the SkyTrak+ compared to radar launch monitors that sit behind the golfer and golf ball. That’s a big deal for a lot of people. Saving even a couple of feet on room dimensions can be the difference between having enough space to pull off an indoor sim setup and being left to continue to dream.
But beyond those space-saving advantages, the SkyTrak+ is incredibly fun to use indoors. It’s got an impressive array of data metrics. It’s amazingly accurate. It’s compatible with an assortment of third-party simulator software options. And the app experience is such a blast. There are so many games, challenges, and virtual driving ranges, and SkyTrak announced at the 2024 PGA Show that there are even more software enhancements coming soon. So, yes, the SkyTrak+ golf launch monitor makes for an excellent indoor golf simulator option.
To learn much more about all that this incredible product can do, read our in-depth SkyTrak+ review.
And if you want everything you’ll need for the perfect indoor simulator studio, consider one of our turnkey SkyTrak+ SimStudio complete home simulator studio packages. You’ll get everything you need — golf launch monitor, impact screen, enclosure, projector, hitting mats, and more — all sent to your house. You could be up and running within one day of receiving everything. And you’ll enjoy free ground shipping and no-hassle 30-day returns if you buy from PlayBetter.com.
If you’re a bit tight on space, or even if you’ve got plenty of room, the SkyTrak+ could be the perfect solution for your dream golf simulator setup.
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.