First published March 2021. Rewritten and last reviewed 7 September 2026.
A golf simulator in a clubhouse is a different proposition from one in a private house. It has to earn money, it has to survive members, and it has to sit inside a building that was designed around a bar and a locker room rather than a nine-foot ceiling and a hitting bay. This article is for club secretaries, committees and the architects working for them: what a clubhouse golf simulator installation involves in Scotland, what it needs from the building, and what has to be decided before a launch monitor is chosen.
Why clubs are installing them
Scottish weather closes courses and empties clubhouses for a good part of the year. A simulator bay keeps members playing, gives the professional a teaching room with data on every swing, brings in bookings from non-members, and turns a dead corner of the building into something that can be hired by the hour. A well-run bay is also a reason for a younger member to join. None of that happens if the bay is cramped, the picture is dim, or the system is down because nobody is looking after it.
What the building has to provide
- Height. A full swing with a driver by a tall player needs a clear ceiling of around three metres. Less than that limits who can use the bay and which clubs they can use, and it has to be measured to the lowest obstruction, not the slab.
- Length and width. Room for the player, the tee position, the launch monitor and the distance to the screen, plus width for both right and left-handed players without moving the mat. As a rule the bay wants to be at least six metres deep and four and a half wide, and more is better.
- Structure. The impact screen, its frame and the surrounding enclosure take real force, repeatedly. Fixings, the floor build-up under the hitting mat and the protection of adjacent walls and glazing are structural questions for the architect and the builder.
- Light. Launch monitors that use cameras need consistent lighting, and the projected picture needs the bay to be controllable. Blinds and a lighting scene are part of the design.
- Power, data and containment. The projector, monitor, computer, audio and any booking screen need power and a wired network connection, run at first fix.
- Sound. The bay is next to the bar. Acoustic separation in both directions, and a sound system in the bay that members can control without a member of staff.
Choosing the system
The launch monitor is the heart of the bay and the last thing we choose. Camera-based units mounted overhead or beside the mat, and radar-based units placed behind the player, each suit different rooms, budgets and uses: a teaching professional wants different data from a members’ league. We have designed bays around equipment from makers such as Uneekor and TrackMan, with projection from manufacturers such as BenQ, and we specify on what the club will actually use it for, the room it has, and the manufacturer’s support. The software, the course library, the booking system and the way the bay is paid for are decided with the club at the same time, because they change the hardware.
Running it afterwards
A commercial bay is used hard. Mats wear, screens mark, computers need updates, and the day it fails is a Saturday. We build clubhouse bays with a support agreement, remote access for diagnosis, a simple start-up so that bar staff can reset it, and a schedule for consumables, so that the bay is a source of income rather than a source of complaints at the AGM.
Questions we are asked
Can it go in an existing room?
Often, if the height is there. A former snooker room, a function room corner or a store with a raised ceiling are typical. Where the height is not there, the honest answer is an extension or a different room, and we say so before any money is spent.
Does it need to be enclosed?
Yes, for safety and for the picture. A three-sided enclosure with a proper impact screen, side netting or padded walls and a ceiling baffle is the minimum in a public building.
What about a private house?
The same principles apply at a smaller scale, and a garage or basement is often the right space. That work is described on our home golf simulators page.
Clubhouse and commercial golf simulators in Scotland
Clubhouse bays sit within our commercial AV work, alongside bars, restaurants and boardrooms. We normally work for the client, with the architect where there is one, and the earlier we see the room the better the bay. Start a conversation and we will visit and measure.