Admit it, you’ve considered converting a room in your house into a definitive golfer’s virtual den. If not, you’re certainly considering it now.
This is where you can shut the door and step up to the first tee anywhere on the planet without leaving your home. Yep, we’re talking about the ultimate golf man cave.
Key Takeaways
- Having a golfing man cave can save you money
- You can practise golf all year round
- Best party idea – It’s drinks and golfing with your buddies in your domain
Why It’s A Great Idea
Throughout the chilly winter season. golfers are forever compelled to pack away their gear in anticipation for the summer sun. Indeed, some players wait for as long as five months before heading to the sport they love so dearly.
Yes, you can go through the trouble of finding last minute tee-times indoors at your local golf simulator in town. But you still have to brave the blistering cold and traffic among other things. However, we would like to encourage you to pursue your passion for a true links-style man cave, a room we are sure you would love to have.
The Essentials
Below are some of the most basic things you will need to help set your way up to golfing freedom.
The Simulator
You don’t need to have loads of cash to get up and running, but a reasonably sized budget would still have huge payoffs in the future. You might save some money by playing indoors rather than going to a course. It’s your choice either way.
You’ll have the freedom to spend as much or as little as you can to modify a simulator. Take baby steps and start small with the intention of enhancing the den eventually. Even though you don’t automatically need a golf simulator, it is definitely the first thing you should install if you can. Just check that you have the budget and space for this. If it’s not possible, yet, you can just have your own private room with golf memorabilia and a comfy couch to watch golf in peace. That idea doesn’t suck either if you ask me.
Golf Decor
Every man cave has a particular theme. Obviously in this case you should emphasise on golf. This can be a mental trick you can play on yourself. Having good memorabilia can simply improve the overall theme and inspire you to improve your golfing. Look around, perhaps you have a “lucky” ball that gave you a hole-in-one. Maybe you have some gear signed by your favorite pro golfer. Here you can also place all those fun little ‘bragging rights’ trophies you’ve won on your excursions.
Not only will your keepsakes provide some valuable interior decoration, it also inspires a “members only” feeling to the domain. There’s plenty ideas out there that are pretty unique like:
- Hanging an unendorsed green jacket on a manikin.
- Displaying posters of your favorite professionals in action.
- Hanging hats or other golf trinkets on the wall.
The design possibilities are infinite when it comes to boosting your personal man cave. If your walls are looking a little bare you can get some great and affordable memorabilia online.
A Cool Place for Drinks
Golfing and a cold one harmonizes like peanut butter and jelly. It doesn’t matter if you’re looking for a cold beer or bottle of water for those rounds when it’s a bit early to indulge in some serious drink. But for this, you’ll need a cool fridge for the brewskies and adds as a nice feature to the room.
Another practical benefit would be to pack away the 6-packs and some takeout your buddies bring over. You’ll have your drinks kept cool within an arm’s reach. Even though this isn’t a total necessity, having a fridge or cool box in your golf man cave is a great feature to have. Plus you will save yourself a whole bunch of trouble from running around getting snacks and drinks from the kitchen, especially if you’re playing host.
Green for The Put
If you have enough space, a putting green would be a great additional feature to your man cave. We have even seen that some golfers put green over their simulator merely because of costs and insufficient ceiling height. In case ceiling height is a bit of a problem for you, you can always install a flat-screen TV instead of a simulator. Adding a few sofas and a good putting green will still be sweet for your cave.
Did you know that putting embodies about 40% of your shots on the course? It makes total sense to find a special space for some indoor practice for this part of your game.
Why it’s a Good Idea
As of 2018 the U.S has over 11,00 golf establishments. Which can be useless when you must put your clubs away and wait out the winter. Good thing you’ve taken the initial steps to enjoying the sport in your very own man cave. Below are a few ideas why that’s a fantastic idea.
Play Anywhere
You can play anywhere from your house. Yep, you’ll be able to enjoy warm and sunny areas even when it’s 10- degrees in January without getting on an airliner. If that doesn’t sound cool enough, you might be surprised to know that the entire package will cost you the same as a couple of beers.
Granted, we are aware that an indoor golf simulator is not the same as the real deal. On the other hand, the increasing acceptance of golf simulators as really been skyrocketing. Indoor golf simulators give you so much privacy. Plus, there’s the social advantage of hanging out with friends, enjoy some drinks, and improving your game all through the off-season.
The Popular Golf Guy
Envision a room in your house where you can just be by yourself a few hours before work, or after the family is asleep to play a few holes. If your friends are also enthusiastic golfers, you can call them up for a round of 18 and beers at your place.
You have probably had a look at the myriad of images on social media of golf man caves. It seems like everyone can get one going; from the average-Joe golfer to the well-off PGA pros.
They have this little nirvana created inside their own homes. It has been proven that you can rise to the top of your social rankings with one of these rooms. With all that said, you should go through that unused room in your basement or garage. So, prepare yourself for glory as you become a legend among your golf buddies.
Playing Hours
One more advantage of using a golf simulator is that you don’t have to put long hours. Usually, you would have put multiple hours into a round when going to a public course on a busy weekend. Typically, an 18-hole round of golf will take a group of golfers roughly two hours to play at an indoor facility. This also costs about $30 per hour.
The greatest part is that $30 is what you would pay for the booth, but that’s not the cost per player. By using some basic mathematics, it would cost about $60 for four golf buddies at $15.00 per person.
The facilities regularly give you the choice of a few courses which could include some of the best courses in the country. This is great, but we would still encourage you to save up and create your own little slice of heaven.
Visual Appeal
The impressive 3D graphics on a huge screen can give you about as close of a feeling of being right there on the course as you can get.
Just like the graphics give an impressive visual experience, so to does it impress with accuracy. We are serious about this. The accuracy of the latest simulators is on point.
if you slice your shot, you’ll be in the same agony just like you would be on the course.
Many modern-day simulators are so precise that they’ll be able to show you how far off the club’s sweet spot you hit. Many of the typical swinging data determined by golf simulators include crucial signs like your swing tempo, clubhead speed, face angle, pathway, ball speed, and your launch positioning.
You can get all of this information and more immediately after striking the ball. There are simulators that are so advanced that they display a useful graphic indicating the path the clubface took through the ball.
This is an incredible technological feat that was once thought of as unimaginable. Who knew that with a touch of a button you’ll get useful insight into your swing? You might have overlooked these problem areas as they all happen within a second.
Touch Screens
The most simulators come standard with useful touch screens. These have quite a bunch of uses including repeating a shot, alternating golf clubs, and even give you vantage points of the hole. These features are helpful if this is your first time playing on a simulator.
A.I Calculates Puts
There is a part to using a simulator that hasn’t been achieved fully for the moment- putting. This is complicated and confusing when playing on a golf simulator. On average, a simulator’s tee is 12 feet to the screen. This means that when you are faced with a 6-foot putt, you simply hit the ball midway towards the screen. If you’re not comfortable doing this, you can always select the “auto putt” option. This is where the simulator selects a random number of putts based on your score card.
This is decided by how close your last shot landed relative to the pin. Confused? Ok, if you put your approach shot close to15 feet of the pin, the simulator will ordinarily give you a two-putt and close out the hole. Another great thing about “auto putt” is that it helps move the game along, so you will be able to finish your rounds a little quicker than normal.
Convenience
The main benefit of a golf simulator is the capacity to easily play and practice golf at home. Or you can play at a facility with a regulated environment even during harsh weather doesn’t let you to do so outdoors. Indoor golf facilities tend to offer the ability to join in on a league during the off-season. This is almost like a bowling league, but this is golf and players gather weekly play 18 holes.
FAQ
What Height Should A Room be For a Golf Simulator?
The least golf simulator ceiling height is 8.5-9 feet. Then again, this also depends on your own height and golf swing. A height of 10 feet is said to be a much more secure option. You must be able to swing fully and easily with no concern about knocking the ceiling.
How Far From My Wall Should a Golf Simulator Be?
Your impact screen has to be between 12″-16” away from the wall behind it. Then, we also suggest getting in the habit of placing your tee 10′-12′ further than the impact screen. Finally, allow yourself to be about 7′ behind the tee for a comfy swing. All in all, no less than 18′ deep is perfect for your golf simulator mancave.
How Far Should My Projector Be from my Golf Simulator?
About 7-8 feet from the screen is far enough from the screen to prevent your ball from hitting your projector. It should also not be more than 3 or 4 feet behind the player; this is just to prevent unnecessary shadows. Given these factors, you can determine the distance to the impact screen and the height of the screen, and then analyze the throw percentage you will need.
Should I Wear Golf Clothes When Playing On A Simulator?
Proper golf clothes are not essential. A golf simulator is a very stress-free setting when compared to many golf courses.
Conclusion
Generally speaking, your golfing mancave can provide a fun and inexpensive experience that can help you relax while giving great insight into your game. So, get going and rig up that golf simulator as soon as you can. It’s a great way to stay loose and who knows, you might swing like the pro in the warmer seasons.
