Golf Simulator Accessories: What You Need and What It Costs

A golf simulator needs five things: a launch monitor, a hitting mat, something to stop the ball (a net or an impact screen), a display, and a device to run the software. Everything else on a typical accessories list is optional: an enclosure, side netting, flooring, a putting green, ceiling padding, lighting, and extra tees and alignment sticks. Which optional pieces matter depends mostly on one thing, where your launch monitor sits. A unit behind the ball needs floor space behind you, one beside the ball needs a level mat, and one on the ceiling needs a mount and a tall room.

This checklist covers each piece, links to our detailed guides, and prices three complete builds. Launch monitor prices come from our November 1, 2026 price check. We don’t track accessory prices, so every accessory figure below is a retailer listing with its source and the month we checked it.

What you actually need: the 5-item core

Item	Required?	Typical cost	Our detailed guide
Launch monitor	Yes	$129.99 to $25,995 at our latest price check	Golf launch monitor price guide
Hitting mat	Yes	$99 insert to about $1,450	Golf simulator mats
Net or impact screen	Yes, one of them	$129.99 net to $1,874.95 enclosure kit	Net or impact screen?
Display	Yes	$0 (phone or tablet) to $4,899 (projector)	Projector throw-ratio math
Software device	Yes	$0 (phone or tablet) to about $1,105 (budget gaming PC)	Golf simulator software

The launch monitor is the only piece whose price we track model by model. The rest of the ranges come from the retailer listings cited in each section below. Start with the monitor, because it decides what the other four have to do.

Golf simulator accessories by launch monitor type

Of the 31 launch monitors currently on sale in our database, 13 sit behind the ball, 11 sit beside it and 6 mount overhead. 25 need no installation, 4 use a do-it-yourself fixed mount, and 2 require a professional install. Each placement changes the accessory list in a different way:

Where the monitor sits	What it changes	Extra accessories to plan for
Behind the ball (13 units)	Recorded setbacks of 3.5 to 8 ft behind the ball, plus a minimum ball flight before the net	A deeper room, and a net or screen far enough away to meet the ball-flight minimum. Some radar units read spin better indoors with marked balls
Beside the ball (11 units)	The ball and the monitor have to sit level, and the ball has to land in a small hitting zone	A mat big enough for the stance, the ball and the monitor on one surface, like a 4 x 10 ft mat
Overhead (6 units)	Recorded ceiling minimums of 9 to 10 ft; reads a fixed, calibrated hitting zone	A ceiling mount, a power drop, a heavy mat that won’t creep, and a projector position that doesn’t block the sensor

Two accessories are specific to radar units. Several record that indoor spin reads best with marked balls: Titleist RCT balls for the Garmin R10, Blue Tees Rainmaker and Full Swing KIT, and RCT balls or metallic stickers for FlightScope’s Mevo units. The Rapsodo MLM2PRO records Rapsodo’s own RPT balls at $69.99 a dozen. Our RCT golf ball explainer covers when they’re worth it. Overhead units are a different story: they need a ceiling that clears the swing and the sensor. That’s covered in our golf simulator ceiling height guide. Floor space by monitor is in the room size guide.

Hitting mats

The mat is the accessory you touch on every swing, and in a simulator it’s also part of the measurement system. Side-of-ball units like SkyTrak want the unit level with the hitting surface, and overhead units like the Uneekor EYE XO read a fixed calibrated zone, so the mat has to stay put.

Price tiers from our simulator mat guide, using retailer listings from October 2026:

• Budget turf mats: about $100 to $300. Fine for tee shots and swept irons, but firm under a descending strike.
• Fiberbuilt Flight Deck insert: $99. A fiber strike surface you drop into a cheaper stance mat.
• Real Feel Country Club Elite: $479 (4 x 5 ft) to $999 (4 x 10 ft).
• Premium simulator mats: SIGPRO Softy 4 x 10 at $1,199.99, Fiberbuilt Grass Series at $1,199 to $1,450, and TrueStrike Single at about $1,098.

If your monitor sits beside the ball, a 4 x 10 ft mat puts your stance, the ball and the monitor on one level surface.

Nets vs impact screens, and side netting

You need one of the two. The choice comes down to whether you want a projected picture. An impact screen is the display for a projector. A net just stops the ball, which is all you need if you read your numbers on a phone, tablet or TV.

• Nets: the Rukket Haack at $129.99 (PGA Tour Superstore) and The Net Return Pro Series V2 at $795 to $995, depending on retailer. Prices from our net vs impact screen breakdown, October 2026.
• Impact screens alone: about $160 for an entry single-layer screen up to $600 for a three-layer screen, per our impact screen guide. A screen still needs a frame or enclosure.
• Enclosure kits with a screen: Carl’s Place’s DIY kit lists at $999.95 to $1,874.95 depending on size and screen grade, per Golf Simulators Direct, and its Pro enclosure kit at $3,409.95, per Golf Sim Depot.

Side netting catches the shanks and toe hits that miss the net face. The Net Return’s setup guide recommends side barriers that flare out from the frame, and SkyTrak sells a pair of 9.8 ft triangular side nets for its enclosures. Budget roughly $100 to $200 on either brand, per our net guide. Indoors, with drywall, windows or a car nearby, treat it as part of the base price.

Radar owners have one more rule. The net or screen has to sit at least as far from the ball as the monitor’s recorded minimum ball flight: 8 feet for the R10, MLM2PRO and Mevo units, and 10 feet for the SC4 and R50.

Projectors and projector mounts

A projector only matters if you’re building around an impact screen. The number to solve first is the throw ratio, which is the distance from lens to screen divided by the image width. In a typical simulator room the projector hangs over the hitting area about 8 feet from the screen, so a 10 foot wide image needs a throw ratio of 0.8 or lower. Our projector guide works through the math and three short-throw models: the Optoma GT2100HDR (0.5:1, about $1,299 street), the BenQ TK700STi (0.9 to 1.08:1, $1,699) and the BenQ LK936ST (0.81 to 0.89:1, 4K, $4,899).

Projector mounts. Carl’s Place’s mounting guide puts the projector on the ceiling above or just behind the hitting position, never in front of the ball. Carl’s sells a drop-mount kit at $394.85 to $523.85. For ceilings too low to hang a projector, its floor-mounted projector enclosure is $299.95. It protects a short-throw unit sitting between the ball and the screen from glancing shots, per Carl’s protection guide. With an overhead launch monitor, plan both ceiling positions together, since the sensor and the projector both want the spot above the ball.

Do you need a gaming PC?

Only for certain software. This is the most expensive accessory people don’t realize they’re signing up for:

Software	Runs on	Source
GSPro	Windows 10 or 11 PC only; GTX/RTX 3060-class graphics and 16GB memory for 1080p	gsprogolf.com FAQ
E6 Connect	Windows PC or iPad (iPad 5 or later)	TruGolf, per our GSPro vs E6 comparison
Awesome Golf	PC, iOS and Android, one multi-platform license	awesome-golf.com
The launch monitor’s own app	Usually a phone or tablet; some units have a built-in screen	Each product page

In our database, 17 of the current launch monitors connect to GSPro and 17 connect to E6 Connect. 5 connect to E6 but not GSPro, which means an iPad can run their simulator software. If you want GSPro, budget for the PC: Home Performance Lab’s GSPro PC guide itemizes a budget 1080p desktop at $940 to $1,105 and a mid-range build at $1,395 to $1,880. The full license and PC math is in our GSPro cost guide.

Flooring, turf and putting

Flooring is optional. It mostly makes a dedicated room look finished and softens the floor around the mat. Carl’s Place sells 1.25 inch interlocking foam floor tiles at $229.95 for five 40 inch tiles, with edge pieces at $109.95 for six and corners at $59.95 for four, per its floor tile page. Turf goes on top of the tiles, and simulator turf can be cut to run from the screen back past the hitting area. Carl’s Big Moss turf for its DIY enclosures is cut to extend 12 feet from the screen, so it can double as a putting surface. Turf and putting-green pricing depends heavily on size, so quote your exact room before you budget for it.

Small extras and protection

These are cheap, optional and easy to add later:

• Tees and a ball tray. Many mats take rubber tees in set heights, and a tray keeps balls out of the swing path.
• Alignment sticks and impact tape. Useful for practice, unrelated to the simulator itself.
• Lighting. Projected setups want the room dark around the screen. Camera-based launch monitors have their own lighting guidance, so check the manual before you add bright fixtures over the hitting area.
• Wall and ceiling protection. Carl’s Place sells acoustic tiles at $279.95 for 25 and carpet tiles at $149.95 for 25, positioned for glancing blows rather than direct hits. Enclosure ceiling baffles stop balls that come back high off the screen. Our ceiling height guide covers protection in more detail.
• A blackout layer. If projector light shows through a single-layer screen, a backing layer fixes it. SIGPRO sells one that attaches behind its screens for $299.99, per our impact screen guide.

What a full build costs: three tiers

Each tier adds our tracked launch monitor price to the cited accessory prices above. The ranges cover the low and high end of each accessory. Software subscriptions after the first year aren’t included.

A few notes on the tiers:

• Entry. Swap the R10 for the Rapsodo MLM2PRO (down from $599.99 to $549.99 at the November 1, 2026 check) if you want measured spin with Rapsodo’s RPT balls. Its Premium membership, $199.99 a year, gates club data, course play and third-party simulators.
• Mid. The FlightScope Mevo Gen2 at $1,299 is the radar alternative with no subscription. It needs more depth: 16 ft of recorded room depth versus no setback for Square Golf. The Bushnell Launch Pro dropped from $2,999.99 to $2,499.99 on November 1. That brings tour-grade camera data into this tier, but GSPro on a new unit needs Foresight+ Gold at $599 a year.
• High. The Foresight GC3 fell from $6,999 to $3,999 at the same check. It sits beside the ball rather than overhead, so it skips the ceiling mount and cuts this tier by about $2,500 at current prices. The catch is software: GSPro on a new GC3 needs Foresight+ Gold at $599 a year, against $199 for Uneekor’s Pro plan.

For the launch monitor side of the build, ranked by how well each unit anchors a home setup, see best launch monitors for a home golf simulator. The build-it-yourself route, including framing and screen material, is in our DIY golf simulator guide, and the overall budget picture is in how much a golf simulator costs.

Where to go next

• Best launch monitors for a home golf simulator: the monitor that anchors the build
• Best indoor golf launch monitors: ranked for room fit
• Golf simulator room size: depth, width and layout by monitor
• Garage golf simulator: the most common real room
• Portable golf simulator: pack-away setups when the room can’t be dedicated
• Garmin R10 golf simulator setup: the entry build above, step by step
• Golf simulator setup: putting it all together, step by step

Frequently asked questions

What accessories do I need for a golf simulator?

Five things: a launch monitor, a hitting mat, something to stop the ball (a net or an impact screen), a display (phone, tablet, TV, or projector and screen), and a device to run the software. Everything else, like an enclosure, side netting, flooring, a putting green, ceiling protection or lighting, is optional. What you need most depends on whether your launch monitor sits behind the ball, beside it, or on the ceiling.

What is the most important golf simulator accessory?

After the launch monitor, the hitting mat. It's the one piece you touch on every shot. A hard mat can hurt your wrists and elbows, and it also affects the data: side-of-ball units need the ball level with the monitor, and overhead units need the mat to stay put in their calibrated zone. Premium simulator mats run about $1,100 to $1,450, and a $99 Fiberbuilt Flight Deck insert is the budget way to get a softer strike surface.

Do I need an enclosure or just a net for a golf simulator?

You need an enclosure with an impact screen only if you want a projected picture to hit into. If you're happy reading numbers on a phone, tablet or TV, a net stops the ball for much less: about $130 for a Rukket Haack or $795 to $995 for The Net Return Pro Series V2, versus $999.95 and up for a Carl's Place DIY enclosure kit before the projector.

Do I need a gaming PC for a golf simulator?

Only for some software. GSPro runs only on a Windows PC with a GTX/RTX 3060-class graphics card and 16GB of memory. E6 Connect also runs on an iPad, Awesome Golf runs on phones and tablets, and many launch monitors include their own app. A budget GSPro-ready desktop costs about $940 to $1,105, per Home Performance Lab.

How much does a full golf simulator setup cost with accessories?

At the November 1, 2026 price check, an entry build with a Garmin R10, a budget net and a budget mat came to about $730 to $930 using a tablet you already own. A projector build with a Square Golf monitor, DIY enclosure, short-throw projector, budget PC and mat came to roughly $4,670 to $6,430. An overhead build with a Uneekor EYE XO, a pro enclosure, a 4K laser projector and a mid-range PC came to roughly $17,850 to $18,590.