DIY Golf Simulator Enclosure: Kit vs Build vs Buy
A DIY golf simulator enclosure runs about $1,000 to $1,650 with a Carl's Place kit, or $1,800 for a pre-built aluminum SIG8. When to build and when to buy.
A DIY golf simulator enclosure runs about $1,000 to $1,650 as a Carl’s Place kit, which ships flat with the impact screen included and frames on 1-inch EMT conduit you pick up at a hardware store. If you’d rather skip the build, a pre-fabricated aluminum SIG8 is $1,799.99 with a matched screen and assembles faster. Build the kit to save money and get a custom size; buy the SIG8 for speed and a cleaner finish.
| Option | Cost | Screen | Assembly | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carl’s Place DIY kit | $1,000 to $1,650 | Included | ~1 hr, EMT conduit frame | Saving money, custom size |
| SIG8 aluminum | $1,799.99 | Included | Faster, pre-fabricated | Speed and finish |
What a DIY enclosure actually is
An enclosure is three things: a frame, an impact screen stretched across the front, and curtain surrounds that catch stray shots on the sides and top. The screen and surrounds come in the kit. The frame is the DIY part, and on a Carl’s Place kit that frame is 1-inch EMT electrical conduit, the same cheap steel tube from any hardware store, cut to length and joined with the kit’s connectors. That’s the whole reason a DIY enclosure costs less: you’re supplying and assembling the skeleton.
The Carl’s Place kit: $1,000 to $1,650
The Carl’s Place DIY kit starts at $999.95, and that base price already includes the impact screen (you pick from four screen tiers). Add the foam corners, a piping kit, and 8-inch curtain surrounds and you land around $1,650 finished. It ships flat and self-assembles in about an hour, and because you cut the conduit to length, it fits custom sizes from roughly 95 to 123 inches tall. For most home builds, this is the value pick.
The pipe you have to buy separately
Here’s the one gotcha worth knowing before you order: the base kit does not include the framing pipes. The connectors, screen, and hardware are in the box, but you supply the 1-inch EMT conduit yourself, either from a hardware store or by adding Carl’s Place’s own pipe kit. It’s cheap, but it’s an extra trip and an extra line item, and skipping it means you’ve bought an enclosure you can’t stand up. Budget for the conduit up front so build day isn’t a stop at the hardware store.
The pre-built alternative: SIG8 ($1,799.99)
If you’d rather not cut conduit, the SIG8 is the pre-fabricated answer. At $1,799.99 direct it’s a powder-coated aluminum frame, 8 feet 4 inches wide and tall by 5 feet deep, with color-coded push-pin poles that assemble faster and cleaner than a DIY EMT build. Its matched SIGPRO Premium screen is included, not a separate purchase, and the whole system is rated to take ball strikes up to 250 mph. For $150 to $800 more than a finished DIY kit, you buy speed and a more finished look.
Don’t skimp on the impact screen
Whichever frame you choose, the screen takes every strike, so it’s the part that decides how long the enclosure lasts under daily use. Budget single-layer screens run $150 to $300 and are the first thing to wear out; a three-layer SIGPRO Premium at $759.99 sandwiches two impact faces around a spacer core and holds up to daily full swings. Since both the Carl’s Place kit and the SIG8 include a screen, factor that in rather than double-buying.
Which should you build?
If you’re only testing whether you’ll use a simulator, skip the enclosure entirely and hit into a net, which is how the trial build keeps its cost down. Once you’re committed, build the Carl’s Place kit to save money and fit a custom space, or buy the SIG8 for faster assembly and a cleaner finish. Either way the enclosure is one step in the larger build; size the rest of the bay around it with the cost configurator.