Golf simulator side screens are vertical panels that run down both sides of the hitting bay, perpendicular to the main impact screen, to catch shots that miss the screen left or right. They exist because a pushed or pulled ball leaving the club at speed does not politely stop at the edge of your impact screen. They cost extra almost everywhere because most vendors quote a headline price for the rear screen alone and sell the sides as an accessory. We include two motorized 8 ft side screens with every system, in the base price.
What a mishit at 120 mph actually hits without side screens
A well struck drive can leave the clubface well over 100 mph, and plenty of amateurs push 120 mph or more with a driver. That ball travels the 8 to 12 ft to your screen in a fraction of a second. When you catch one off the toe or hosel, it does not fly straight into the middle of the screen. It leaves at an angle, and at that distance a few degrees of face error puts the ball feet off line by the time it reaches the wall.
What sits beyond the edge of your impact screen is the actual question. In a garage that is usually drywall, a window, a water heater, a breaker panel, or shelving with paint cans on it. In a basement it is often a mechanical room wall or a finished surface someone spent real money on. A golf ball at that speed goes through drywall. It does not dent it.
People discover this in the first week. Almost nobody buys side protection first, and almost everybody buys it after. The pattern was consistent enough that we stopped selling side screens as an option and started including two of them.
Side screens versus side netting: they are not the same product
Side netting and side screens both stop a ball, and that is where the similarity ends. Choosing between them is mostly a decision about what you want the room to look and sound like when you are not hitting.
Side netting
Netting is an open mesh, usually hung from a frame or a ceiling track. It is the cheaper approach and it does the containment job. The tradeoffs are that netting looks like netting, it lets light and sound through, it does not extend the projected image or the visual bay in any way, and depending on how it is hung it can be a nuisance to move out of the way when the room goes back to being a garage.
Side screens
Side screens are solid panels of impact rated material. They stop the ball, they cut the ambient light spilling in from the sides that washes out a projected image, and they visually close the bay so it looks like a bay. They cost more than netting because they are more material and more hardware. On a motorized system they retract into a housing when you are done, which netting generally does not do cleanly.
Why side screens are so often an upcharge
Retractable simulator pricing is quoted the way airline fares are quoted. The headline number is the rear impact screen and its housing. Side protection, motorization, and sometimes the remote are separate lines you find at checkout or in a follow up email. That is just how the category prices itself, and it makes cross shopping harder than it should be.
SportScreen, for example, charges roughly $1,000 extra to motorize. G-TRAK includes no side screens at all. HomeCourse sells the ProScreen 180 at around $1,999 street. When you line these up you are usually not comparing the same object, so the honest way to shop is to write down the total delivered price for the configuration you actually want and compare that number, not the number on the landing page.
Our four sizes are the Fairway 8 at $2,399, Fairway 10 at $2,649, Fairway 12 at $2,899 and Fairway 14 at $3,149. Each includes the rear 3 ply impact screen, two motorized 8 ft side screens, and one RF remote that works through walls. Custom widths are quoted. We are not the cheapest landing page number, and we are usually not the most expensive number once a competitor's cart is full.
What is included where
| System | Side screens | Motorization | Price note |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Home Fairway | Two 8 ft sides included | Included, plus RF remote | $2,399 to $3,149 by width |
| SportScreen | Check their configuration | Roughly $1,000 extra | Motorization is a separate line |
| G-TRAK | None included | Check their configuration | Budget side protection separately |
| HomeCourse ProScreen 180 | Confirm before you assume | Check their configuration | Around $1,999 street |
Motorized versus manual side screens
Manual side screens are pulled out and clipped or hooked into place, then unhooked and stowed by hand. They are cheaper and there is nothing to fail electrically. The catch is human: a side screen you have to deploy by hand is a side screen you will eventually skip on a quick twenty minute session, and the session where you skip it is the session where you catch one off the hosel.
Motorized side screens deploy from a housing on their own. Ours use a tubular RF motor on a standard 110V outlet, driven by a 433.92 MHz remote that works through walls, so the controller does not need line of sight and the remote can live in a drawer in the next room. The tradeoff is honest and worth stating: motors are moving parts, and moving parts are things that can eventually need service. A fixed enclosure has none. You accept the mechanism because you want the room back.
How deep should side screens run
Side screens need to run far enough into the room to cover the angle from where you actually stand. Our side screens run 100 1/2 in from the wall, bracket to bracket, which is roughly 8 ft of coverage down each side. That depth is chosen around a normal hitting position rather than a marketing number, and it is why we call them 8 ft sides.
Measure your room before assuming any depth works. On a Fairway 12 the main unit is 148 1/16 in outside bracket to outside bracket with a 7 in by 7 in housing, and each side housing is 4 in by 4 in. Screens run to 11 ft high by default. Walk both side runs and confirm nothing lands where a garage door track or beam already lives. The sizing guide has every dimension.
Mounting the sides is its own job
Each side screen has its own bracket pair, and the far bracket sits roughly 8 ft into the room on framing that may differ from what the main screen mounts to. Brackets are 3 in by 5 in and must land on studs or joists, or on rated heavy duty toggle bolts. Never on drywall alone. Brackets are not included.
A bare screen on a wall is not a bay
We will say the awkward part plainly. If your budget only covers a rear impact screen, you do not have a golf simulator bay yet. You have a projection surface and an unprotected room on both sides of it. That setup works fine for wedges and irons, and people use it happily for years. It stops being fine the moment a driver comes out.
If a fixed enclosure fits your space and you never need the room back, buy the fixed enclosure. It has no motors, no housings, and nothing to service. Retractable is the right answer when the space has a second life as a garage, a gym, or a place to park a car, and side screens are what make that space safe to swing in rather than just usable.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need side screens for a golf simulator?
If you are hitting driver, yes. A pushed or pulled shot at driver speed leaves the clubface at an angle and can miss the impact screen entirely, and what is behind that edge is usually drywall, a window, or a water heater. If you only hit wedges and short irons in a wide room, you can get by without them. Most people who skip side screens buy them later.
Are side screens included with The Home Fairway systems?
Yes. Every system includes the rear 3 ply impact screen, two motorized 8 ft side screens, and one RF remote that works through walls, all in the base price. That runs from $2,399 for the Fairway 8 to $3,149 for the Fairway 14, with custom widths quoted. Mounting brackets are not included, since the correct hardware depends on your framing.
Side netting or side screens, which should I buy?
Netting is cheaper and it stops the ball. Screens cost more, block light spill for a better projected image, and close the bay visually. If your room is a dedicated simulator space and looks do not matter, netting is a reasonable choice and we will tell you so. If the room has another job when you are not hitting, retractable side screens are what let you clear the space in seconds.
How far do the side screens extend into the room?
Our side screens run 100 1/2 in from the wall, bracket to bracket, which is roughly 8 ft of coverage down each side of the bay. Screens run to 11 ft high by default and each side housing is 4 in by 4 in. Measure that full 8 ft path on your ceiling before ordering, because garage door tracks, lights and beams frequently sit right where the far bracket needs to land.
Can I add side screens to a screen I already own?
Not to another manufacturer's system. Our side screens are built as part of our assembly with their own housings, brackets and motor, and they are sized and mounted to work with our main unit. If you already own a rear screen from someone else, talk to that manufacturer about their side option. We would rather say that than sell you parts that do not fit.
Ask us the annoying questions
If you want to know exactly what is in the box and what is not, call and ask. We will tell you what we include, what we do not sell at all, and when a different product is the better fit. We do not sell launch monitors, projectors, mats or turf, and we do not install. Call Matt or Kade at 817-458-8556 or email admin@summitvantagellc.com. Father and son, Aledo, Texas.
Keep reading: Sizing guide · Golf simulator in a two car garage · Retractable vs fixed screens · Impact screen buying guide · Shop retractable screens