Build the folding sim wall or buy the folding enclosure?
Building your own fold-away simulator is a real option, and for some golfers it is the right one. This page looks at what owners have actually built, what the parts cost where we could verify a price, where the builds get hard, and what a kit does and does not buy you. We build enclosures, so read our side with that in mind. We have tried to write the page we wanted when we started.
· written by the people building StowGolf in Tempe, Arizona
Can you build a fold-away golf simulator yourself?
Yes. There are well documented owner builds going back years, and they fall into three patterns: hinged side panels, a frame that pivots to the ceiling, and a Murphy-style frame on a winch.
The best record of them is Golf Simulator Forum, and these three threads are worth an evening before you buy a single part:
- Hinged side panels. An owner modified a Carl's Place screen and enclosure so the sides fold in, taking the stowed footprint to about 1 by 8 ft. The hinges were stainless corner connectors bonded to the EMT with two-part epoxy (thread, 2020).
- Pivot to the ceiling. A 12 by 9 ft frame in 1 in EMT that swings up on four eye lag bolts in the ceiling and is held by straps, under a 9 ft 6 in ceiling (thread, 2017).
- Murphy-style on a winch. A 12 by 9 ft screen frame in steel angle and wood, hinged to a platform, anchored to the slab with concrete screws and to the wall and ceiling with eye bolts, raised by an electric winch in about a minute (thread, 2024).
There is also a running discussion of hinge options for EMT frames (thread). These builders did careful work and shared it freely. If you go this way, you are standing on their shoulders.
What do you have to buy for a DIY fold-away enclosure?
A screen and enclosure fabric, a pipe or lumber frame, the hardware that lets it fold, and the anchors that hold it to the house. The screen kit is the largest verified cost at about $1,200.
| Part | What it is | Verified price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Screen and enclosure kit | Carl's Place DIY enclosure kit: impact screen, enclosure fabric, steel corner fittings, bungees and ties | About $1,200 at PlayBetter | Pipes are not included. Price changes with size and screen grade. |
| Frame pipe | 1 in EMT conduit in 10 ft sticks, cut to the kit's list | Roughly $16 to $26 per stick at Home Depot, by brand | Carl's Place notes the true outer diameter is 1.163 in. Buy fittings to match. |
| Fold hardware | Hinges or pivots, plus straps, pulleys, or a winch | Not priced here. It depends entirely on the design. | One build thread mentions pricing a winch at $75 to $100 after lifting by hand proved awkward. |
| Anchors | Lag bolts or eye bolts into framing, concrete screws into the slab | Not priced here | You need to find joists and studs, and you need to own the walls. |
| Your time | Design, cutting, assembly, and the fixes that follow | Yours to price | Plan for more than a weekend. |
The parts we could verify come to about $1,200 plus pipe. Fold hardware and anchors come on top. We are not going to print a single total, because the true figure depends on your design and the parts you already own.
Where do DIY folding builds get hard?
In the folding, not the frame. A fixed pipe-frame enclosure is a simple project. The moment the frame has to move, you take on screen tension, lifting safety, and anchoring.
The builders say this themselves. The owner of the pivot-up frame reported the screen sagging when the frame was raised, enough to rub the garage door, and found it hard to lift by hand, which sent him looking for a winch. The owner of the winch build found his first winch did not suit the pulley layout, and said he would choose a different projector throw next time to keep it out of the hitting area.
None of that is a reason not to build. It is the list to plan for:
- Screen tension. A screen that is tight when deployed can go slack or bind when the frame moves. How the screen attaches matters more in a folding build than a fixed one.
- Lifting. A 12 ft frame with fabric on it is awkward for one person. If it swings overhead, treat the hardware like it holds something you would not want to fall.
- The garage door. Anything that stows at the ceiling has to share it with the door, the tracks, and the opener.
- Repeatability. It has to go back up square every time, or the image and the screen will not line up the same way twice.
When is DIY the right call?
When you enjoy the build, own the walls, and have a space that off-the-shelf sizes do not fit. In those cases DIY is often the better answer, and it costs less in materials.
Build it yourself if most of these are true:
- You like projects, and a few rounds of rework will not sour you on it.
- You own the house and are comfortable putting lag bolts in framing.
- The bay will live in one garage for years.
- Your space is an odd size, or you want a 12 ft or wider screen.
- Price comes first, and your weekends are available.
If you do not need it to fold at all, it gets even simpler: a fixed Carl's Place kit on EMT is a proven, well supported build, and we would point a friend with a spare room straight at it.
What does a folding kit buy you that DIY does not?
No anchors, a fold that someone else already debugged, published dimensions, and something you can take to the next house. What it costs you is money, and in our case, a wait.
| DIY fold-away wall | Freestanding folding kit (StowGolf) | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Materials, about $1,200 for the screen kit plus pipe, hardware, and anchors | $2,495 list, $2,295 founders price on the first 25, complete enclosure and screen |
| Drilling | Usually yes: ceiling, wall, or floor | None. It stands on the floor. |
| Time to first swing | As fast as you can design and build it | Not yet shipping. Founding units are in production planning. |
| Fold | Whatever you design. You maintain it. | Under a minute, one person, no tools, timed on camera |
| Stowed size | Whatever you design | Flat against the wall. Measured depth published when the production sample is tested. |
| Moving house | Take it down, patch the holes, rebuild to the new room | Fold it, move it, stand it back up |
| Size | Any size you can frame | About 10 ft wide, 5 ft deep, 7 ft 6 in tall |
Read that table both ways. The DIY column wins on cost and on size freedom. The kit column wins on drilling, moving, and not being your problem to engineer. On timing, a DIY build you start this weekend could well be finished before our founding units ship. We would rather you know that now.
One design note from our side. Our impact screen hangs on elastic ball bungees at every grommet and is designed to stay standing on its own frame when the bay folds, so the fold does not disturb the screen. Whatever you build, that is the part we would solve first.
Short answers.
- Can I build a fold-away golf simulator enclosure myself?
- Yes. Owners have documented working builds for years: pipe frames with hinged side panels, EMT frames that pivot up to the ceiling, and steel and wood frames raised by a winch. Expect to anchor into the ceiling, wall, or floor, and expect a second round of fixes after the first month.
- How much does a DIY golf simulator enclosure cost?
- A Carl's Place DIY enclosure kit with an impact screen was listed at about $1,200 at PlayBetter in October 2026, with pipes sold separately. One inch EMT ran roughly $16 to $26 per 10 foot stick at Home Depot. A fold-away version adds hinges, anchors, and lifting hardware on top.
- What pipe do DIY golf enclosures use?
- Most use 1 inch EMT, the electrical conduit sold at hardware stores. Carl's Place specifies 1 inch EMT for its DIY kit and notes the true outer diameter is 1.163 inches, which matters when you buy fittings or hinges.
- What goes wrong with DIY folding golf simulator builds?
- In the build threads we read, the recurring problems were the screen sagging when the frame is raised, the frame being awkward or unsafe to lift by hand, and lifting hardware that did not work as first designed. All were solved, with more parts and more weekends.
- Is a folding enclosure kit worth it over DIY?
- It depends on what your time is worth and whether you can drill. DIY costs less in materials and suits someone who likes the project. A freestanding kit costs more, needs no anchors, and moves with you. StowGolf lists at $2,495, with a $2,295 founders price on the first 25 builds, and it is not yet shipping.