A real golf sim, and your deposit back
If you do not own the walls, most of the simulator market is not talking to you. Mounted screens, ceiling brackets, and built-ins all start with a drill. This guide sorts the options by what they do to the building, covers the things that matter more in a rental than in a house you own, and says when a simple net is the better buy.
· written by the people building StowGolf in Tempe, Arizona
Can you have a golf simulator in an apartment, condo, or rental house?
Yes, if the setup stands on the floor and the room clears your swing. The limits in a rental are usually the lease, the ceiling height, and the neighbors, in that order.
The lease comes first because it rules out whole product types before you measure anything. Ceiling height comes second because no product can fix it. Noise comes third, and it is the one renters underestimate.
What do leases usually restrict?
Alterations. Residential leases commonly limit drilling, mounting, and anything that becomes part of the structure, and often require written permission for it. A simulator that touches only the floor generally falls outside those clauses.
We are not your lawyer and leases differ, so read the sections on alterations, fixtures, and damage. Three practical points:
- If your plan includes a ceiling-mounted projector or screen, ask the landlord in writing before you buy. Some will say yes to a few patched holes.
- Condo owners have a second layer: the association's rules on noise and on what happens in a garage or a shared structure.
- Take photos of the room before you set anything up. It costs nothing and it settles deposit questions later.
Which simulator enclosures need holes in the wall or ceiling?
Every mounted retractable we verified does, in its standard form. The setups that need none are freestanding enclosures, pipe-frame kits, and a plain net.
| Option | How it attaches | Renter verdict | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Murphy (Ace Indoor Golf) | Mounts on your wall. Professional installation is included. | Not for a rental without the owner's sign-off | $11,199 on sale, installed |
| SportScreen Vanish | Wall or ceiling brackets, included | Needs permission to drill. Asks for a room 17 ft long and a 9 ft ceiling. | From $2,999 |
| HomeCourse Pro retractable screen | Ceiling mount kit included. Wall mount and a freestanding rack sold separately. | Possible with the rack. Confirm the rack's price and footprint with the seller. | $1,995 for the screen |
| Carl's Place DIY enclosure kit | Stands on its own 1 in EMT pipe frame | No holes. It does not fold, so it needs a room it can keep. | About $1,200 at PlayBetter, pipes separate |
| Hitting net and mat | Stands on the floor | No holes, small footprint, and no projected image | Varies |
| StowGolf | Freestanding. No drilling. | No holes, folds flat against the wall, moves with you. Not yet shipping. | $2,495 list, $2,295 founders price on the first 25 |
The HomeCourse row deserves a fair word. With its freestanding rack it is a legitimate no-drill option, and it is shipping today. The screen alone is priced below our enclosure; add the rack before you compare. It is a screen with optional nets, not a full enclosure, so think about what is beside and above the ball in your room. The full spec comparison is in the roundup.
What should a renter check before buying a freestanding enclosure?
Five things: ceiling height where you swing, clear width, the floor under the mat, where the projector will sit without a ceiling mount, and who lives below or beside you.
- Ceiling. Measure it; do not assume. The StowGolf frame stands 7 ft 6 in, so the bay fits under an 8 ft ceiling, but a driver swing may not. Make slow practice swings with your longest club in the exact spot before anything else.
- Width. The bay is about 10 ft across. Measure between the things that cannot move.
- Floor. A hitting mat on carpet or hardwood needs something under it that will not mark the floor. Our frame is held down by ballast bags that ship empty and take sand, so put a layer under those too.
- Projector. The usual ceiling mount is a drilling job. The no-drill answer is a short-throw projector on a low stand or cart, off to one side. Finish your bay explains the tradeoff and the launch monitor choices that suit a short room.
- Neighbors. See the next section.
For the numbers, the fit guide has the room tables and the fit tool checks your three measurements in ten seconds.
Will the neighbors hear it?
Possibly, and you should find out before you buy. A full swing makes two sharp sounds, club on ball and ball on screen, and a mat on an upper floor passes the thump downward.
We do not have decibel figures to give you and would not trust a single number anyway, because buildings differ so much. What we can say plainly: a ground-floor room, a garage, or a detached unit is a far easier case than an upstairs apartment with someone below. If you are upstairs, borrow a mat, hit a few foam or real balls into a net with your downstairs neighbor listening, and decide from that.
If the test goes badly, the right purchase is not an enclosure. It is a membership at an indoor golf lounge, or a net in the garage of a friend who owes you one.
What happens on moving day?
A mounted setup comes off the wall and leaves holes to patch. A freestanding one folds, comes apart, and goes in the truck with the furniture.
This is the case for freestanding that matters most to renters, because the next move is a question of when. StowGolf relocates like furniture: fold it, move it, stand it back up. The kit is designed to ship in two boxes by regular parcel carrier, and it goes back into parcel-size pieces for a move.
We have not published the weight of those boxes. Per-box weights go on the measured spec sheet, so you will know what you are carrying up the stairs before you buy.
Does a simulator make sense in a small space that has another job?
It can, if it disappears between sessions. In a spare room or home office, the question is what the room looks like at nine the next morning.
A fixed enclosure turns the room into a golf room. A stowing one gives it back. StowGolf folds flat against the wall in under a minute, and it is designed so the impact screen stays standing on its own frame when the bay is folded, which leaves a ten foot projection surface for a movie or a game. We have not published the folded depth in inches yet. That number goes on the spec sheet when the production sample is tested, and if your room is tight enough that it decides things, wait for it.
Short answers.
- Can I have a golf simulator in a rental?
- Usually, if nothing is fastened to the building. Leases commonly restrict alterations such as drilling into walls and ceilings, so the workable setups are the ones that stand on the floor: a freestanding enclosure, or a hitting net and mat. Read your lease and ask in writing if you are unsure.
- Which golf simulator enclosures need drilling?
- Of the retractables we checked in October 2026, the Murphy mounts on the wall with professional installation, the SportScreen Vanish hangs from wall or ceiling brackets, and the HomeCourse Pro screen ships with a ceiling mount kit. HomeCourse sells a freestanding rack separately. Pipe-frame kits and StowGolf stand on the floor.
- Is a golf simulator too loud for an apartment?
- It can be. The strike of club on ball and ball on screen carries, and so does a mat on a hard floor above someone else's ceiling. A ground-floor room or a garage is the practical choice. Upstairs, test with a neighbor before you spend money, and keep reasonable hours.
- What ceiling height does a renter-friendly golf simulator need?
- The StowGolf frame stands 7 feet 6 inches, so the bay fits under an 8 foot ceiling. Whether you can swing a driver under your ceiling is a separate question that only practice swings in the room can answer.
- Can I take a golf simulator enclosure with me when I move?
- A mounted one has to be taken down and the holes patched. A freestanding one moves like furniture. StowGolf folds, breaks down into parcel-size boxes, and stands back up in the next place. We will publish per-box weights with the measured spec sheet.