Ceiling heights for basement simulator

[Kdczilli]

Building a new house and the deepest we can go is 9ft, i have some reservations about this not being tall enough, any recommendations regarding ideal height?

[JAM01]

I have a sim in my garage. 9’6” ceilings, tallest golfer that’s used it is about 6’2”. Still can swing driver without an issue. 9 foot might mean iron play only? 

[Springsteennut]

You won’t really know until you actually try to swing in that space. My old house I couldn’t swing anything more than a hybrid. We moved a couple of years ago and I can swing everything. I never measured my old basement ceiling height but the new one is just over 8 ft. I’m 5’5” so I’m sure that has something to do with it. 

[dh2o]

there's no way to be 100% certain if a 9ft height will work for you until you try it with your clubs. you could put some measurement marks on a wall outside and film yourself swinging your driver to approximate your peak, but depending on the camera setup the accuracy may not be perfect. 

 

10ft is generally what most people consider "safe" in most cases, but even that can get complicated with a taller person or extra long driver shaft.

worst case scenario, you'll be able to do a lot of iron practice with 9ft, and maybe some hybrids.

[Krt22]

Put the living room in the basement and the simulator in the living room, problem solved!

[Jayshaft]

I have 9’s in my basement and am comfortable swinging a 3 wood that plays 42.25”. 
 

im 6’1 with a fairly on plane back swing (not super steep or flat). 
 

im not comfortable swinging driver as the ceiling height messes with my head and I feel like that thought changes my swing

[BostonWRX]

On 2/28/2022 at 5:10 PM, Kdczilli said:

Building a new house and the deepest we can go is 9ft, i have some reservations about this not being tall enough, any recommendations regarding ideal height?

Find a friend who has 9’ ceilings in their house and bring your driver….

[drr324]

My basement is 9', I can swing driver (6'2") but I have a flat driver swing anyway.  My son hit his driver once, so I made a modification to 4 of the joists.  I "married" 10' 2x6s with liquid nails and spax screws to the joists right through the swing zone- then cut 3.5 inches off the bottom of the joists.  My cut outs are just over 7'- so the 10' 2x6s tied to the current joists are plenty strong enough.

[mdannolfo]

I think hitting the driver is essential if you can do it.  I have 9-2 ceilings in my garage and it works for me and my buddies.  We are all in the 5-11 to 6-1 range.  If you are really worried, talk to your builder about where the simulator is going in the basment.  He could probably change the framing for a small fee in the sim area.  You could frame perpendicular to the floor joists in the sim area and frame with 2x6 - double them and frame them 12" on center versus 16" on center.  Will probably get you another 6" or so.  I'm a general contractor.

[PowderedToastMan]

Although I hit driver in my 9' basement, I wouldn't recommend it. I'm short, 5'6. There's also no chance I'd let another adult try hitting driver at that height. You don't want that guy who goes full Moe Norman on his follow through and sticks the entire driver into the ceiling. 

Edited March 4, 2022 by PowderedToastMan

[drr324]

Other option is to sink the floor in that area an extra foot if possible. 

[ShakeyT]

My garage sim has 9'2" ceilings. I have a high follow through, so I've scraped the ceiling with driver. I ended up building a 43" driver and haven't had issues since.

[ilikegolf26]

On 3/1/2022 at 9:16 PM, drr324 said:

My basement is 9', I can swing driver (6'2") but I have a flat driver swing anyway.  My son hit his driver once, so I made a modification to 4 of the joists.  I "married" 10' 2x6s with liquid nails and spax screws to the joists right through the swing zone- then cut 3.5 inches off the bottom of the joists.  My cut outs are just over 7'- so the 10' 2x6s tied to the current joists are plenty strong enough.

Did you get this permitted……?

[drr324]

Yeah, that's hard nope....   I built the house 6 years ago and no need to get a permit for something like this.  

[Godfather]

Mine is 9 feet and most can swing driver fine. I’d love to have more height, but it works and it shouldn’t dissuade you from building it. Maybe don’t do drywall ceilings there and you’ll have a little more room and not care if someone nips a beam. 

[kta0008]

16 hours ago, Godfather said:

Mine is 9 feet and most can swing driver fine. I’d love to have more height, but it works and it shouldn’t dissuade you from building it. Maybe don’t do drywall ceilings there and you’ll have a little more room and not care if someone nips a beam. 

how tall are you?

[Godfather]

1 hour ago, kta0008 said:

how tall are you?

5’10”. I have one friend 6’0” with an upright swing that I don’t think could hit driver. I have another friend 6’2” with a flatter swing that has no issues with driver. So height is not as important as swing plane and follow through. 

[rooski]

9 feet should be more than enough for an average person's sim experience. I have 9 feet and I'm 6'4 and I can hit clubs up to 42" without hitting the ceiling.

 

It does preclude me from hitting driver unfortunately but not a huge deal

[A.Princey]

9’ is what I have. 5’10” with a decently steep swing and higher finish. I swing driver without reservation, and sometimes I graze the Sheetrock ceiling in my garage. I’d say once every 100 driver swings or so. 
 

As long as you aren’t gonna Moe Norman the follow thru, 9’ should work.

Edited March 29, 2022 by A.Princey

[bonvivantva]

My dad's skytrak is in a basement with 9 foot ceilings finished to about 8'9 or so.  He's 5'11 and I'm 5'9.  He can swing 3i, but I can't go any longer than 3h.  I have swung 3w a few times in there, but I bump the ceiling in my follow through.  I don't think I'd ever damage a club, but mentally knowing your club will hit the ceiling can mess with your swing.

 

I have a simulator in my garage that has 10 foot ceilings finished to about 9'10.  That simulator has seen a lot of play, and I have maybe three driver marks on my ceiling and no one has ever damaged a club, just a very glancing scratch to the drywall.  That includes my buddy that is 6'10 who has clubs two inches longer than standard.

[IPlay4Keeps]

I have 9 FT ceilings for my simulator. I don't have a problem and I have tend to throw my hands up on my backswing but I am super shallow on my downswing. I'm 6ft for reference. It does, however, take some time to be confident to swing fully.