A golf practice net and hitting mat on a British back garden lawn on a summer evening, with a launch monitor beside the ball and a tablet on a stand

October 16, 2026

By Harrison Peck

Outdoor Golf Simulators UK: Can You Use One Outside?

A golf simulator can go outside, but not all of it. The launch monitor, the net and the mat are happy on a British lawn on a dry evening; the projector and the impact screen aren't. Here's what works in the garden, which launch monitors read the ball outdoors, what each setup costs at our prices, and when a garden room is the better answer.

Quick summary

  • Outdoors, a golf simulator is a launch monitor, a net or cage and a mat, with the numbers on a phone, a tablet or the unit's own screen, because daylight washes out a projector.
  • Our outdoor garden net with a Tri-Turf mat and a Garmin R10 comes to £530, and a 3m cage bay with a FlightScope Mevo Gen 2 comes to £2,036.
  • Radar units sit behind the ball, 1.8m to 2.4m back for the R10, so a 3m cage and an R10 take 4.8m to 5.4m of lawn, while camera units sit beside the ball.
  • Only 2 of the 5 launch monitors here carry a water rating on their listing, IPX7 for the R10 and IPX3 for the Shot Scope LM1, and even the R10's listing says to avoid heavy rain.
  • At least 1mm of rain falls on about 159 days a year across the UK, so the all-weather step up is a garden room, from £13,299 for our 6.6m × 3.3m cabin.

Can you use a golf simulator outside?

Yes, the part that measures your golf. A launch monitor built for outdoor use reads the ball on a lawn, and a radar unit, which needs room behind the ball, often fits a garden better than a garage. The part that doesn't travel is the picture: a projector and an impact screen are indoor kit.

Part of the simulator Outdoors? Why
Launch monitor Yes, in dry weather Radar units watch the ball fly, and camera units read it at impact
Net or cage Yes Garden nets and cages are made for the lawn
Hitting mat Yes A rubber base with drainage holes keeps it off wet grass
Phone, tablet or laptop Yes, in the shade It shows your numbers and the shot on a virtual range
Projector No Daylight washes out the picture
Impact screen No It's made to hang in an enclosure, for a picture that doesn't work in daylight

So an outdoor golf simulator is a garden practice bay with a simulator's brain. Depending on the launch monitor, you still get carry, ball speed and spin, and with the R10, the Mevo Gen 2 or the R50 you can still play a course. What you don't get is Pebble Beach 3m wide in front of you.

What do you need for an outdoor golf simulator?

4 things, and you may already own the last one.

A net or a cage. In a garden, this is the part you can't skip. It stops the thin one and the shank, and it keeps the ball out of next door's greenhouse.

Something to hit off. A hitting mat or a strip saves the lawn from divots and gives you the same flat lie every time.

A launch monitor. It turns each shot into numbers. Outdoors, it needs to be one whose listing says it works outside, and it needs to come in when you do.

A screen. A phone or tablet on a stand, or the launch monitor's own display, shows the numbers and the ball flight. Your phone is fine to start with.

Which net or cage should you use in the garden?

It depends whether the bay stays up. A garden net goes up for the evening, a pop-up net packs away in seconds, and a cage stays on the lawn for the summer and catches shots that a net would let past.

Outdoor garden net Driving net cage Spornia SPG-7
Size About 3m wide and 2.1m high 3m cube, roof netted About 2m cube, 2.4m high with its roof
Putting it up Minutes, no tools Stays up Pops up in seconds
Outdoors Weather-resistant Built to be left out all year round Inside or outside
Price £69, or £109 with a Tri-Turf mat £399 £359.99

A garden net for the lawn

The GolfBays outdoor golf practice net for the garden, with a target panel in the middleShop now →

Our outdoor golf practice net for the garden is about 3m wide and 2.1m high (10ft by 7ft). It has a steel frame and polyester netting, goes up and comes down in minutes without tools, and costs £69 on its own or £109 with a Tri-Turf mat.

It's the cheapest of the 3, and at 3m it's wide enough to forgive a push.

The catch: it has no roof, and 2.1m is low enough for a high wedge or a skied driver to clear, so stand close enough that a bad shot still meets the net.

A cage that stays up

The GolfBays driving net cage on a garden lawn beside its key stats: a 3m cube with netting on the roof, sides and back and a 32mm steel frameShop now →

A cage nets the roof, the sides and the back, so a mishit has nowhere to go but the netting. Our GolfBays driving net cage is a 3m cube on a 32mm steel frame that's rust and corrosion resistant, with foam-covered tubes, nylon netting and a 1.5m target, and it's built to be left out all year round. It costs £399.

At 3m high it also clears the 2.8m we plan on for a full driver swing, so you can stand inside the mouth and swing freely. Add a mat, because the cage comes without one.

The catch: 3m by 3m is a lot of lawn to give up for the summer, and the mower has to go round it.

A pop-up net you pack away

The Spornia SPG-7 pop-up golf practice net with its roof attachment and target sheetShop now →

The Spornia SPG-7 is made for inside or outside, and it pops up and down in seconds. It's about a 2m cube, 2.4m high with the roof attachment for short irons and wedges, weighs 11kg, and has an automatic ball return, a noise reduction target sheet and a chipping basket, for £359.99.

It's the net for a garden that's also a garden: up after tea, down before anyone wants the lawn, and back in the garage for the winter.

The catch: at about 2m wide it's the smallest net of the 3, so it suits a golfer who mostly finds the middle.

✓ Do this

Aim the net down the length of your own garden, with clear lawn either side and nothing breakable behind it, so a ball that misses the net still stops in your garden.

✕ Not this

Face it towards next door's conservatory, the road or a gap in the hedge, where the shot that misses the net becomes somebody else's problem.

What should you hit off on grass?

Not the grass, if you like your lawn. Pick the mat by how long the bay stays up: a strip for an evening, or a 1.5m mat on a rubber base for the summer.

The Outdoor Golf Tri-Turf hitting strip with 3 turf surfaces side by sideShop now →

The lightest option is the Outdoor Golf Tri-Turf hitting strip: 3 turf surfaces for different lies, about 64cm by 41cm, 3.6kg, and it folds to a third of its size for the shed. It's £39.99.

For the summer bay, a 1.5m mat gives you room for both feet on the turf, and on a lawn it needs something under it.

The GolfBays rubber base for a 1.5m golf mat, with drainage holes across itShop now →

The GolfBays rubber base is a heavy-duty, non-slip rubber frame 1.56m square with drainage holes, made to hold a 1.5m mat as a well-drained tee area. It's £109.

The GolfBays Nylon Winter Insert Tee mat, 1.5m square, with a ball on a real teeShop now →

Inside it goes a mat made for outdoors as well as in, such as the GolfBays Nylon Winter Insert Tee mat: 1.5m square, dense nylon turf, a heavy-duty foam base, and turf you push a real tee into. It's £329.

Whatever you hit off, put it on flat ground. A mat on a slope tilts the ball, and a launch monitor has to sit level to read it.

Which launch monitors work outdoors?

Radar units, and the camera units made for the range. Radar sits behind the ball and needs room there, which a garden has and a garage often doesn't: it's why radar launch monitors need 5m of depth indoors. Camera units read the ball at impact from beside it, so they need no room behind you, but only some are made to work outside.

Launch monitor How it reads the ball Where it sits Water rating on the listing Price
Shot Scope LM1 Radar About 1.8m behind the ball IPX3 £194.99
Garmin Approach R10 Radar 1.8m to 2.4m behind the ball IPX7 £421
FlightScope Mevo Gen 2 Radar and camera Behind the ball None stated £1,199
Square Golf Omni 4 cameras Beside the ball None stated £1,599.99
Garmin Approach R50 3 cameras Beside the ball None stated £4,299

Radar tracks the ball with radio waves rather than light, but the R10's listing warns that wind and heavy rain can affect any Doppler radar's readings, so pick a still, dry evening. Camera units read the ball from images, so keep low sun out of their lenses.

Shot Scope LM1: the cheapest of the 5

The Shot Scope LM1 launch monitor with club speed, ball speed, smash factor, carry and total on its colour screenShop now →

The Shot Scope LM1 is a radar unit that sits about 1.8m (6ft) behind the ball, with a 3.5-inch colour screen of its own for your club speed, ball speed, smash factor, carry and total. It's IPX3 rated, comes with a carry case, runs for up to 5 hours on a charge and needs no subscription. It's £194.99.

Because the numbers are on the unit, you don't need a phone in the garden at all, which makes it the simplest setup of the 5.

The catch: it stops at speed and distance. It tells you how far, not why.

Garmin Approach R10: the best value for a garden net

The Garmin Approach R10 on its tripod beside its key stats: an IPX7 water rating and a place 1.8m to 2.4m behind the ballShop now →

The R10 is the radar unit we'd put behind most garden nets. Outdoors it goes 1.8m to 2.4m (6ft to 8ft) behind the ball, on level ground with a clear view down the range, and indoors it wants at least 2.4m of ball flight into the net. It runs for up to 10 hours, and the tripod, a phone clip and a carrying case come in the box.

It's rated IPX7, which its listing describes as withstanding incidental water exposure. The Garmin Approach R10 is £421.

The catch: the courses need a Garmin Golf membership, and its listing still says to avoid heavy rain.

FlightScope Mevo Gen 2: the range, the garden and the garage

The FlightScope Mevo Gen 2 launch monitor, a flat white unit with its Fusion Tracking camera windowShop now →

The FlightScope Mevo Gen 2 reads each shot with radar and camera images together, and FlightScope made it for 3 places: the driving range, a net in the garden and an indoor simulator. It's £1,199, and the 8 E6 Connect courses that come with it are yours for life.

If the same launch monitor has to do the lawn in summer and the garage in winter, this is the one we'd pick.

The catch: its listing gives no water rating, so treat it as a dry-weather unit.

Square Golf Omni: camera data indoors and out

The Square Golf Omni launch monitor on its stand beside its key stats: 4 cameras reading ball and club data at impact, with no marked ballsShop now →

Plenty of launch monitors are strictly indoor tools. The Omni is built for an indoor simulator and outdoor practice alike, from a net in the garage to a grass range. Its 4-camera photometric system reads ball speed, launch, spin and spin axis, plus club speed, attack angle, face angle, club path and impact location.

It doesn't rely on marked balls or special reflective gear, so it reads the balls you practise with. The Square Golf Omni is £1,599.99, and it isn't tied to a costly subscription.

The catch: it's nearly 4 times the price of an R10, for a garden where radar already works well.

Garmin Approach R50: the simulator with its own screen

The Garmin Approach R50 launch monitor with its built-in touchscreenShop now →

The Garmin Approach R50 tracks more than 15 ball and club metrics with 3 high-speed cameras, works indoors or outdoors and comes with a carrying case. It has a 10-inch colour touchscreen and runs for up to 4 hours on a charge (Garmin). It's £4,299.

That screen is what makes it an outdoor simulator rather than a practice tool: Home Tee Hero runs on the unit itself, with more than 43,000 courses and no tablet in the chain.

The catch: £4,299 buys 10 R10s with change to spare, and Home Tee Hero's courses still need a Garmin Golf membership.

Not sure what fits your garden?

Send us the length and width of the lawn, a photo, and what you want from it, and we'll tell you whether a net, a cage or a garden room suits it, and which launch monitor to put with it. It's free.

Book a free consultation

How much garden do you need?

About 5m of lawn in a straight line for a cage and a radar unit, and the cage's 3m plus room to swing for a camera unit.

Plan view of 2 garden setups: a 3m cage with a Garmin R10 1.8m to 2.4m behind the ball, taking 4.8m to 5.4m of lawn, and a 3m cage with a camera unit across the ball from the golfer and nothing behind

With radar, hit from the mouth of the cage and the ball has 3m to fly, more than the 2.4m the R10 asks for. The R10 then goes 1.8m to 2.4m behind the ball, so the bay takes 4.8m to 5.4m of lawn, 3m wide.

With a camera unit, the launch monitor sits across the ball from you, so nothing goes on the grass behind the ball. The cage and your swing are all the lawn it needs.

With a garden net, the radar sums are the same: the ball needs its 2.4m of flight to the net, and the R10 its 1.8m to 2.4m behind the ball, so allow at least 4.2m from the net to the launch monitor.

GolfBays tip

Before you buy anything, mark out a 3m square on the lawn with the hose, add the radar's 2.4m behind the ball, then stand at the mouth and take a slow swing. You'll find the washing line, the trampoline and the low branch before the cage does.

Can you use a projector outside?

Not in daylight. A projected picture washes out in the sun, and a projector and an impact screen are made for a room you can darken, not an open lawn. Outdoors, the picture lives on a smaller screen close to you.

  • A phone or tablet on a stand is what most launch monitors send their numbers to, with a virtual range and, on the R10 and the Mevo Gen 2, courses to play.
  • The launch monitor's own screen saves carrying anything else: the LM1 has a 3.5-inch display, and the R50 has a 10-inch touchscreen.
  • A laptop works too, if your software runs on one.

Put the tablet beside the mat, out of the swing, at a height you can see without bending, and keep it in the shade, where the screen is easier to read.

Can you use a golf simulator in the rain?

The net and the mat, yes. The launch monitor only if its listing gives it a water rating, like the LM1's IPX3 ("rain-ready") or the R10's IPX7, and even then not in heavy rain.

The weather is the real limit on an outdoor bay. Across the UK, Met Office figures for 1991 to 2020 average about 159 days a year with 1mm of rain or more, from about 11 days in May, the driest month, to about 16 in November (Met Office). Late spring and summer are the outdoor season; from October the evenings get wet and dark.

The net and cage are the parts that cope. Our cage is built to be left out all year round, and the garden net is weather-resistant. A mat on the rubber base drains through its holes rather than sitting in a puddle.

Watch out: the launch monitor on the lawn

The expensive mistake is running inside when a shower starts and leaving the launch monitor on the grass. IPX7 on the R10 covers incidental water, not a downpour, and the Mevo Gen 2, the Omni and the R50 list no water rating at all. When the first drops land, the launch monitor comes in first, then the tablet, and the mat can wait.

How do you keep the ball in the garden?

Net every direction a bad shot can go, and stand where a bad shot still meets the net.

Use a cage if you can. With netting on the roof, the sides and the back, a shank or a skied driver stays inside. A garden net only stops what it's in front of.

Stand close enough. The further you stand from a net, the smaller the miss it takes for a slice or a thin wedge to get past it. With radar, keep the ball at least 2.4m from the net for the R10 and no further back than the net can cover.

Check the netting every time. A tear or a sagging corner is where the ball goes through. Look before the first shot, not after the neighbour's knock.

Keep watchers back. Anyone watching stands well clear of the swing and never beside the net, and children and dogs stay out of the bay.

Pick up every ball. A ball left in the grass is a problem for the mower, and for whoever mows.

Will the neighbours hear an outdoor golf simulator?

Yes, some of it. The loud part is the strike: a club on the ball and the mat, then the ball hitting the net or target. A garden bay can't be soundproofed, so the answer is where you put it and when you use it.

Put the net at the end of the garden furthest from the neighbours' windows rather than against the shared fence. A target sheet softens the ball's landing, and the SPG-7's is made to reduce the noise. Then keep sessions to sensible hours, and tell next door before the first one.

Noise counts as a statutory nuisance when it can "unreasonably and substantially" interfere with the use or enjoyment of a home, and if the council agrees it is one, it must serve an abatement notice. From 11pm to 7am there are also permitted noise levels (gov.uk). An hour of wedges on a summer evening is a long way from that; a bucket of drivers early on a Sunday morning is closer.

What do you pack away after each garden session?

Anything with a battery or a screen comes inside. The rest depends on the net.

Kit After each session
Launch monitor Inside, in its case; the LM1, R10 and R50 come with one
Phone, tablet or laptop Inside
Hitting strip or mat Into the shed or garage to dry; the strip folds to a third of its size
Garden net or SPG-7 Down when the lawn's needed, or up if it isn't
Driving net cage Stays up all year round
Balls Picked up, every one

Charge the launch monitor when it comes in, so it's ready the next time the evening's dry. The R10 runs for up to 10 hours, the LM1 up to 5 and the R50 up to 4, so a full charge outlasts most evenings in the garden.

How much does an outdoor golf simulator cost?

From about £300 for a net and a launch monitor that shows your numbers, to around £2,400 for a cage bay with camera data. These are GolfBays prices on 30 September 2026.

Setup What's in it Total
Lawn starter Garden net with Tri-Turf mat, Shot Scope LM1 £303.99
Garden practice Garden net with Tri-Turf mat, Garmin R10 £530
Pack-away net Spornia SPG-7, Tri-Turf strip, Garmin R10 £820.98
Cage bay with radar Driving net cage, rubber base, Nylon Winter Insert Tee mat, Mevo Gen 2 £2,036
Cage bay with cameras Driving net cage, rubber base, Nylon Winter Insert Tee mat, Square Golf Omni £2,436.99

The totals leave out the phone or tablet the numbers show on. The garden practice setup is the one we'd start most golfers with.

Garden practice setup

GolfBays prices, 30 September 2026

Outdoor golf practice net for the garden, with Tri-Turf mat £109
Garmin Approach R10 £421
Total £530

Your own phone or tablet runs it. Courses on the R10 need a Garmin Golf membership.

If the bay is staying up for the summer, the cage changes the sums. The mat and base cost more than the cage, and they're worth it on a lawn you hit off every evening.

Cage bay that stays up

GolfBays prices, 30 September 2026

GolfBays driving net cage, 3m £399
GolfBays rubber base for a 1.5m mat £109
GolfBays Nylon Winter Insert Tee mat, 1.5m £329
FlightScope Mevo Gen 2 £1,199
Total £2,036

With a Square Golf Omni in place of the Mevo Gen 2, the total is £2,436.99.

When is a garden room better than an outdoor golf simulator?

When you want to play in November. The same launch monitor can do the lawn in summer and move into a garage golf simulator for the winter, where the door shuts on the weather and the neighbours.

If the garage has no room, or the car won't leave it, the step up is a golf simulator garden room: a building sized for a driver swing, with the bay set up and dry all year, and a projector and impact screen back in play.

The GolfBays 6.6m by 3.3m golf simulator cabin with glazed sliding doors and a deckShop now →

Our lowest-priced cabin is the 6.6m × 3.3m golf simulator cabin at £13,299, and its 6.6m length leaves room behind the golfer for a radar unit or a chair.

Indoors, the net becomes an enclosure, the picture moves from the tablet to an impact screen, and the room around the bay starts to matter as much as the kit: the lighting, the seating, somewhere for the clubs.

Do you need planning permission for an outdoor golf simulator?

Usually not. A net or pop-up that comes down after each session is garden kit, and most golf simulator cabins can be built under permitted development if they meet the outbuilding rules.

A cage that stays up is worth placing with the same rules in mind. In England, the Planning Portal lists enclosures, tennis courts included, alongside sheds and garden buildings, and a building or enclosure within 2m of a boundary is limited to 2.5m high (Planning Portal). Our cage is 3m high, so stand it more than 2m from the fence.

The other outbuilding rules apply too: nothing in front of the house, no more than half the land around it covered by buildings, and permission for anything at a listed building. National parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and other designated land have tighter limits, so check with the council if your home is on it.

Outdoor golf simulator FAQs

Can you do a golf simulator outside?

Yes, with a launch monitor, a net or cage and a mat, reading your shots on a phone, a tablet or the unit's own screen. The projector and impact screen stay indoors, because daylight washes out the picture.

What is the best golf simulator for outdoor use?

For most gardens, a Garmin R10 behind a net or cage: it's £421, rated IPX7 and runs for up to 10 hours. For camera data outdoors, the Square Golf Omni at £1,599.99, and for a full simulator on the unit's own screen, the Garmin R50 at £4,299.

How much would it cost to build an outdoor golf simulator?

From £303.99 for a garden net, a Tri-Turf mat and a Shot Scope LM1, or £530 with a Garmin R10 instead. A 3m cage bay that stays up for the summer, with a proper mat, a rubber base and a Mevo Gen 2, comes to £2,036.

How much does a garden golf simulator cost?

A garden bay costs from £303.99 to £2,436.99 at our prices, depending on the net and the launch monitor. A full simulator in a garden room is a different budget: our cabins start at £13,299 before the simulator goes in.

Do I need planning permission for a golf simulator in my garden?

Usually not. A net you take down is garden kit, and most golf simulator cabins can go up under permitted development if they meet the outbuilding rules. A cage left up all year is best kept more than 2m from the boundary, because within 2m the Planning Portal limits enclosures to 2.5m high.

Is a home golf simulator worth it?

For a garden bay, it comes down to how many summer evenings you'll spend hitting balls. A £530 garden setup gives you your carry with every club all summer, and the same launch monitor moves into a garage or garden room for the winter, so the expensive part keeps working all year.

Can you leave a golf net out all year?

Our 3m driving net cage is built to be left out all year round. The garden net is weather-resistant, and the SPG-7 pops down in seconds, so both are easy to put away when the lawn's needed.

Can a launch monitor get wet?

Some can take a little: the LM1 is rated IPX3, and the R10 is rated IPX7 for incidental water, with a listing that says to avoid heavy rain. The Mevo Gen 2, the Omni and the R50 list no water rating, so bring them in when it starts.

Set up your garden bay

Nets and cages for the lawn, from a pop-up you pack away after tea to a 3m cage that stays up all summer.

See golf practice nets

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