A spare-room sim in Germany fits a full driver swing under an 8-foot-7 ceiling

Alan, the golfer behind the Scratch at 61 YouTube channel, says he turned a spare guest room into a working golf simulator in six weeks, and that he hasn't hit the ceiling once. The room is 2.65 meters high (about 8 feet 7 inches), 3.60 meters wide and 4.60 meters deep. He says he is about 5 feet 10¾.

The 15-minute video, posted Nov. 10, walks through the build and ends with a full driver swing. Six things from it are worth knowing if you're measuring a low room.

1. Test the swing before buying anything

He started with a mini driver, then moved to a driver with a full backswing and follow-through. Neither touched the ceiling. His explanation is that most golfers swing on a plane around the body rather than straight up.

2. A shallow room pushed him to a camera unit

With only 4.60 meters of depth, he bought a Square Golf Home Edition launch monitor because he needed a camera-based system. He runs Square's own software for now and bought a used gaming PC for €600, monitor included, to be ready for GSPro.

3. Budget enclosures can work, barely

He says professional enclosures from Golf Bays or Carl's Place were quoted around 1,600 to 1,700 for the room. A cheap Temu net he tried to adapt didn't fit, and that €80 was wasted. An Amazon enclosure at €360 fit "almost too perfectly." A little taller and it wouldn't have gone in.

4. Upgrade the screen

The screen that came with the enclosure was so loud it sounded "like somebody shooting." He replaced it with a €160 impact screen and has a three-layer screen on order.

5. Plan for noise

He lives in a well-insulated semi-detached house. The neighbor who shares the building says she hasn't heard anything, but a neighbor about six meters away can hear him practice. He now wears earplugs.

6. Shop secondhand

His flooring is used hockey turf from Kleinanzeigen, Germany's classifieds site, for €160. A used BenQ short-throw projector cost €1,000, versus about €2,200 for BenQ's newer golf model. The hitting mat was €100.

After 10 days he says his wedges feel sharper on the course, and the mat is forcing cleaner strikes. He also hit so many balls that his right elbow flared up, so he's taking a week off. His goal is to get from a 12 handicap to scratch by the end of next year.