The impact screen is the one part of a golf simulator that takes every shot and shows every picture. A good one is quiet, sends the ball back gently and holds a sharp image; a cheap one cracks, bounces the ball back at the golfer and shows the weave. Here are the impact screens from the two makers GSV builds with, Shop Indoor Golf and Carl's Place: each material, its layers and list price, white against gray, which to buy, the room it needs and how to hang it. Jay Lasco, host of Golf Simulator Videos, has built with both makers' screens in his garage and at Tyrone Hills Golf Club, and compared Shop Indoor Golf's gray screen with the white one in GSV's studio.
GSV5OFF takes 5% off a first order at Shop Indoor Golf, and Carl's Place sends GSV's code by email.
Golf simulator impact screens
- SIGPRO Premium impact screen5% off at Shop Indoor Golf with code GSV5OFF.First-time buyers only, one use. Not valid on a standalone Trackman, the Square Golf launch monitor or the ProTee VX.
- SIGPRO Premier gray impact screen5% off at Shop Indoor Golf with code GSV5OFF, first-time buyers.
- SIG Preferred impact screen5% off at Shop Indoor Golf with code GSV5OFF, first-time buyers.
- Carl's Place enclosures and screens5% off at Carl's Place. GSV emails you the code.
Buying through GSV's links and codes helps support the channel: GSV earns a small commission at no extra cost to you, and you still get every saving available.
The short answer
- A dark room: a three-layer screen, the SIGPRO Premium or Carl's Place Premium. Jay recommends one on every build: quieter, softer on the ball and a smoother picture.
- A room with light in it: the same three-layer build in gray, the SIGPRO Premier or Carl's Place High-Contrast Gray, for deeper blacks and stronger color.
- The lowest price: a single-layer screen, the SIG Preferred or Carl's Place Standard or Preferred, louder and with more bounce-back.
Single layer or three layers
Every screen here is heavy polyester. The difference is the layers:
- Single layer: one woven or knit sheet. Lower in price, louder on impact, and it shows more texture and dimples from strikes. Shop Indoor Golf's SIG Preferred is about 0.03 in thick, by its own screen guide.
- Three layers: two tight-knit faces with spacer yarns between them, which cushion the ball and damp the noise. Shop Indoor Golf's SIGPRO Premium is about 0.14 in thick, more than four times the Preferred. The smooth face also shows a cleaner picture and wears longer, the makers say.
Shop Indoor Golf screens
| Screen | Build | List price by size |
|---|---|---|
| SIG Preferred | Single layer, 6-month warranty | $295.99 to $709.99 |
| SIGPRO Premium | Three layers, white, 1-year warranty | $419.99 to $979.99 |
| SIGPRO Premier | Three layers, gray, 1-year warranty | $689.99 to $1,589.99 |
Regular list prices from Shop Indoor Golf's product pages, read October 17, 2026, for 24 standard sizes in 1:1, 4:3, 16:10 and 16:9, from 7 ft 7 in square to 10 ft x 17 ft 6 in. The Premier also comes in six commercial sizes and custom sizes. The SIG10 enclosure's 8 ft x 10 ft 6 in screen is $569.99 in Premium and $929.99 in Premier.
- SIG Preferred: the value pick. Shop Indoor Golf calls it a middle tier screen and does not recommend it for commercial use.
- SIGPRO Premium: the screen in the SIG8, SIG10 and SIG12 enclosures. Shop Indoor Golf calls it quiet with low bounce-back, with an image up to 4K. Finished with a 2.5 in black vinyl edge and grommets, for ball bungees, zip ties or shock cord.
- SIGPRO Premier: the Premium's build in gray, for brighter rooms. Shop Indoor Golf says its negative gain lowers brightness and raises contrast. In a SIG enclosure it is an upgrade: $240 on the SIG8, $310 on the SIG10 and $350 on the SIG12.
Carl's Place screens
| Screen | Build | List price |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | Single layer, open weave | From $179.95 |
| Preferred | Single layer, tight knit with silicone reinforcement | From $298.95 |
| Premium | Three layers, white, noise-damping center layer | From $439.95 |
| High-Contrast Gray | The Premium's three layers in gray | From $449.95 |
Starting prices from Carl's Place's shop, read October 17, 2026; the price rises with the size. Carl's Place lists 29 standard sizes, from 7.7 x 7.7 ft to 10 x 18 ft, and says all four materials are tested to 250 mph. Each comes with a 2.5 in vinyl edge and grommets, with flaps for safety cushions, or with a loop strip for curtains and nets.
- Standard: Carl's Place's best value for home use, with the most visible texture.
- Preferred: a smoother picture than the Standard, and the most visible dimples from strikes, which Carl's Place says do no harm.
- Premium: Carl's Place's top seller for homes, coaches and commercial bays, with the best image, the longest life, less noise and less bounce-back.
- High-Contrast Gray: for windows, lights on, or a room that does double duty. Carl's Place says the picture is a bit dimmer than on white, and a brighter projector makes up for it.
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White or gray
A projector cannot make black: what looks black is the screen with no light on it. In a dark room a white screen gives the brightest picture. Where windows or room lights reach the screen, a white screen washes out, and a gray one absorbs that light and keeps the blacks dark.
Jay hung Shop Indoor Golf's 10 ft gray Premier over the 12 ft white three-layer screen in GSV's studio, lights on for the camera. The blacks were a better black, the clouds showed sunset color he had not seen before, and a bunker went from washed-out white to the brown of real sand, while the whites still looked white. In his garage, Carl's Place's gray screen under a bright 4K Epson brought the colors out too, and he judged 5,000 lumens would be plenty on it.
- White: a dark, dedicated room, or a projector without much brightness to spare.
- Gray: a garage, a basement with windows, a family room, or a bright projector. See the projector guide for brightness.
What GSV found hitting into them
- Carl's Place Premium, white, 2022 and 2023: quiet, a great picture, and a 162 mph GCQuad drive came back only a short way. He has recommended going premium if the budget allows ever since.
- SIGPRO Premium in a SIG10, 2023: every bungee on, tight with no sag or wrinkles, and still quiet with little bounce-back.
- SIGPRO Commercial at Tyrone Hills, 2024: with golf pro Darren Husse hitting, irons stopped 2 to 3 ft off the screen, and a drive near 164 mph stopped about 2 1/2 ft off it.
- Carl's Place High-Contrast Gray on the Carl's PRO, 2025: a thud rather than the crack some screens make. Hung loosely on zip ties instead of ball bungees, it absorbs the ball rather than springing it back; a 166 mph drive did not come halfway back to the mat.
Size and the room
- Ratio: match the screen to the picture. 4:3 for most launch monitor software and a projector set to 4:3, 16:10 or 16:9 for a wider picture or a screen that doubles as a home theater. The projector calculator shows what fills each size.
- Distance: GSV's rule is a tee 10 ft from the screen, and never more than 12 ft.
- Behind the screen: 12 to 16 in to the wall for a screen hung in the room, about 14 in at best, so the screen can give and the ball never reaches the wall. An enclosure's own frame sets that gap for you.
- The whole room: the room size checker and the GSV Sim Builder lay it out with the screen, the tee and the launch monitor.
How to hang it
- Flat, not tight. Both makers say a screen pulled too tight bounces the ball back harder. Shop Indoor Golf suggests fewer bungees along the bottom, or one left off every few grommets, so the screen can flex. Jay's newest build hangs it on loose zip ties.
- Bungees or zip ties. Ball bungees are the usual mount for a finished screen and are easy to tune; zip ties hold it looser and still. Raw material without an edge goes up with tarp clips.
- Nothing pressed against the back. Foam or a blanket pressed on the back of the screen wears it fast. To soften the ball further, hang a heavy moving blanket or archery netting behind the screen with a gap. Shop Indoor Golf's blackout screen is made to go close behind its SIGPRO screens, where it also stops the projector's light coming through.
- Light behind the screen. All impact screens let some light through, so the room behind it should be dark or blacked out.
The net vs impact screen guide compares screens with nets, and the enclosure guide covers the frames these screens hang in. Looking after a screen and the room around it: impact screen care, bounce-back and protecting the room and a quieter simulator.
Which to buy
- A dark basement or a dedicated room: SIGPRO Premium or Carl's Place Premium.
- A garage or a room with windows and lights: SIGPRO Premier or Carl's Place High-Contrast Gray.
- A first build on a budget: SIG Preferred or Carl's Place Standard or Preferred, with a three-layer screen as the upgrade later.
- A SIG enclosure: it comes with the Premium; the Premier is the gray upgrade.
Golf simulator impact screens
- SIGPRO Premium impact screen5% off at Shop Indoor Golf with code GSV5OFF.First-time buyers only, one use. Not valid on a standalone Trackman, the Square Golf launch monitor or the ProTee VX.
- SIGPRO Premier gray impact screen5% off at Shop Indoor Golf with code GSV5OFF, first-time buyers.
- SIG Preferred impact screen5% off at Shop Indoor Golf with code GSV5OFF, first-time buyers.
- Carl's Place enclosures and screens5% off at Carl's Place. GSV emails you the code.
Free consultation with GSV's partner builders
Not sure of the size or the color? Jay works with official partners: master builders he hand-picked, who get on a call quickly and make sure the screen, the projector and the room fit before you buy anything. They offer package deals on the whole build, DIY packages, full installation, and more. The consultation is free.
Impact screen questions
What is the best golf simulator impact screen?
For noise, ball wear and picture, a three-layer screen: the SIGPRO Premium or Carl's Place Premium. Jay recommends one on every build because it is quieter, softer on the ball and shows a smoother picture. In a room with light in it, the same build in gray: the SIGPRO Premier or Carl's Place High-Contrast Gray.
How much does a golf impact screen cost?
By the makers' list prices in October 2026: Carl's Place from $179.95 for Standard to $449.95 for High-Contrast Gray, before size; at Shop Indoor Golf, the SIG Preferred $295.99 to $709.99, the SIGPRO Premium $419.99 to $979.99 and the SIGPRO Premier $689.99 to $1,589.99, by size.
Is a gray or a white impact screen better?
White for a dark, dedicated room, where it gives the brightest picture. Gray for a garage or a room with windows and lights, where it keeps blacks dark and colors strong. Carl's Place says a gray picture is a bit dimmer, and a brighter projector makes up for it.
How far should the tee be from an impact screen?
GSV's rule is 10 ft from the tee to the screen, and never more than 12 ft.
How much space goes behind a golf impact screen?
12 to 16 in between a hung screen and the wall, about 14 in at best, so the screen can give and the ball never reaches the wall. Keep foam and blankets off the back of the screen.
How do you reduce bounce-back on an impact screen?
Hang the screen flat but not tight, with fewer bungees along the bottom or loose zip ties, choose a three-layer screen, and hang a heavy blanket or netting behind it with a gap. A drive near 164 mph stopped about 2 1/2 ft off a three-layer screen at Tyrone Hills.
Do impact screens come with a warranty?
Shop Indoor Golf gives 1 year on the SIGPRO Premium and Premier for home use and 6 months on the SIG Preferred. Carl's Place does not state a screen warranty on its screen pages.
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Build the rest of your sim
- Hitting mat$20 off at Shop Indoor Golf. GSV5OFF is more on a first order over $400Shop
- Projector5% off at Shop Indoor Golf. First-time buyersShop
- Simulator computerSurfThing: $100 off applied automatically, no codeShop
- TouchscreenGSV code for TouchscreenGuruShop
- Complete package$250 off at Shop Indoor Golf. GSV5OFF is more on a first order over $5,000Shop
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