Garmin R50 Simulator Setup: Room Size, Screens & the Full Package (UK)

The Garmin R50 has a rare quality among launch monitors: it works properly at every stage of a simulator build, from a bare unit in front of a garden net all the way to a full enclosure with projector and impact screen. That flexibility is a gift, but it also means R50 buyers face more setup decisions than most, and I answer some version of “what do I actually need around it?” on WhatsApp most weeks. This guide is the complete answer for UK rooms: the dimensions that matter, the enclosure and screen options at each budget, when the built-in touchscreen is genuinely enough, and an honest breakdown of the R50 Full Package at £7,099 versus assembling the same room yourself. Start with the room, not the receipt Every good simulator build starts with a tape measure, and the R50 makes the maths kinder than most. Because it is a camera unit that sits in front of the ball, you do not need the ~2.4m of clear space behind the ball that radar units demand, which is the single biggest reason short UK garages that fail for radar succeed for the R50. Three measurements decide everything. Height first: you need enough ceiling for your tallest player to swing driver flat out, and this is the least negotiable number in the whole project, because a driver you cannot swing indoors turns your simulator into an iron-only room. Width second: enough for a comfortable stance and, ideally, for both left- and right-handed players to hit from a central mat, something the R50 supports without repositioning. Depth third: ball-to-screen distance plus space behind you to swing. Our room size guide walks through the exact figures for each scenario, and I would read it before spending a pound. It is common for the plan to change once or twice at the measuring stage, and every change is cheaper on paper than it would be in hardware. Decision one: built-in touchscreen or projector? The R50’s built-in 10” touchscreen runs Garmin’s Home Tee Hero simulation with no other hardware, and for a lot of setups, especially net-based practice rooms and garden setups, it is honestly enough. You see the course and your numbers right behind the ball, and the whole system is one plug and one unit. My advice to most first-time builders is to start here even if a projector is the eventual dream, because it lets you spread the spend and learn what you actually want from the room. The projector route is what turns the room from a practice space into somewhere people want to spend an evening. Ball flying into…