Accessory guide · prices verified 08/2026
Screens, Nets, Mats, Projectors: The Receipt's Other Lines
The components nobody researches and everybody replaces. Each pick is tier-labeled to match our three builds, every price verified through PlayBetter, 08/2026.
Published 2026-07-23 · Updated 2026-08-19
Impact screens
Wear item. The hitting zone frays first with heavy use — divide the replacement price by your winters and budget accordingly.
Carl's Place Standard screen
Carl's own entry-tier screen: 100% heavy-duty polyester, loosely woven, built for a first simulator rather than a fitting studio. The lowest verified screen price on this page — sized for the smaller bay, not the budget net build, which needs no screen at all.
STARTER SCREEN
$275.95+
Carl's Place Premium screen
Triple-layer polyester rated to 250 mph ball speed, from $683.95 (4:3, 7.7'×10') to $1,241.95 (16:9, 10'×18'). The screen inside the enclosure kit our Practice Bay build specs.
OUR PICK
$683.95+
Carl's Place Pro enclosure kit
Full enclosure walls plus a premium triple-layer screen in one kit, verified at $4,091.95 — a seamless floor-to-turf display built for a permanent installation rather than a seasonal one. This is the Dedicated Room build's line.
SCREEN + ENCLOSURE
$4,091.95
Nets
Safety item. The failure threads all start with the same sentence: it was fine for the first month.
The Net Return Pro Series Jr. V2
The cheapest net we'd stand behind — $295, and it keeps the same automatic ball-return mechanism as the larger Net Return models rather than shipping a stripped-down mechanism-free net at that price. 4'6"×4'6"×2'4" and 15 lbs; this is the $1,465 garage build's net.
OUR PICK
$295
The Net Return Pro Series V2
Rated to 225 mph with a published 250,000-shot guarantee — the wear math in writing, in a full 8'×7.5' footprint instead of the Jr.'s compact one. Worth the $500 step-up once the net is taking daily full-swing traffic.
THE GUARANTEE
$795
Mats
Joint-health item. This is the line where cheap shows up later as a wrist brace.
PlayBetter SimStudio hitting mat
PlayBetter's own house-brand mat, 5×5 with real driver-capable padding, verified at $599.99 — the floor of acceptable for a season of full swings. Never hit off less than this.
<$1,500 BUILD
$599.99
Carl's Place HotShot, 5×8
Modular mat system with a replaceable hitting strip, verified at $919.95 for the 5×8 Standard configuration — the forgiveness that saves elbows over a winter. The Practice Bay build's mat.
OUR PICK
$919.95
Fiberbuilt Studio, 7×4
Fiberbuilt's single-hitting studio mat, verified at $1,199 — a fitting-studio staple, pre-cut and tool-free to assemble. The Dedicated Room build's mat.
$12K+ BUILD
$1,199
Projectors
The component with the widest honest price range on this site — $909 to $4,899 — and the one where the spec that matters is throw ratio, not lumens.
Optoma ZW350ST
3,600 lumens on a sealed 30,000-hour laser engine — no bulb replacements — at a verified $909, the cheapest laser projector on this page, not just the cheapest projector. Native WXGA (1280×800) rather than 1080p; it accepts a 1080p signal and scales it. This is both builds' projector line.
OUR PICK
$909
Optoma GT2000HDR
1080p laser at a 0.496:1 throw (vs the ZW350ST's 0.521:1), 3,500 lumens, verified at $1,399. Worth the $490 premium only if the tighter throw ratio is what gets the image mounted clear of the swing path.
TIGHTER THROW
$1,399
BenQ LK936ST
4K laser, 5,100 lumens, a dedicated golf mode — and a $4,899 verified price that has moved well above its old street price. Only worth it beside a screen and GPU that can feed it.
4K LASER
$4,899
The components nobody researches and everybody replaces. Each pick below is tier-labeled to match the three builds on the cost breakdown, every price verified through PlayBetter 08/2026, with the wear math that decides whether cheap is actually cheap.
Two of these lines now have their own ranked breakdowns: best golf simulator projectors, where throw ratio decides the pick, and best golf practice nets. If you're framing the enclosure yourself rather than buying one built, the DIY build guide prices that path line by line.
Frequently asked
- Is it ever safe to buy the cheapest net?
- The Net Return Pro Series Jr. V2 is the cheapest net on this page and it's still the pick — not the absolute bottom of the market. A net's one job is stopping a mishit driver every time; sub-$100 alternatives are how balls meet drywall. The Jr. V2 keeps the real auto-return mechanism at $295; if the budget genuinely can't reach that, hit into it with irons only until it can.
- Why does the mat matter more than it seems to?
- It's the line where cheap shows up later as an injury, not just a wear item. A winter of full swings off thin turf over concrete is hard on wrists and elbows — the $599.99 SimStudio mat is the floor for a reason, and the HotShot 5×8 is what you upgrade to once the sim proves it'll get used.
- Lamp or laser projector?
- Laser, and it no longer costs extra to get one — the Optoma ZW350ST at $909 is both the cheapest projector on this page and a sealed 30,000-hour laser engine with no bulb replacements. The GT2000HDR's tighter 0.496:1 throw ratio is the only reason to pay the $490 premium, and only if your mount position needs it.
Sources
- 01checked 2026-08-19
Carl's Place Standard impact screens verified from $275.95 at PlayBetter
https://www.playbetter.com/products/carls-place-standard-golf-impact-screens - 02checked 2026-07-23
Carl's Place Premium screens verified at $683.95-$1,241.95 by size at PlayBetter, rated to 250 mph
https://www.playbetter.com/products/carls-place-premium-golf-impact-screens - 03checked 2026-08-19
Carl's Place Pro enclosure kit with impact screen verified at $4,091.95 at PlayBetter
https://www.playbetter.com/products/carls-place-complete-pro-golf-simulator-enclosure-kit-with-impact-screen - 04checked 2026-08-19
The Net Return Pro Series Jr. V2 verified at $295 at PlayBetter, 4'6"x4'6"x2'4", automatic ball return
https://www.playbetter.com/products/the-net-return-pro-series-jr-v2-golf-net - 05checked 2026-07-23
The Net Return Pro Series V2 verified at $795 at PlayBetter, rated 225 mph with a 250,000-shot guarantee
https://www.playbetter.com/products/net-return-pro-series-v2-golf-hitting-net - 06checked 2026-08-19
PlayBetter SimStudio golf hitting mat verified at $599.99 at PlayBetter, 5x5, driver-capable
https://www.playbetter.com/products/playbetter-simstudio-golf-hitting-mat - 07checked 2026-08-19
Carl's Place HotShot golf hitting mat system verified at $919.95 for the 5x8 Standard strip configuration at PlayBetter
https://www.playbetter.com/products/carls-place-hotshot-golf-hitting-mat-systems - 08checked 2026-08-19
Fiberbuilt Studio golf simulator hitting mat verified at $1,199 for the 7x4 single-hitting configuration at PlayBetter
https://www.playbetter.com/products/fiberbuilt-studio-golf-simulator-hitting-mat - 09checked 2026-08-19
Optoma ZW350ST verified at $909 at PlayBetter, 3,600 lumens, sealed laser engine rated 30,000 hours
https://www.playbetter.com/products/optoma-zw350st-projector - 10checked 2026-08-19
Optoma GT2000HDR verified at $1,399 at PlayBetter, 3,500 lumens, 0.496:1 throw ratio
https://www.playbetter.com/products/optoma-gt2000hdr-3500-lumens-projector-for-golf-simulator-studios - 11checked 2026-08-19
BenQ LK936ST verified at $4,899 at PlayBetter — above its historical street price
https://www.playbetter.com/products/benq-lk936st-golf-simulator-projector