Golf simulator flooring and turf
A cushioned subfloor, turf over it, and a hitting mat recessed where you swing, with every mat height from our catalog so you can build the floor to the mat.
What is the best flooring for a golf simulator? The short answer
A foam-tile subfloor, turf over it, and a hitting mat recessed into a cut-out. Bare concrete works, but it is hard, loud and bounces the ball; a subfloor and turf cut the noise and bounce and cushion your feet.
Subfloor
Carl's Place tiles press together by hand, no tools.
Turf
Nylon turf between mat and screen quiets the drop.
Hitting mat
The mat's height sets how much floor you build up around it; the Pro Turf hitting turf is 0.75 in.
- A nominal 0.10 in step in foam tiles: a 1.75 in mat (HotShot, Country Club Elite) beside a 1.25 in tile plus 0.40 in of turf pile.
- Needs a taller floor: a 2 in to 2.5 in mat (Fiberbuilt Grass Series, SIGPRO Softy) stands 0.35 to 0.85 in above tiles plus pile; Pro Turf on the tiles levels the 2 in mat, a deck levels the rest.
- On the slab, no subfloor: a Country Club Elite mat plus a 4 x 8 ft landing pad, $735 for both, with a lip.
Fastest path: pick a mat in the golf hitting mat collection, then price the mat with the rest of the bay in the golf simulator builder.
What are the layers of a golf simulator floor?
The floor decides how the room sounds, how the ball rolls back to you, and whether the bay looks built in or dropped onto a slab.
Three layers, bottom to top: a subfloor for cushion and a recessed cut-out, turf for sound and ball roll, and a hitting mat where you swing.
Foam tile, turf and the mat: the layers in a Carl's Place bay
A 1.75 in mat in a tile cut-out sits a nominal 0.10 in proud
1. Subfloor
Cushion underfoot, a quieter drop, and the cut-out that recesses the mat.
2. Turf
Covers the subfloor, softens ball drops and gives the room its fairway look.
3. Hitting mat
Built for full swings. Landing pads and putting turf are not; a hitting turf like the Pro Turf is.
- Turf is not a mat: Carl's Place says putting turf and high-pile turf are not built for repeated full swings; take every full shot from a hitting mat, strip or hitting turf.
- The enclosure sits on the subfloor: Carl's Place recommends tiles wide enough that the whole enclosure stands on them, so the frame and the mat share one level.
- Launch monitor read zone: mat height sets how high the ball sits for a floor unit; our hitting mat guide covers it, and the launch monitor's own placement guide has the final say.
Foam tiles or a wood subfloor: which should you build?
Foam tiles for almost every home bay: no tools, no adhesive, and a mat cut-out you make with a utility knife. A wood deck when the mat is 2 in or taller, or the room is a permanent studio.
The tile system, piece by piece:
Floor Tiles, 5 pack
- Job: the cushioned subfloor under the turf
- Install: puzzle tabs, no tools, no adhesive
- Pick it when: you want a recessed mat without lumber
Tapered Edges, 6 pack
- Job: ramps the floor edge down to the slab
- Install: locks onto the outer tile row
- Pick it when: the floor stops short of a wall
Corner Pieces, 4 pack
- Job: closes the four outside corners
- Install: one pack covers most rooms
- Pick it when: you run tapered edges on two sides
| Subfloor | Height added | Install | Recessed mat | Underfoot and sound | Cost for a 10 x 15 ft bay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.25 in, up to 1/8 in variance | Puzzle tabs press together by hand; no tools, no adhesive; lift out later | A nominal 0.10 in step for a 1.75 in mat in a cut-out; taller mats need thicker turf or a deck | Cushioned; the foam quiets the drop | $1,079.65 for 15 tiles, edges and corners | |
| Wood deck | Set by the lumber: 2x4 framing plus 3/4 in plywood, built to the mat | 2x4 grid about 16 in apart, plywood screwed down, opening cut for the mat; fixed in place | Any mat height; set the deck to the mat | Firm; add turf over it for sound | Lumber and plywood from a hardware store; not in our catalog |
| Bare concrete | 0 in | None | No; the mat sits proud by its full height | Hard and loud, and the ball bounces after it drops | $0 |
- Foam tiles: Carl's Place Golf Room Floor Tiles are 40.25 in square and 1.25 in thick, press together by hand, and do not slide mid-swing; tapered edges and corners finish the perimeter with no trip lip.
- Wood deck: Carl's Place's own build guide lays a 2x4 grid about 16 in apart, fastens 3/4 in plywood to it, cuts an opening so the mat sits flush, then runs turf over the top.
- Moisture barrier: on a basement or garage slab, Carl's Place suggests a vapor barrier under a wood subfloor, since concrete can pass humidity into lumber and turf.
- Carpet: turf over carpet works if the carpet is flat and firm; a plush carpet gives soft spots that upset putting roll and mat stability.
One tile: 40.25 in tab to tab, about 49 in with the tapered edge
Tapered edges finish the perimeter with no trip lip
How tall is each hitting mat, and how close to flush does it sit in foam tiles?
The mats in this table run from 1.25 in to 2.5 in tall; the Pro Turf hitting turf is 0.75 in.
Tile plus the pad's 0.40 in pile is a nominal 1.65 in, so a 1.75 in mat sits about a tenth of an inch proud before the pad's backing. The step column measures from that 1.65 in stack.
| Hitting mat | Height | Nominal step | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.25 in | 0.40 in below the turf, even with the tile top | $739.99 | |
| 1.75 in | 0.10 in above | $499.95 | |
| 1.75 in | 0.10 in above | $479 | |
| 2 in | 0.35 in above Level with Pro Turf on tiles |
$1,249 | |
| 2.5 in | 0.85 in above 0.5 in above Pro Turf on tiles |
$999.99 | |
| 2 3/8 in | 0.73 in above 0.38 in above Pro Turf on tiles |
$1,159.99 |
- The step rule: mat height minus tile height minus turf thickness is the step you feel. Our guidance: a tenth of an inch is fine underfoot; above half an inch, add turf or build a deck set to the mat.
- Strips instead of mats: Carl's Place says its 30 x 12 in HotShot strips fit other mats and flooring systems around 1.75 in tall, so a strip can drop into a deck cut-out with turf around it.
- Thicker turf closes the gap: the 0.75 in Pro Turf on tiles reaches 2 in, level with the 2 in Grass Series mat; the SIGPRO Softy mats sit 0.38 to 0.5 in above it, or level in a deck.
- Measure before you cut: tiles and the Softy LITE vary up to 1/8 in, and 0.40 in is the pad's pile height, not its thickness with the backing; measure your own stack.
- Which mat: tees, strips, turf feel and joints are compared in the hitting mat guide, our Fiberbuilt vs HotShot comparison and the gel vs foam strip guide.
Golf simulator turf: landing pad, hitting turf or putting turf?
A landing pad in front of the mat for most bays; a hitting turf when you want one long surface to swing and putt on; a putting turf with a published green speed when putting practice matters.
Tour Landing Pad
- Surface: commercial nylon, not for swings
- Sizes: 4 to 8 ft long, 8 to 20 ft wide
- Pick it when: you already own a mat and want quiet drops
Net Return Pro Turf
- Surface: 42 oz nylon on 5 mm foam, hit from it
- Sizes: one roll, 50 lb, rolls up like a carpet
- Pick it when: you want one surface for full shots and putts
Net Return Platinum Turf
- Surface: several hitting zones plus a putting lane
- Sizes: modular, under a Net Return net
- Pick it when: the room is a long-term studio build
- Landing pad sizes: cut to order from 4 ft x 8 ft at $256 to 8 ft x 20 ft at $1,280, in half-foot width steps; pads of the same width butt end to end for a longer run.
- Full turf room: the golf simulator turf mat from The Net Return is 3/4 in thick with a 5 mm foam back, so on bare tiles its top sits 2 in up, level with the 2 in Fiberbuilt Grass Series mat.
- Putting turf: Fiberbuilt's putting greens run at a stimp of 9 and take chips with check and roll; the golf simulator putting guide covers green speed and the launch monitors that read putts.
- Match the software: set the green speed in GSPro or E6 to the stimp of the turf you putt on, so the roll on the floor matches the roll on the screen.
What does a golf simulator floor cost?
Mat on the slab
A HotShot mat and a 4 x 8 ft landing pad in a 10 by 15 ft bay.
Recessed in foam tiles
The listed parts of the recessed build in the same 10 by 15 ft bay.
| Part | Mat on the slab | Recessed build in foam tiles |
|---|---|---|
| Floor tiles, 3 wide x 5 deep, three 5-packs
|
None | $689.85 |
| Tapered width edges (6 across front and back, one pack) | None | $109.95 |
| Tapered depth edges (10 down both sides, two packs) | None | $219.90 |
| Corner pieces (one pack of 4) | None | $59.95 |
| Carl's Place HotShot 4 x 5 ft, standard insert
|
$499.95 | $499.95 |
| Tour Landing Pad, 4 x 8 ft on the slab
|
$256 | None |
| Tour Landing Pad, 4 x 10 ft in the tile build
|
None | $320 |
| Total, listed parts | $755.95 | $1,899.60 |
- Tile count: 120 in of width over 40.25 in per tile is 2.98, so 3 across; 180 in of depth is 4.47, so 5 deep; 15 tiles in three 5-packs at $229.95.
- Cut to fit: five locked tiles cover 199.38 in in Carl's Place's layout example, so the wall row is trimmed to the room; the tiles cut to fit.
- Edge ramps: in the same example the tapered edges take 199.38 in of tile to 207.25 in, about 3.9 in on each open side.
- Edges: 3 tiles across need 3 width edges on the front and 3 on the back, one 6-pack; 5 tiles deep need 5 depth edges each side, two 6-packs.
- Landing pad: the slab build uses a 4 x 8 ft pad at $256; the tile build uses a 4 x 10 ft pad at $320, the width of the bay.
- Turf over the rest of the tiles: not in the total; the tile system has no turf of its own, and Carl's Place recommends cutting your turf with a 6 in overlap on every side after the tiles and edges are down.
- Country Club Elite instead of the HotShot: $479 for the 5 x 4 ft mat, so $735 on the slab and $1,878.65 for the listed parts of the tile build.
Which floor should you build?
Match the floor to the room and the mat. Four builds, side by side, with the catalog price of their listed parts.
Mat on the slab
- Stack: HotShot plus a 4 x 8 ft landing pad
- Step: the full 1.75 in, a lip
- Pick it when: you rent or share the garage
Recessed in tiles
- Stack: tiles, edges, mat in a cut-out, pad
- Step: a nominal 0.10 in
- Pick it when: concrete basement, no lumber
Tall mat, built up
- Stack: Pro Turf on tiles, or a plywood deck
- Step: 0.35 to 0.85 in before the build-up
- Pick it when: you want a SIGPRO Softy or Fiberbuilt Grass Series
Studio surface
- Stack: Platinum Turf under a Net Return net
- Step: none, one modular surface
- Pick it when: the room is a long-term build
- Slab build, cheaper: the Country Club Elite at $479 makes the pair $735; the Net Return Pro Turf at $599 swings and putts on one surface.
- Tile build, cheaper: $1,878.65 in listed parts with the Country Club Elite; the Softy LITE at $739.99 sits even with the tile top, no real tee.
- Tall mats: the 2 in Fiberbuilt Grass Series levels with Pro Turf on tiles; the SIGPRO Softy mats (Super Softy $1,159.99) sit 0.38 to 0.5 in above it, or level in a deck.
- Studio, bigger: a Fiberbuilt combo mat from $3,300 adds a 10 x 6 ft putting green.
What else goes in the bay?
A floor projector mount sits on the subfloor, off the landing pad; acoustic tiles go on the walls and ceiling.
ProGuard Floor Mount
- Job: a protected box for a floor projector
- Spot: on the subfloor, not the landing pad
- Pick it when: you will not drill the ceiling
Carl's Acoustic Tiles
- Job: quiets the room the way turf quiets the floor
- Spot: peel and stick on walls and ceiling
- Pick it when: the bay echoes or glares
- Ball tray for Fiberbuilt mats: Fiberbuilt's half-moon rubber tray holds up to 150 balls beside or behind the mat.
Bottom line
Pick the mat first, then build the floor to its height.
A 1.75 in mat sits about a tenth of an inch proud on Carl's Place tiles; a 2 in Grass Series mat levels with Pro Turf on tiles; taller mats want a deck.
- Best floor for most home bays (our pick): Carl's Place tiles, a HotShot or Country Club Elite mat in a cut-out, and a Tour landing pad: $1,899.60 or $1,878.65 in listed parts.
- Do the arithmetic once: mat height minus 1.25 in minus turf thickness is the step you feel.
Go deeper: the mat, the room and the putting surface
Three guides that go further:
Hitting mats
Turf feel, joints, tees and strips compared. Read the hitting mat guide.
Lighting and sound
Light the mat, not the screen. Read the lighting and sound guide.
Putting
Which launch monitors read putts, and green speed. Read the putting guide.
Prices checked October 17, 2026.
