No Caddie Required: Homeowners Are Driving Demand for Golf Simulators

In a 900-square-foot man cave that he calls “the 19th Hole,” Eric Rosen has installed a wet bar, high-top tables, two rows of stadium seating, and a retro-looking popcorn maker. On Sundays before the novel coronavirus invaded the world, the 49-year-old venture capitalist would invite friends to his home in the Philadelphia suburb of Yardley, Pa., to watch the Eagles play on a 16-foot-long, 9-foot-tall screen.

But the centerpiece of the space is a little square of artificial turf in front of the screen that looks like a putting green. His golf simulator, a custom model made by AboutGolf Global Inc. in Kirkland, Wash., also includes a Canon projector that delivers pictures in 4K resolution. Two overhead cameras capture data on Rosen’s every swing, measuring the ball speed, spin rate, and launch angle via a three-dimensional tracking system.