What to do with the Bottom of your Impact Screen?

The bottom of an impact screen needs a padded or absent bar, a loose or weighted edge, 12–18 in of air behind it, and turf or foam underneath. A thinned shot meets a bare bar there, so the fixes run from the bar outward; the 2026 threads add the trade-off the 2022 piece skipped — trampoline against the wall — and Carl’s bottomless edge.

In a Nutshell

Pad the bottom bar with pipe insulation or a maker’s foam inserts, or remove it; hang the bottom edge loose or weighted rather than on a rigid pole, leave 12–18 in of air behind the screen, and lay turf over foam tiles underneath.

👉 Bottom line: pad the bar, loosen the edge, leave the gap, soften the floor.

In this guide: In a Nutshell · How this has changed · Why the bottom edge goes wrong · Pad the bar, or remove it · The edge · Space behind the screen · A foam ramp, or a maker’s kit · The floor · Curtain-track and roll-up screens · FAQ · Summary

• The bar: pipe insulation or foam inserts, or remove it.
• The edge: loose or weighted, never a rigid pole.
• The gap: 12–18 in of air behind the screen.
• A ramp or a kit: the original’s foam ramp, or a maker’s inserts.
• The floor: turf over foam tiles at the mat’s height.
• Curtain and roll-up screens: sold now; the bottom edge is the open question.

Jargon, once:

• Bottom bar — the lowest frame pipe, in the line of a thinned shot.
• Weighted pocket — a sewn hem holding a rod or chain instead of a fixed pole.
• Hem bar — a rod passed through the bottom hem.
• Pipe insulation — a foam tube slid over an exposed bar.

How This Has Changed Since 2022

• September 2026: curtain-track screens, from one poster’s two threads, with the bottom edge the open question.
• September 2026: pool noodles a split, too soft for one owner secondhand; a bare 2 × 4 named as a ricochet risk.
• July 2026: the foam ramp with ball return reconfirmed by one owner.
• July 2026: the gap widened to 12–18 in in the summer’s threads.
• Corrected: the picture no longer has to stop above the floor; Carl’s screens ship a bottomless edge.
• Corrected: Carl’s C-Series enclosures have no bottom pole.
• Unchanged: the frame ricochets, not the screen.

Why the Bottom Edge Goes Wrong

Four things go wrong at the bottom, and one trade-off sits under them. A bare bar ricochets. Loose fixings look untidy and catch balls. A hard floor bounces the ball back after the screen drops it. Screens with a sewn bottom border start the picture above the floor, though Carl’s four screen tiers now ship a bottomless edge for a floor-to-turf image. Under all four is tension: a tight bottom edge stops the ball reaching the wall but sends it back like a trampoline, and a loose one does the opposite. A suspended backer is the usual answer, covered in the bounceback guide.

“If you dont want to hit the wall, you need more tension (bungees ) in the screen. But if you dont want the balls to bounce back at you, you need less tension in the screen.” (u/GlutinousLoaf, 2026-07-08) [sic]

How to Reduce Golf Impact Screen Bounceback (9 Practical Strategies)

Option 1: Pad the Bar, or Remove It

Foam pipe insulation on every exposed bar costs roughly $30–50 for a frame by one build guide’s estimate, and the bottom front bar goes first. Carl’s says its Flaps finish alone “will not fully protect the frame from a ball ricocheting” and points to foam inserts. Owners split on pool noodles: two slipped them over the bar, a third heard secondhand that they are too soft, and pipe insulation is what owners report ending rebounds. Or no bar: one builder removed it and folds an oversized screen under, and Carl’s C-Series enclosures ship without one. A bare 2 × 4 along the bottom is the risk:

“the screen is attached to a 10′ long 2×4 at the bottom, with a small amount of slack on the screen.” (u/mcsommers, 2026-09-02)

“Until he tops one into the 2×4 and gets a crazy ricochet” (u/please-help-me-101, 2026-09-02)

The same padding treats the top and sides.

Protect Your Golf Simulator Walls and Ceiling – 12 Simulator Safety Tips

How to Build a DIY Golf Simulator Enclosure – Steps, Tools, Costs + Materials

Option 2: The Edge, Loose, Weighted or on a Hem Bar

A loose edge, a weighted pocket, a hem bar and a removed crossbar are the four options, and the mounting guide carries the owner counts for each. New here is the maker hardware: Carl’s DIY enclosure draws the bottom taut with a pre-threaded cable and springs. SIGPRO sells a “Foam bumper border to protect the gap between the screen and your frame” that fastens to its screen’s edge. Bungee tension fixes sag as well as bounce (10 reports from 10 owners); the trade-off is the one above:

“Bungees store energy and will send that ball back like a trampoline.” (u/GlutinousLoaf, 2026-07-08)

A heavy curtain with chain sewn into the hem is the weighted edge for a curtain screen, as the wall-protection guide quotes.

Protect Your Golf Simulator Walls and Ceiling – 12 Simulator Safety Tips

How to Hang a Golf Impact Screen – 6 Ways

Golf Simulator Screens – How to Choose your Screen

How Much Space Behind the Screen

Leave at least a foot, and 18 in where the room allows. Carl’s DIY enclosure guide recommends 12 in at the rear and requires 8.25 in, while its bounceback blog says 12–16 in. The site’s build guide gives 12 in for a screen secured on all sides and about 20 in for one hung only at the top, by mount type. A tighter or thinner screen needs more clearance, on the site’s reasoning rather than a published figure.

“The screen should be 18” off the back wall.” (u/ProletariatElite, 2026-07-18)

Impact Screen Size Guide – Find the Perfect Impact Screen Size for your Golf Simulator

Tee to Screen Distance in a Golf Simulator – 2026 Update!

Option 3: A Foam Ramp, or a Maker’s Kit

The original’s foam ramp with a ball return still works, and one 2026 owner built it from a foam wedge and velcro:

“I bought a long triangle of foam from foamorder.com and added velcro to the back of it and put velcro strips on both the screen and the frame and affixed it to both that way.” (u/Corvet95, 2026-07-05)

The makers now pad the bar by tier. Carl’s Pro enclosures ship with foam inserts included; the DIY tier sells the Foam Insert Kit at $150 (21 October 2026), which does not fit the original non-C-Series enclosures. SIG ships four padding strips standard, and GoSports ships standard foam padding that one owner still supplemented. “Optional” describes Carl’s DIY tier only.

But if you’d rather have a ready-made solution that’s designed to fit, Carl’s Place enclosures with foam inserts and premium impact screens make the job far easier.

Best Golf Impact Screen – 7 Key Features & Buying Guide

The Floor Under the Screen

Turf over interlocking foam tiles is the default floor (11 reports from 9 owners). Tiles run about 1/2–1 in thick; thin ones let the ball bounce, so owners stack them to match the hitting mat’s height, and horse-stall mats are the heavier alternative. Carl’s sells floor tiles with tapered edge pieces that hold the turf in, six tiles at $275.95. With a bottomless-edge screen the picture runs into the turf; with a bordered screen it stops a few inches above it.

“Puzzle foam with turf rolled out over it is common.” (u/ProletariatElite, 2026-07-18)

Golf Simulator Putting Greens – Add a Putting Green to your Simulator Floor

Curtain-Track and Roll-Up Screens

Curtain-track screens are one poster’s pattern, asked in two threads, and the bottom edge is the open question. Elastic straps can pull the edge tight after the screen is drawn; the trade-off is the picture over time. Roll-up screens are a sold category: SportScreen’s Vanish rolls up by motor or hand-crank, and HomeCourse’s ProScreen 180 has a bottom that flexes and returns the ball. A retractable roller runs $700 and up on one owner’s figure.

“It will definitely mess with the curtain image over time. If you want something removable then a retractable screen that rolls up is better.” (u/shuusin, 2026-09-05)

Retractable Golf Simulators – Ultimate Guide

Bottom of the Impact Screen FAQ

What should go on the bottom bar of a golf simulator enclosure?

Foam pipe insulation or a maker’s foam insert. Carl’s says its flaps alone will not stop a ricochet.

Should the bottom of an impact screen be tight or loose?

Loose enough not to trampoline, tight enough not to reach the wall. Leave a gap and hang a backer rather than adding tension.

Can the bottom bar of an enclosure be removed?

Yes; one builder folds an oversized screen under, and Carl’s C-Series enclosures have none.

Do pool noodles work on an enclosure frame?

Owners split: two use them, one heard secondhand they are too soft. Pipe insulation is the fix owners report ending rebounds.

What goes on the floor under an impact screen?

Turf over foam tiles stacked to the mat’s height, or horse-stall mats.

Summary

Pad or remove the bottom bar, hang the edge loose or weighted, leave 12–18 in of air behind the screen, and put turf on foam underneath.

Related guides: How to Reduce Golf Impact Screen Bounceback (9 Practical Strategies) · How to Hang a Golf Impact Screen – 6 Ways · How to Build a DIY Golf Simulator Enclosure – Steps, Tools, Costs + Materials · Protect Your Golf Simulator Walls and Ceiling – 12 Simulator Safety Tips · Golf Simulator Screens – How to Choose your Screen · Impact Screen Size Guide – Find the Perfect Impact Screen Size for your Golf Simulator · Golf Simulator Putting Greens – Add a Putting Green to your Simulator Floor · Retractable Golf Simulators – Ultimate Guide · Best Golf Impact Screen – 7 Key Features & Buying Guide

Check current prices: Carl’s Place Foam Insert Kit · Carl’s Place floor tiles