Lairds AV created a year-round indoor experience with the Broomieknowe Golf Club Golf Simulator.
Golf clubs are no longer judged only by the course outside. They are increasingly judged by the experience they create inside.
For Broomieknowe Golf Club, the aim was to create a dedicated golf simulator space that could support practice, coaching, member engagement and social use throughout the year.
Mark Laird, MD of Lairds AV, explains, “The club wanted a room that felt professional, practical and easy to use. Not a technology experiment, not a novelty tucked away in a spare space, but a proper indoor golf environment that members could walk into, understand quickly, enjoy immediately and want to return to.”
Lairds AV was brought in to help shape that experience. The result is a dedicated simulator room that brings together projection, screen design, room layout, turf, visual treatment and practical AV integration to create a space that feels purposeful from the moment you step inside.
The brief
The requirement was simple to describe, but more complex to deliver.
Mark reveals, “Broomieknowe Golf Club wanted to update its ageing indoor golf simulator ensuring that it could extend the value of the club beyond the fairways. The room had to support serious practice, relaxed social play, coaching sessions and year-round use. It also had to feel natural for the golfer. That meant looking beyond the equipment list and focusing on the full experience.”
Key questions that needed to be addressed included: Where does the player stand? How does the image feel from the address position? Will the player feel restricted during a full swing? Will the projected image stay strong in the room? Will members understand how to use the space without feeling intimidated by the technology? Will the installation still feel right after the initial excitement has passed?
These questions shaped the project from the start. For Lairds AV, the goal was not just to install a simulator, but to create a room that encourages people to use it.
The challenge
Mark underlines that golf simulator spaces expose weak planning very quickly. A projector in the wrong position can create shadows and a screen that is poorly sized can make the room feel compromised.
Lighting that has not been considered can also flatten the image and a layout that restricts the golfer’s swing can make the space uncomfortable. Technology that feels complicated can stop members using the room with confidence.
Mark says, “Broomieknowe needed a solution that would work in the real world. The space had to feel immersive, but not overdesigned. It had to be robust enough for regular use. It had to provide a strong visual experience without making the room feel cramped. It had to support different types of users, from confident golfers using simulator data to casual players simply enjoying time in the space. This is where the design of a golf simulator becomes more than product selection. It becomes room design, user experience design and AV integration working together.”
The Lairds AV approach
Lairds AV approached the project by starting with the user experience.
The golfer’s position, swing movement, screen visibility, projector placement, room finish and operational simplicity all had to work as one system. Recent golf simulator installations helped inform the design process with each project bringing its own lessons.
Some rooms need careful projector selection because of restricted throw distance, some need extra attention around screen size and player position and some need a stronger focus on lighting control.
Furthermore, some need the technology hidden as much as possible so the room feels clean and calm. All that accumulated experience was brought into the Broomieknowe Golf Club project.
The team considered how members would move through the room, how the space would be used day to day and how the simulator would feel once the first swing was taken.
The key was to make the technology support the experience rather than dominate it.
Mark insists, “When a golfer steps into a simulator room, they should not be thinking about cables, projectors or integration.
“They should be thinking about the shot in front of them.”
The installation
The finished simulator space includes a large projection screen, simulation display, artificial turf, impact-friendly playing area and a distinctive room treatment that gives the space its own identity.
The hexagonal wall and ceiling finish creates a strong visual backdrop, helping the room feel modern, enclosed and purpose-built.
The turf gives the space the correct golfing foundation, while also softening the feel of the room visually. The projection system creates the main connection between the golfer and the virtual course.
Mark continues, “The screen position and image scale help make the experience feel more natural, giving players a sense of direction, target and distance. The room now feels like a dedicated indoor golf environment rather than a converted space with equipment added afterwards. That distinction matters. Good AV integration is often noticed most when it does not get in the way. The best result is when the golfer enters the room, sees the course ahead, addresses the ball and the space simply makes sense.”
Why it matters for the club
A well-designed simulator gives a golf club more than another facility, it gives the club more reasons for members to visit and creates opportunities for winter practice. The space also supports coaching when outdoor conditions are poor and gives groups a social space that still feels connected to golf.
It opens the door to competitions, private bookings, lessons, corporate use and member events and helps modernise the club experience without losing the character of the club itself.
For many golfers, the simulator becomes a bridge between practice and enjoyment, for the club, it becomes a practical asset.
Mark concludes, “That is why planning matters. If the room feels awkward, members will use it once. If it feels natural, they will return. Golf simulator rooms look simple once they are finished, but there is a lot to get right before you reach that point. The screen, projector, turf, room shape, player position, lighting and user experience all affect the final result. If one part is wrong, the room can feel awkward very quickly. For Broomieknowe Golf Club, the important thing was to create a simulator space that members would actually enjoy using. That means it has to feel natural. It has to feel clear. It has to feel like it belongs in the club. Our job is to make the technology work in the background so the golfer can focus on the game.”