If you’re building a home golf simulator, choosing the right enclosure is one of the most important decisions you’ll make. The enclosure determines how safe your setup is, how clean it looks, how easy it is to install, and how confident you feel swinging a driver indoors.
Two of the most popular options on the market are the SIG golf enclosures from the Indoor Golf Shop and the DIY enclosure from Carl’s Place.
I’ve used both extensively in the same space, for long periods of time, which puts me in a rare position to give a real-world comparison instead of just reading specs off a website. This article breaks down the differences, pros, cons, and best use cases so you can decide which enclosure makes the most sense for your simulator.
Note on naming: Since this video and review were originally created, Carl’s Place has renamed what was previously called the C-Series enclosure to the Carl’s Place DIY enclosure. Throughout this article, when we refer to the Carl’s Place enclosure, we’re talking about the same product that was formerly known as the C-Series.
Table of Contents
- Quick Overview: SIG vs Carl’s Place
- Assembly and Frame Design
- Weight and Portability
- Impact Screen Attachment and Bounceback
- Edge Protection and Safety
- Screen-to-Floor Design
- Wrinkles and Screen Appearance
- Surround Material and Finish
- Custom Sizing and Flexibility
- Who Should Choose SIG?
- Who Should Choose Carl’s Place?
- Final Verdict: SIG vs Carl’s Place
Quick Overview: SIG vs Carl’s Place
At a high level, both enclosures do the same thing:
- Hold an impact screen safely
- Protect your room from mishits
- Create a clean simulator environment
Neither is a “bad” choice. The differences come down to design philosophy, assembly, edge protection, and how customizable you need your setup to be.
6 standard sizes
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- Tool-free assembly
- Clean look
- Best “shank protection”
Assembly and Frame Design
SIG Enclosure Assembly
The SIG enclosure uses aluminum poles with push-button connectors. All poles are color-coded, and you simply match colors, slide them together, and wait for the button to click into place.
- No tools required
- One-person assembly is realistic
- Aluminum poles are lightweight
- Steel corner connectors add stability
This is one of the SIG enclosure’s biggest strengths. It’s easily one of the simplest simulator enclosures to assemble, especially if you’re working alone or in a tight space.
Despite the lightweight feel of the poles, the enclosure does not move when hit with high-speed shots.
Carl’s Place Enclosure Assembly
Carl’s Place takes a more traditional approach:
- Steel EMT pipe frame
- Either pre-cut pipe kits or DIY pipe sourcing
- Assembly typically requires tools
You can either buy the full pipe frame kit or source your own EMT pipe locally and cut it to size. The DIY option can save money but adds time and effort.
The Carl’s Place enclosure is not difficult to assemble, but it’s more work than the SIG enclosure and benefits from having a second person available.
Assembly winner: SIG
If ease of setup and teardown matters, SIG clearly wins.
Weight and Portability
This may not matter to everyone, but it’s a big differentiator for certain use cases.
- SIG enclosure: Aluminum poles are significantly lighter and easier to move, store, or disassemble.
- Carl’s Place: Steel poles are heavy. Once assembled, you’ll likely leave it up permanently.
If you plan to:
- Take the enclosure down seasonally
- Move it between locations
- Store it when not in use
The SIG enclosure is the clear winner here.
Impact Screen Attachment and Bounceback
SIG Screen System
The SIG impact screen is attached using ball bungees around the entire perimeter. This allows the screen to absorb energy and reduce bounceback.
Typical setup:
- Install all bungees
- Test bounceback
- Remove bungees if needed
In practice, I installed all the bungees and never needed to remove any. Bounceback has been very manageable, even with driver shots. Balls generally drop straight down or roll back gently.
Carl’s Place Enclosure Screen System
The C-Series uses zip ties instead of ball bungees, which is a change from older Carl’s Place designs. The previous version of the DIY enclosure used ball bungees.
Bounceback on the new version is much improved compared to earlier Carl’s Place enclosures. I zip-tied every grommet initially and found bounceback to be perfectly acceptable without adjustment.
However, over time, I noticed that zip ties near my main strike area would occasionally break. This was especially noticeable because my hitting position is offset from center.
The fix was simple: doubling up zip ties in that area solved the issue permanently.
Bounceback: Tie
Both systems perform well, with minor maintenance considerations for Carl’s Place.
Edge Protection and Safety
This is one of the biggest practical differences between the two enclosures.
SIG Edge Protection
SIG uses foam edge padding that runs along all four sides of the impact screen. The padding:
- Attaches with Velcro
- Covers gaps between screen and frame
- Absorbs corner impacts
In several months of use, I have not had a single golf ball get behind the SIG enclosure. Even on bad shanks into the corners, the ball is stopped and drops safely.
Functionally, this is excellent.
Visually, the padding does not create perfectly straight lines. Up close, it can look a little uneven or curved, though this is barely noticeable in photos or video.
Carl’s Place Edge Protection
Carl’s Place uses Velcro flaps that extend from the screen and attach to the sidewalls. These flaps cover the gaps and look very clean from the front.
However, there’s a downside: the Velcro opens toward the golfer. On hard shanks into the sidewall, I’ve had golf balls sneak behind the enclosure through those flaps.
Adding gutter foam helps, but it doesn’t completely eliminate the issue.
Safety winner: SIG
Visual cleanliness winner: Carl’s Place
Screen-to-Floor Design
One of the most noticeable visual differences is how the screen meets the floor.
- Carl’s Place Enclosure: The impact screen goes all the way to the floor. This creates a very clean, professional look with straight edges.
- SIG enclosure: Uses foam padding at the bottom, not a continuous screen-to-floor design.
This does not affect performance or realism in any meaningful way, but visually, many people prefer the Carl’s Place approach.
Wrinkles and Screen Appearance
Both screens ship folded, but they behave a little differently over time.
- SIG screen: Some wrinkles can remain visible (with the projector off) even after months of use. With the projector on, they’re barely noticeable.
- Carl’s Place screen: Wrinkles tend to relax more quickly and disappear sooner.
Neither impacts playability, but if you’re sensitive to cosmetic details when the projector is off, Carl’s Place has a slight edge here.
Surround Material and Finish
SIG Surround
- Thin, smooth fabric
- Stretches extremely tight
- Very few wrinkles
- Clean look once tensioned
Initially, the material feels almost too thin, but once installed, it performs well and handles mishits without issue.
Carl’s Place Surround
- Thicker, heavier fabric
- Very durable
- More prone to wrinkles
- Slightly bulkier appearance
In practice, this difference is subtle and mostly aesthetic.
Custom Sizing and Flexibility
This is an important consideration if your room doesn’t match standard enclosure dimensions.
Carl’s Place Customization
Carl’s Place makes it very easy to order custom-sized enclosures, especially for:
- Different depths
- Unique room layouts
- Offset hitting positions
If you know you need something non-standard, Carl’s Place is usually the easier option.
SIG Customization
Standard SIG enclosures come in fixed sizes. However, Indoor Golf Shop also offers:
- SIG DIY kits (source your own pipe)
- SIGPRO Commercial Enclosures with more size and depth options
Custom sizing is more limited with the standard SIG enclosures, but the other enclosure types from SIG have more size options and can also be custom made.
Who Should Choose SIG?
Choose a SIG enclosure if you:
- Want the easiest possible assembly
- Plan to assemble/disassemble the enclosure
- Value safety and ball containment
- Are building your first home simulator
- Want a clean, modern look with minimal effort
- Tool-free assembly
- Clean look
- Best “shank protection”
Who Should Choose Carl’s Place?
Choose Carl’s Place if you:
- Want the screen to go all the way to the floor
- Care most about straight lines and visual symmetry
- Need custom sizing
- Don’t plan to move the enclosure once installed
- Are comfortable doing small adjustments over time
6 standard sizes
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Final Verdict: SIG vs Carl’s Place
After using both enclosures extensively, the honest answer is this:
You can’t really go wrong with either one.
The SIG enclosure is more forgiving, easier to live with, and better at preventing balls from getting behind it. The Carl’s Place enclosure looks cleaner and more traditional, with better straight-line aesthetics and easier customization.
Once either enclosure is installed, you’re unlikely to think about it much again. Both are safe, durable, and capable of supporting a high-quality home golf simulator.
If you’re still unsure, my advice is simple:
- Go with the company you’re already planning to buy most of your simulator components from
- Or choose based on which design trade-offs matter more to you
Either way, you’ll end up with a simulator you can trust—and that’s what really matters.
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