Can you improve hitting into a practice net?

[glk23]

My ball striking improved greatly over the last year after I started hitting 50-100 balls a night in my garage. I would do this 3-5 times a week depending on how often I'm playing. My setup is more ghetto than a fancy net and mat, but it works just fine. Even without the ball flight, I know when I put a good swing on the ball. Earlier in the year I was struggling with drawing/hooking my irons. I was able to figure it out in my garage as I could feel it even though I couldn't see it. An added bonus is it's free. It's nice to be able to hit as many or few shots as I want.

[Paradox]

I'd say the ultimate would be a good simulator..then you get the best of both worlds.  Looking at a very expensive practice area going that route, though.

[MiniBlueDragon]

I think in terms of ball striking a net is a good thing. As people have said above it forces you to ignore the ball flight and to solely be concerned with the feeling of striking the ball correctly and/or specific feelings, thoughts or positions that you know to be correct. You do though need to be sure that the thoughts, feelings or positions are correct , otherwise it doesn't make a difference if you're hitting into a net or a range or the course.

Also something to bear in mind is that often a net will be accompanied by a range mat and hitting off a range mat can give you false feedback on ball contact, especially as a high handicapper; you may feel like all your shots are perfect and then get out on the course and be hitting everything fat because the mat was preventing you from digging when you were practicing with the net.

Question for those who use nets at home: Do you find that balls ever/often come out of the net, miss the net or otherwise end up anywhere but in the net? Our garden backs onto another garden and it terraced so my choice for net positioning would be toward other gardens, toward other houses or toward our building, all of which seem risky if there's any chance balls could not end up in the net.

Also if you use a portable mat with your net, does the height of the mat above your feet affect your swing at all? I don't want to be practicing off a mat where the ball is an inch above my feet all the time and then end up thinning everything on course because of it.

The nets I normally use are at my course and the mats for the nets are full square range mats, not the portable ones mentioned above.

[DublinMeUp]

never thought of this but it may be an option for me, it would have to go in the back garden though as my house has low ceilings. It seems if your trying to work on proper ball contact then a net should be just as good as one or two range trips a week right? seeing as i could hit into a net everyday ( weather and schedule permitting )

I have ordered a tour striker and would combine this with a suggestion from nevets88 here ( http://thesandtrap.com/t/53848/very-consistent-from-the-mat-very-inconsistent-from-grass#post_654595 ) ie a towel or cardboard square placed behind the ball.

seems like a good plan to me. mildly off topic but how much should a net set me back? ( one that will stand up to repeated use and possibly can be put up and taken back down semi regularly )

Along the same idea, in my back garden there is a wall from the neighbors extension that is as high as a house, could i get almost golf balls and achieve the same effect? or would i miss the feel of actual ball contact to much?

Thanks guys, sorry for hijacking the thread a bit =)

P.s fair play to the low hcp'rs sticking up for us hackers on this thread ;)

[Leftygolfer]

Thanks for all the great feedback guys.

I already bought a net and have been using it since Friday.  I know my swing pretty well and had a lesson recently so I've seen it.  I had my wife video tape me last night on my phone.  It is normal speed but can see what I'm doing.  I have been a toe misser, I also can see that I come over it a little.  The two have to be related.

But hitting into the net I really focus on contact and balance.  I also am trying to get my backswing shorter.  I get way past parrell with the driver and it is doing nothing good for me.  Those two things (swing plane and length of backswing) I can work on.  The thing about the backswing is I have a hard time with timing and contact when it isn't wild.  But I have a thing with contact with it that way.

I sure hope this helps.  This has been the worst golf season of my life.  I used to shoot very consistantly 81-82 playing it down, now I'm shooting in the 90s or 100s playing it up.

[jcollins120]

Originally Posted by DFerlmann

I think hitting into a practice net does not improve your game. If u think you put a good swing on the ball and think you hit it well, then your just guessing.  you will have no way of knowing where it went or what it looked like. Im sure practice nets help plenty of people, but not me

Try using it more as a tool. When hitting into a net you focus more on a certain aspect of your swing and you'll know for sure when that happens. It's even better because you focus on making solid contact without worrying where the ball goes. When changing your swing, it's tough because the first couple of times you try it you get frustrated with where the ball went. It takes a lot of practice and with a net you can accomplish that. It has a lot of perks, so don't get obsessed with where it's going. As for solid contact, you should be able to tell if you did or not. If you're worried about flight or spin then that is what simulators are for.

[johnthejoiner]

I was thinking about this and wondered if your hitting off one of the harder mats, how much it effects the actual shot?.  Hitting an iron with a -5 degree AoA and instantly after impact it levels out to 0 degrees, the club never achieves its low point

[iacas]

Originally Posted by johnthejoiner

I was thinking about this and wondered if your hitting off one of the harder mats, how much it effects the actual shot?.  Hitting an iron with a -5 degree AoA and instantly after impact it levels out to 0 degrees, the club never achieves its low point

Ball is gone by then. I've seen demonstrations of someone hitting off a 2x4 and it barely changed the numbers within a wide range of values.

[Ranger]

I think the consensus is it would be a great tool for someone who is trying to make some changes to improve their game or you might say "groove" that new swing. I think it would be a great tool for staying flexible and in swing shape for some of us older dudes. If one is trying to make a mechanical change for the better in their swing I would think (like others here) that ball flight is not so crucial at first as long as you know that change you are working on is proper improvement. It seems to me that when you are trying to improve lets say (angle of shoulders) during swing....that at first it may throw ball flight way off even though you are making improvement with the shoulders. If at the range, you actually may be fooled into thinking that the adjustment you just made is the wrong one as the ball burns thru the grass?  I think the hitting net would be great "learning" tool (with a camera) and in conjunction with going to the range at least weekly. I need to check into getting one myself. JMHO.

[DoGolf Jonathan]

A lot of interesting thoughts here.  I've always been a skeptic when it comes to hitting the ball in to the net, but the numbers don't lie.  Everyone says it helps!  Some good tips here - thanks guys.