Practice nets

[Ernest Jones]

Maybe I'm just a dumbass, and I'm not ruling that out, but couldn't I just hang a blanket off my wife's clothes line and save the $$$ for tee times?

Not being sarcastic here, really looking for cheap ways to practice.

Also, it seems to me that you can probably buy/make a decent enough hitting mat no? Anyone here build there own mat?

I thought I read about someone just using one of those bristle-y welcome mats you buy at the hardware store. I bet they'd even hold a tee!

[Ernest Jones]

PS: STOP STARING AT MY BOOBS!

[iacas]

You can do that. Just don't miss the blanket. :-)

[Ernest Jones]

The blanket would be bigger or on par with most nets I've seen. And about $100-$200 cheaper!

[boogielicious]

Doesn't it get a bit cold in Montreal to be hitting outside in the Winter?  Or is the clothes line inside?  I know Canadians are hearty folks, but yikes!

[Ernest Jones]

Originally Posted by boogielicious

Doesn't it get a bit cold in Montreal to be hitting outside in the Winter?  Or is the clothes line inside?  I know Canadians are hearty folks, but yikes!

Ha Ha. Actually I thought I'd be extra ballsy in the winter and try this set-up in the garage. Might wear a helmet and a cup though!

I saw some weird Will Ferrel movie where they had a bedroom (10' x 10' approx) that they would use to practice hitting golf balls in.  Helmets and chest protectors, the walls were destroyed...freakin'hilarious. I so wanted to try it!

[badfish74]

I just set up a little hitting area in my garage using a tarp and a couple pieces of flat carpet on top of some blankets so I am not driving the club into the concrete.  It simulates a ball sitting in the fairway quite well and the tarp slows down the ball enough so it doesn't come back with any speed.  So yeah it is possible.

[mkrolewski]

The ball nets generally are designed to absorb the damage of a ball hitting them. Many other materials will degrade quickly under the impacts. In addition, cold makes many materials more fragile. The ball is hitting the net at really high velocity ( 100+ mph for the slowest drivers). Golf nets have smaller spacing than a general purpose sports nets as the ball is much smaller.

Many of the nets can be found for cheap -- as low as $40, more typically $100-150.  You can buy and build a large cube for hitting via the DIY route for a higher end solution.

Another issue is the map to drive/hit from. For a good one ( 3x4 or 4x5), they are $150+, more typically $300-500. It is really nice to be standing a firm non-skid surface at the same level as the ball. In addition it is nice for the surface to allow a strike into the surface ( a good golf swing ).  A source is used ones from a driving range.

The other issue with a swing area is that you need a fairly tall space. Ten feet is most typical.

My personal issue with most driving/full swing systems is you cannot really tell if you are perfecting your swing or perfecting a bad swing (practice does not make perfect, it makes permanent). That requires more equipment. There are metering systems which estimate ball trajectory, speed, spin, club path, face angle, etc. Obviously these are expensive. The best are in the $20,000 range.

The other idea and something that is doable indoors is putting. There are lots of systems for improving your putting. Even using synthetic carpet, your putting game can improve. That is 2 shots on every hole.

Similarly, you can set up a chipping area and/or a sand trap with little effort. You do not need to see the run outs, just the initial flight.

Good luck.

[AbsoluteZero]

I got my net for 16 dollars at TJ Maxx a few years ago.  I've ripped a hole it in since, but so long as I don't blade it, the ball doesn't go through :)  I have it hung up in my back basement room.

Buying a net that is specifically designed with a frame for golf can get expensive.  Getting net and hanging it on something (nails and floorboards for me) is relative cheap/free.  Just hit up the hardware store or find out if someone is selling or getting rid of some net.

BTW, my father in law used to use an old comforter in his living room... till he missed a few times and messed up the drywall.

[Ernest Jones]

Originally Posted by AbsoluteZero

BTW, my father in law used to use an old comforter in his living room... till he missed a few times and messed up the drywall.

I love hearing about people that are as golf crazy as I am! My problem is none of the rooms in my house have enough ceiling clearance. But I'm looking for a new house so I just have to figure out how to keep my wife from figuring out why I'm measuring all the room heights! Hopefully I can find one with a nice, roomy, high ceiling garage. Don't really care what the rest of the place looks like Don't tell my wife

[mymizunosrock]

I have some old green netting that is very tightly woven and extremely strong (like shade cloth on steroids). I used to have a double garage that allowed the cars to be parked bumper to bumper. Had a roller door at the yard end as well and outside the door was a cloths line. I bought a practice mat and one afternoon decided to hang the net from the line and let my nephews hit balls into it to keep them occupied. That night, I decided to hit balls into it myself. Apart from the practice mat being too firm, it worked really well. When I first moved in I was going to hang a proper net from a cable that went from one side of the garage to the other and allowed me to draw it to one side when the cars were in there, but I never got around to it. I like the idea of hitting the ball into some old carpet. It should absorb the impact without kicking the ball back and should last a while. The key is getting the right mat, and realistically, you will need to invest money here. Hitting off poor mats or trying to simulate with what ever you can get your hands on can result in injury or changing your swing to pinch the ball off the surface.

[tryggvirafn]

Well, coming from a place that has long winters I have my little setup in the garage so I can get some practice in during those long 7 months or so. I first tried to use a blanket but soon found them tearing up and falling down, making it hard to focus on my practice. I then bought a $ 30 net that was fairly good for a few months - until I made a hole using my driver. I finally went out and bought a strong net for about $ 150 (2 years now) which I found great. The net is great and the money well spend! I think this site does a decent job ( http://golfnets.org ) and Amazon has some great filters to find cheap well reviewed nets aswell.

If you have figured out a good way to make the cheap blanked method work please share :D but if you are going to practice allot I guess buying quality will only help you improve.

Tryggvi