Jump to content
IGNORED

Built my swing in a hitting cage


Note: This thread is 2779 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

Recommended Posts

Thought I'd share my hitting cage (from Allsports-us.com) which I've had for the last 10 years. It became apparent to me very quickly upon begging golf that a trip to the range was not going to provide me with enough repetition to build a winning swing. If nothing else, I can get in about 100 swings before work.  I can easily hit 500 balls on a weekend day. The most important thing I've gotten out of this setup is solid and repeatable timing. And for me, timing centers around getting my lower body to do work and and getting onto my left in a smooth fashion. Contrary to what I've read other people say I can certainly tell the ball flight. I can open the club face and pop the ball up high. In fact I like to do that because the club make minimal contact with the mat. When taking that fade or pop up onto the course I have a lot of confidence because I've done it thousands of times. And, I can hit driver, fairway woods, etc. as well. I highly recommend a setup like this for anyone who is serious about their swing. And, as you can see, this this is still going working great after 10 years. In fact, I've rebuilt the fence twice since I've had this net. 

 

image.jpeg

Edited by tshapiro
  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites


I built one similar to yours, and used it for about 10 years. At times I even used real grass sod to hit off of. I think the whole thing cost me like $50. 

When I wasn't using it, my daughters used it for softball batting/pitching  practice. 

Came in pretty handy. 

  • Upvote 1

In My Bag:
A whole bunch of Tour Edge golf stuff...... :beer:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

As someone who is likely going to graduate from an apartment to a townhouse (maybe a free-standing house, depending) in the not-too-distant future, wow.  That's the sort of thing I want to hear more about.  One thing I'll be looking for in my future home is how I can set up a good golf practice area for times when I can't get to the range for whatever reason.  Nets, mirrors, indoor/outdoor, that sort of thing. 

Hmm... could a similar set up work if I had a two car garage, but only one car?

  • Upvote 1

-- Michael | My swing! 

"You think you're Jim Furyk. That's why your phone is never charged." - message from my mother

Driver:  Titleist 915D2.  4-wood:  Titleist 917F2.  Titleist TS2 19 degree hybrid.  Another hybrid in here too.  Irons 5-U, Ping G400.  Wedges negotiable (currently 54 degree Cleveland, 58 degree Titleist) Edel putter. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

34 minutes ago, Shindig said:

As someone who is likely going to graduate from an apartment to a townhouse (maybe a free-standing house, depending) in the not-too-distant future, wow.  That's the sort of thing I want to hear more about.  One thing I'll be looking for in my future home is how I can set up a good golf practice area for times when I can't get to the range for whatever reason.  Nets, mirrors, indoor/outdoor, that sort of thing. 

Hmm... could a similar set up work if I had a two car garage, but only one car?

Your garage would work if the ceiling is high enough. 

A friend of mind up in Idaho put a net up in his garage for practice during the winter months. It was a 8' ceiling. He adjusted his swing so as not hit the ceiling with his clubs. When he finally got on a outdoor course, his swing was so screwed up, took most of the warmer months to fix. 

  • Upvote 1

In My Bag:
A whole bunch of Tour Edge golf stuff...... :beer:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

7 minutes ago, Patch said:

Your garage would work if the ceiling is high enough. 

A friend of mind up in Idaho put a net up in his garage for practice during the winter months. It was a 8' ceiling. He adjusted his swing so as not hit the ceiling with his clubs. When he finally got on a outdoor course, his swing was so screwed up, took most of the warmer months to fix. 

Great, now I need to take a 6-iron with me when house shopping... or figure out just how tall I'd need it to be.

I'd probably want some of my taller friends to be able to use it too. 

-- Michael | My swing! 

"You think you're Jim Furyk. That's why your phone is never charged." - message from my mother

Driver:  Titleist 915D2.  4-wood:  Titleist 917F2.  Titleist TS2 19 degree hybrid.  Another hybrid in here too.  Irons 5-U, Ping G400.  Wedges negotiable (currently 54 degree Cleveland, 58 degree Titleist) Edel putter. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

1 hour ago, Shindig said:

Hmm... could a similar set up work if I had a two car garage, but only one car?

I have mine that way.  I think my garage ceiling is 10 feet.  I can swing up to a 7iron. 

It's not just the ceiling but I didn't take out the garage door opener or the metal rails . .either of which I could hit if I don't stand in the right place.  For me, it's not a problem as I'm really used to it but others who have tried it said they felt too constrained to swing freely . .I can see that. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites


4 hours ago, tshapiro said:

Thought I'd share my hitting cage (from Allsports-us.com) which I've had for the last 10 years. It became apparent to me very quickly upon begging golf that a trip to the range was not going to provide me with enough repetition to build a winning swing. If nothing else, I can get in about 100 swings before work.  I can easily hit 500 balls on a weekend day. The most important thing I've gotten out of this setup is solid and repeatable timing. And for me, timing centers around getting my lower body to do work and and getting onto my left in a smooth fashion. Contrary to what I've read other people say I can certainly tell the ball flight. I can open the club face and pop the ball up high. In fact I like to do that because the club make minimal contact with the mat. When taking that fade or pop up onto the course I have a lot of confidence because I've done it thousands of times. And, I can hit driver, fairway woods, etc. as well. I highly recommend a setup like this for anyone who is serious about their swing. And, as you can see, this this is still going working great after 10 years. In fact, I've rebuilt the fence twice since I've had this net. 

 

image.jpeg

That's cool.

What is the distance from tee to the back net?

And what is the height ?

I use old Taylor Made clubs from eBay and golf shops.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Can you tell if it was basically a solid shot or not?

I like the ball flight aspect, but it almost seems like you can tell by the audio and the feel if it was 100% or 80%.

 

I use old Taylor Made clubs from eBay and golf shops.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


You can definitely tell if it was a solid shot. Typically, a solid shot gives you good ball compression vs. a slap.  More importantly, you can develop the lower body action/timing which gives you that compression. For irons, I prefer to practice with blades because of the feedback. You can also get a feel for you swing path through impact, club face angle, and divot location. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites


  • 4 weeks later...

I am pretty much satisfied with my similar cage set up (See Improved Practice Area posted December 8 2015 or thereabouts). I laid in artificial turf the length of the back yard, used alignment rods on the sides of the "fairway" in order to practice pitches and chips from across the yard and to some extent "shape" shots. Total distance for chips is about 45 feet. The turf does permit hitting off it, but no divots of course, I don't really like to for fear of wear and tear even though I have not noticed any to date. At the mouth of the cage, I have a 4 X 6 hitting mat made by "All Turf" which has held up very well.  I agree with your accounting of "feeling" solid shots e.t.c. but as a caveat, one should also go to the range once in awhile to observe actual ball flight.  Mindless swatting into the cage, probably does more harm than good, but if you are working on swing mechanics, body motion and using video, it is all good.

Edited by Hacker James

"James"

:titleist: 913 D3 with Aldila RIP Phenom 60 4,2 Regular Shaft,  :touredge: Exotics XCG-7 Beta 3W with Matrix Red Tie Shaft:touredge: Exotics EX8 19 deg Hybrid w UST Mamiya Recoil F3 Shaft:touredge: Exotics EX9 28 deg Hybrid w UST Mamiya Recoil F3  shaft, / Bobby Jones Black 22 deg Hybrid:touredge: Exotics EXi 6 -PW  w UST Mamiya Recoil F2 Shaft, SW (56),GW (52),LW (60):touredge:  TGS),/ ODDYSEE Metal-X #7 customized putter (400G, cut down Mid Belly)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

This reminds me of the time my buddy set up a practice net in his basement. It was an old house, with quite a high ceiling in the basement. He practiced all Winter with this setup. Despite the nuances some people want to talk about, I think the most important thing is this. The next playing season he didn't EVER hit a shot that was not solidly struck! He could put the clubhead squarely on the ball! Which is a lot of the battle for us!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

While I can see how this type of setup would help someone get a lot of reps and work on timing, I just think it would be impossible to build a really good swing using only this setup without at least some range time. Reason being that it will be impossible to tell what kind of ball flight the balls have, which basically translates to how much spin, i.e. how shut/open your club face is at impact. Without seeing the full ball flight, you have no idea how the ball flies, and can only see where it starts, if that. Point being, while there certainly are a lot of benefits to this type of practice, it' s important to know the limitations and build in some actual range time too.

In My Bag:

:tmade: 9.5˚ Rocketballz | :callaway: 15˚ X-Hot 3 Wood :tmade: ran TP (3-PW) | :vokey: Vokey 52˚ & 56˚ | :odyssey: White Smoke MC-72 

Link to comment
Share on other sites


1 hour ago, Odogesq said:

While I can see how this type of setup would help someone get a lot of reps and work on timing, I just think it would be impossible to build a really good swing using only this setup without at least some range time. Reason being that it will be impossible to tell what kind of ball flight the balls have, which basically translates to how much spin, i.e. how shut/open your club face is at impact. Without seeing the full ball flight, you have no idea how the ball flies, and can only see where it starts, if that. Point being, while there certainly are a lot of benefits to this type of practice, it' s important to know the limitations and build in some actual range time too.

I agree. But $50 on a setup like this + a trip to the range every few weeks to see how you're going, vs. a few trips to the range every week would not only save you money but end up with getting in a lot more practice time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Note: This thread is 2779 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Want to join this community?

    We'd love to have you!

    Sign Up
  • TST Partners

    TourStriker PlaneMate
    Golfer's Journal
    ShotScope
    The Stack System
    FlightScope Mevo
    Direct: Mevo, Mevo+, and Pro Package.

    Coupon Codes (save 10-15%): "IACAS" for Mevo/Stack, "IACASPLUS" for Mevo+/Pro Package, and "THESANDTRAP" for ShotScope.
  • Popular Now

  • Posts

    • I agree with @klineka & @DaveP043 above.  When a new member first joins the club they cold be told that they are not eligible for tournaments until they have an established HCP.  As you said, it only takes a few rounds.  If they do not to post HCP that was their choice and choices have consequences.  If playing in the tournament is important to them then they should step up and establish an HCP.  Maybe they miss the 1st tournament, is that a real big deal?  And if it is a "Big Deal" to them then they had the opportunity to establish the HCP. As for not knowing how to report for HCP I assume your club has a pro and they should be able to assist in getting the scores reported and I suspect out of state courses may also have staff that can assist if asked.
    • Wordle 1,013 2/6 🟨⬜⬜🟨🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Thought I was gonna be a big shot today...  🙂    Nice Job!
    • Cool here's my tweak, "If a player’s ball lies in the general area and there is interference from exposed tree roots or exposed rocks that are in the fairway or 1 club length from the fairway the tree roots and exposed rocks are treated as ground under repair. The player may take free relief under Rule 16.1b.[But relief is not allowed if the tree roots only interfere with the player’s stance.]
    • I would never do the extended warranty on the $50 slow cooker.  I also routinely reject the extended service plans on those toys we buy for the grand-kids.  I do consider them on higher cost items and will be more likely to get one if the product has a lot of "Electronic Tech" that is often the problem longer-term.  I also consider my intended length of ownership & usage.  If my thought is it would get replaced in 2-3 years then why bother but if I hope to use it for 10 years then more likely to get the extension. I did buy out a lease about a year ago.  Just prior to the lease end date the tablet locked up and would not function.  I got it repaired under the initial warranty and would not have bought it out if they had not been able to fix it since IMO once electronic issues start in a car they can be hard to track down & fix.  They did fix it but when I bought out the lease I paid up for the extended warranty the would cover electronic failures because my intent is to keep that car for another 8-10 years and I just do not trust the electronics to last.  Last week the touch screen went black and was unresponsive.  It reset on the 2nd time I restarted the car but that is exactly how the last malfunction started.  I fully expect to have a claim on that on repair under the extended warranty.  I do not recall the exact cost to fix last time since I did not pay it but I think it was @ $700-$800 and I suspect that will be higher next time.
    • Have you looked at Model Local Rule F-9 Relief from Tree Roots in or Close to Fairway?  You could extend this to cover exposed rocks.  The rule is recommended to be used only for areas relatively near the fairway, a player who hits a shot 20 yards in the woods doesn't really deserve relief.   Players can always take Unplayable Ball relief, they're not required to play it from a rock or a root.  Of course, they hate to take the penalty stroke too.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Welcome to TST! Signing up is free, and you'll see fewer ads and can talk with fellow golf enthusiasts! By using TST, you agree to our Terms of Use, our Privacy Policy, and our Guidelines.

The popup will be closed in 10 seconds...