Equipment
Building a home hitting net and simulator
Golf and winter don’t get along very well, which is why so many golfers head indoors to practice facilities that offer year-round climate-controlled environments. The problem for many is these facilities can be busy and often require booking well in advance, which doesn’t work well for those seeking last-minute “driving range” flexibility.
So what is a diehard golfer to do? Build your own home hitting bay/simulator of course, and in my case build it on a budget to offer fun and flexibility all winter long.
Finding the right space
The first part of the process is accessing your wants and needs along with understanding any possible limitations your space might create. You have to consider which clubs you plan on using—and if that means hitting drivers, then you are going to need enough height and width to feel comfortable. The space I used is our garage, which is 12 feet wide and has 11-foot high ceilings, more than enough room to hit any club in the bag, and can easily accommodate both right and left-handed golfers.
Golf net and screen options
After figuring out your space, it comes down to selecting the best option for ease of use and flexibility—flexibility being the key ingredient in my situation. This is our only full garage bay, and if there is one thing I have gotten used to, it’s not having to clean snow off our car in the winter, so the net and mat had to be easily portable and storable.
If you are repurposing a space that won’t require flexibility, then there are a number of fantastic options including The Net Return and others that provide projector screen capability. On the highest-end, before getting into a full room renovation, Costco has a $20,000 “Sim in a box” powered by a Foresight GCQuad—let’s call this the dream scenario.
Since I have no intention of using a projector, nor do I have $20,000 just lying around, I ended up going with standard golf impact netting from Amazon: 10′ x 20′ golf impact netting, which allowed me to build my own net system which I can open or store within minutes.
The last thing to remember is you will be putting a lot of wear on a small part of the net caused by proximity, which is why if you plan to practice a lot it’s important to reinforce the impact area of the net. There is nothing more dangerous or damaging than a rubber projectile (in our case a golf ball) ricocheting around a small space at over 140 mph.
My solution was fine mesh netting from a local fabric store. It’s light enough not to put extra stress on the suspended cable supporting the net but strong enough to take a lot of abuse. The nice thing is at only $5 per yard and 60″, wide it’s very affordable and easily replaceable. An interesting thing to note, is a net doesn’t wear out specifically from just high-speed impact but from the friction of the spinning ball as it hits the net with shorter clubs, so the more layers the better.
The parts list
The list will vary depending on your situation and personal setup, but here are the tools & supplies I used when putting together my own net system.
Tools
- Power drill and/or impact driver to drill pilot holes for the anchoring i-bolts. Since there will be a lot of tension on the supporting cable you have to be sure to put these anchors into wall studs.
- Stud finder
- Various size drill bits
- Level
- Tape measure
- Screwdrivers
- Pliers or vice grips
Supplies
There are a lot of ways to secure the net and create a welcoming space to use as a practice facility but these are all the supplies I used to install and support the net.
- Stainless steel aircraft cable (2mm) rated for 900lbs.
- Aircraft cable clamps
- I-bolts to secure the cable to walls
- Turnbuckle to properly tension the cable
- Small hooks to hold the corners of the net up and around
- Carabiners – Climbing rated ones are unnecessary, but they need to be sturdy
- Carpet (for noise dampening and to prevent balls hitting the floor after falling from the net)
The Mat
Beyond the net itself, this is by far the most important piece of any home hitting bay or simulator because it needs to have enough give/compression in the impact area to not cause joint or muscle pain when hitting irons and wedge. This could require you to use extra padding under the mat or purchasing a separate hitting area depending on the base it is on.
Note: At the time of publication, I am currently waiting for the soft hitting area of my mat to arrive
Getting fancy and simulated
This is the part where we go from home hobby setup to full-blown golf nut practice facility. The options beyond a basic net setup can get pretty crazy and for data and shot information it will require a substantial investment, with the most affordable being a SkyTrak unit followed by the all-new FlightScope Mevo+. After that, we get into more expensive options like the Foresight GC2 with HMT or the newest option the GCQuad followed by the radar-based Trackman.
All of these systems can work alongside various simulator software to provide playable course options, but they all come at an additional cost depending on the company and package.
For my personal use, I already happen to own a FlightScope Xi+ (which I purchased used), which requires a minimum of 16′ from unit to net to capture data, and since I don’t have any plans for playing rounds of golf, it is the perfect solution for getting the information I want in the space I have.
So whether you are looking for a full-blown golf simulator at home or just a space to help you keep those “golf muscles” loose over the cold winter months, use this GolfWRX how-to guide as a starting point for finding the best solution for you.
The How-to Video
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Whats in the Bag
Jason Day WITB 2024 (April)
- Jason Day what’s in the bag accurate as of the RBC Heritage.
Driver: Ping G430 LST (9 degrees @10)
Shaft: TPT Driver 15 Lo
3-wood: TaylorMade SIM Max (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Kuro Kage 80 X
7-wood: TaylorMade Stealth (21 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Kuro Kage 80 X
Irons: Srixon ZX5 Mk II (3, 4), Srixon ZX7 Mk II (5-PW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X Seven
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (52-08F, 56-10S, 60-04T), Cleveland RTX 6 ZipCore Tour Rack (56-10 MID, 52-10 MID)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X Seven
Putter: TaylorMade Itsy Bitsy Spider Limited
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
Ball: Bridgestone Tour B X (with Mindset)
Check out more in-hand photos of Jason Day’s WITB here.
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Whats in the Bag
Ludvig Åberg WITB 2024 (April)
- Ludvig Åberg what’s in the bag accurate as of the RBC Heritage.
Driver: Titleist TSR2 (9 degrees, D4 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X
3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 8 X
5-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (18 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 8 X
7-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (21 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 9 X
Irons: Titleist 718 TMB (2), Titleist T200 (2), Titleist T100 (4-PW)
Shafts: KBS Tour Hybrid 105 X (2), KBS Tour 130 X
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (50-08F, 54-10S, 60-08M, 60-04T), WedgeWorks Proto (60-10V)
Shafts: KBS Tour 130 X
Putter: Odyssey White Hot Versa #1
Grips: Golf Pride MCC
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Check out more in-hand photos of Ludvig Aberg’s clubs in the forums.
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Equipment
Spotted: Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Ti 340 mini driver, DUW fairway wood
We have seen a few new mini drivers from the likes of Titleist and TaylorMade being tested out on tour recently. Now, Callaway looks to be jumping into the mix at the RBC Heritage. We spotted Christian Bezuidenhout testing out a new Paradym Ai Smoke Ti 340 mini driver on the range. We don’t have any details yet but the club clearly states “mini driver” on it, and the “340” could easily refer to how many CCs the head is.
What we do know is that this mini driver has a very similar design to the current Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond 3-wood. The sole looks to be made from steel or titanium, not forged carbon like the Paradym Ai Smoke drivers. It has weights up near the face and at the back of the club. Callaway’s OptiFit hosel is also present on this driver to allow loft and lie adjustments, and if you look closely on the face, you can make out the “Ai Smart Face” text at bottom center. The crown looks to have the familiar carbon fiber weave and Ai Smoke logos we have seen on the current clubs.
Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke DUW
The other Callaway prototype that was spotted looked to be a little more of a traditional fairway wood — but with non-traditional weight placements on it. Callaway’s Paradym Ai Smoke DUW looks to have four adjustable weights on it — two on the sole, one on the hosel, and one on the toe. This hosel isn’t adjustable, and I would assume that is to save some weight from creating spots for the movable weights.
It is hard to tell from the photos, but the face looks to be a touch deeper than the traditional Triple Diamond fairways. This deeper face could be where the “DUW” name comes from. With three weights all pushed forward near the face this DUW has to be a very low spinning and launching head. The sole is made from metal and similar in design to the current Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond fairway woods as is the carbon crown.
- Check out more of our photos from the 2024 RBC Heritage here.
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Pingback: 2020: The year of the DIY golfer – GolfWRX
Max R
Oct 31, 2020 at 9:08 am
Thanks for the information. It’s extremely timely for me and my neighbor. We were looking at the Rapsodo MLM Launch Monitor. I would love to have $20K+ to get the cream of the crop but as a senior, your option for keeping everything affordable is the best way to go. I agree that money needs to be spent on a high mid to high quality mat. Otherwise, you’re potentially damaging your clubs.
Pelling
Oct 30, 2020 at 4:38 pm
Instead of spending mega bucks for a new mat, order a 5’x5’ Used commercial driving range mat (B grade) for about $150-$170, free delivery, off EBay from balldiver812. Excellent condition, like new. I ordered one for my son, prompt delivery, outstanding experience.
Cris Kennedy
Oct 30, 2020 at 9:59 am
The problem with this setup is when you sky a driver/3 wood/hybrid. Don’t think it won’t happen.
Grat702
Oct 29, 2020 at 1:58 pm
Thanks for this article, great stuff!
Shallowface
Oct 29, 2020 at 1:14 pm
I’ve had a net for 20 years. When I finally blew a hole through it, I hung a sheet of canvas duck material in front of the hole. Like the other materials mentioned, it’s cheap, durable and readily available.
Steve Hjortness
Oct 29, 2020 at 11:42 am
Ryan, thanks for the info. You mentioned your source for the netting and the launch monitor. Can you tell us what you purchased for the mats?
ChristianR
Oct 30, 2020 at 3:07 am
https://www.realfeelgolfmats.com/
Someone can confirm they are really working as advertised?
Q
Oct 30, 2020 at 10:33 am
I’ve got a full GC2 simulator setup at home and chose the CCE reel feel mat. It’s expensive but is as exactly as advertised. You know exactly when you hit it fat, can get the sensation of taking a divot, and it holds a tee. Have had my setup since 2014 and have been through two hitting screens but the mat looks virtually new.
Large chris
Oct 29, 2020 at 9:32 am
I’ve tried lots of different netting solutions. You won’t do any better than archery netting. It’s much quieter and more durable than anything else. Make sure to use a bungee type attachment solution to reduce the stress whatever net you use, Also, with sufficient unit to net flight space for a flight scope 11, you won’t have the net height to hit wedges or maybe even nine irons.
Lots of things to consider, it’s not an easy thing to get right and reliable.