As a follow up to one of our recent posts, here’s a nifty way to set up your own home practice center at a fraction of the cost of buying an overpriced net from a golf store. The key ingredient is the net itself. And one of the best places to look for nets to use in your home golf practice center are nets from commercial fishing operations. Large fishing boats huge nets to catch fish, which occasionally break and leave them with a net that’s too small for their needs, but perfect for you (if you don’t mind a bit of a fishy smell). If you live near a harbor, Google some local companies. They also sell to batting cages so put that into your google search. Contact fishing companies directly and in some cases they’ll be able to ship you the net. As an alternative, you can also use sheets or painter’s tarps or an old rug.
The next step is to assemble the mount for your net. If you have a garage or other area you feel comfortable dedicating to your home practice center, you can consider mounting you net there so you can hit balls all winter long. Make sure not to over tighten your net or it will turn into a trampoline and fire balls back at you. And to leave adequate space between the net and any walls or delicate objects such as your collection of Ming Vases. Another option is to build a frame to hang your net from. I prefer PVC pipe for outdoor frames, particularly since it’s weather resistant. However, wood is also a reliable option. Build a rectangular frame, roughly 8×10 feet, with two stabilizing feet, as seen here, hang the net up with sturdy rope, and you should be good to go. This will save money on driving range balls. But it will also develop your sense of feel because you won’t always be looking up to see where the ball went.