Practice Net

[golf4tito]

What do you guys think of this practice net for the garage?

http://sportnetting.com/product.php?...4&productId=80

If there are other suggestions on a reliable net that doesn't take up to much space, I'd love to hear them.

Thanks

[jrdann11]

Depends what you are looking for. A more permanent structure? Does it need to be portable? Do you plan on using it as a simulator and want to attach a screen later to project onto?

Simply as a netting device to hit golf balls into? Yea, it will work.

[golf4tito]

I am looking for something portable and relatively easy to move if needed.

[70jr]

golfsmith has nets for 60

[syhlif32]

I got something similar from Amazon.com. Real easy and strong.
If you want to use it outside make sure you get one that is black.
White netting does not last long in UV light.

[noobie]

Anyone here own Net Return? I'm wondering what people think about it. Love it? Hate it? Is it worth the money? Any drawbacks or things to look out for.

[cmbind55]

Anyone here own Net Return? I'm wondering what people think about it. Love it? Hate it? Is it worth the money? Any drawbacks or things to look out for.

I have had this net since about March 2011. Got it from amazon and it had very good reviews there. For a mat, I selected the Fiberbuilt S3rn.

For me, it has served its purpose well thus far. I wanted something that I could practice with in my basement during bad weather or at night, just to work on my swing. I am able to hit all irons and woods with real golf balls. (I haven't tried a wedge, mostly out of fear of hitting the ceiling in my basement.) In the total time that I've had the net (about 5 mos), I've missed the net twice. Both were shanks that probably would have been fine if I were aiming into the center of the net. I sometimes aim a little off-center for variety. Fortunately, my basement is still unfinished, so no noticeable damage. (btw, I'm a 12.2 hcp, so mileage may vary)

I was skeptical at first about hitting real balls. I started with some foam balls, but immediately moved to the real thing. Now, I have absolute confidence in its ability to catch a live golf ball. The net will throw the ball back with some force. It comes out low on the ground, but it's enough to bounce up and over the fiberbuilt mat (approx 2 inches high about 7 ft away). This is somewhat of an interruption to holding a swing finish. This is really the only drawback that I can comment on, and it's mostly out of my lack of motivation to come up with a solution. I believe the company may have some solution for this, but it's really just a minor annoyance for me...

All in all, I would recommend the net for this purpose. The other thing to consider is why I'm on this forum now. In practicing with this net, I have come to the belief that I need some way to determine whether I'm hitting the ball on line or not. I feel like there have been a few instances where I've developed a bad swing mechanic hitting into the net, not knowing the full result of the shots. I thought I would be satisfied with just knowing whether my aim is accurate or not and not really care much about ball flight. However, after reading the GGS forum this weekend, I realize that I'll probably want more than a simple fix here. I'll probably end up migrating to something more like a GGS or the LX system, if/when it comes out. I've got a lot more research to do, to see what is available, affordable and can fit in my basement.

Good luck. Here's a quick shot of my setup. Notice that I turned the mat a little to aim more toward the center.

photo.JPG

[RED]

I have a net installed in my garage that I bought locally. House of canvass on Cleopatra sells a net (9'x9'). It is white with gromets across the top edge. I ran an aircraft cable from one side of the garage to the other. The cable is attached to a tensioner which in turn hooks on to an eye hook. I use caribeaners through the gromets to the aircraft cable. This basically crates a curtain. When not in use I simply slide it off to one side against the garage wall. I have a driving range matt in front of it and when balls hit the net they roll right back to the mat. If struck pure they will often end up at your feet on the mat. I can hit wedge - driver into it with no issues. If you have a really high ball flight you can simply move the mat closer for the wedge game. I often open my garage door so that i can pick targets in the distance to visualize full shots.

[noobie]

Thanks for the very informative review. Just a quick thought: have you considered getting the side nets which are also available or would they be useless against shanks? It looks like a beautiful net and I plan to get one when I move into a larger place (hopefully along with a GC2).

I have had this net since about March 2011. Got it from amazon and it had very good reviews there. For a mat, I selected the Fiberbuilt S3rn.

For me, it has served its purpose well thus far. I wanted something that I could practice with in my basement during bad weather or at night, just to work on my swing. I am able to hit all irons and woods with real golf balls. (I haven't tried a wedge, mostly out of fear of hitting the ceiling in my basement.) In the total time that I've had the net (about 5 mos), I've missed the net twice. Both were shanks that probably would have been fine if I were aiming into the center of the net. I sometimes aim a little off-center for variety. Fortunately, my basement is still unfinished, so no noticeable damage. (btw, I'm a 12.2 hcp, so mileage may vary)

I was skeptical at first about hitting real balls. I started with some foam balls, but immediately moved to the real thing. Now, I have absolute confidence in its ability to catch a live golf ball. The net will throw the ball back with some force. It comes out low on the ground, but it's enough to bounce up and over the fiberbuilt mat (approx 2 inches high about 7 ft away). This is somewhat of an interruption to holding a swing finish. This is really the only drawback that I can comment on, and it's mostly out of my lack of motivation to come up with a solution. I believe the company may have some solution for this, but it's really just a minor annoyance for me...

All in all, I would recommend the net for this purpose. The other thing to consider is why I'm on this forum now. In practicing with this net, I have come to the belief that I need some way to determine whether I'm hitting the ball on line or not. I feel like there have been a few instances where I've developed a bad swing mechanic hitting into the net, not knowing the full result of the shots. I thought I would be satisfied with just knowing whether my aim is accurate or not and not really care much about ball flight. However, after reading the GGS forum this weekend, I realize that I'll probably want more than a simple fix here. I'll probably end up migrating to something more like a GGS or the LX system, if/when it comes out. I've got a lot more research to do, to see what is available, affordable and can fit in my basement.

Good luck. Here's a quick shot of my setup. Notice that I turned the mat a little to aim more toward the center.

Attachment 29379

[cmbind55]

You're welcome.

I took a quick look at the side nets in the related media on amazon. I don't believe the side nets shown in the video would have helped the shanks that I had. The hole in my insulation is pretty high up on the wall. It looks to me like it would have been very close and probably would have cleared those side nets. I do think if I had been aiming more toward center, it would've been caught. Currently, I'm offset a little bit from center of the net due to some other stuff in the way. My permanent setup would be more centered.

I think if I were hitting in a finished room, I would strongly consider an investment to get some kind of material to wrap around the full height of the sides, as well as some ceiling padding, just to be safe. For me, it would be a close trade-off of having relatively more open space with just the net versus the insurance against a shank.

I also noticed that they showed a guy hitting wedges in the video. He was outside, very close to the net, and it still hit pretty high up on the net. This confirms my fear, and I probably won't be hitting wedges anytime soon. Not really what I wanted to practice with a net anyway.

I'd love to have either the GC2 or the LX. I'm hoping the LX will come out and spark some competitive pricing between the two. I think either of these would be very usable for some productive swing analysis with just a hitting net in the basement. Knowing myself though, I'd probably be wanting a full sim within a few months...

[noobie]

Yeah that's unfortunate that it's difficult to practice wedges. I probably will hit limited flight balls (Almost Golf Balls) with my wedges. I believe one of the members here did some tests of limited flight balls with wedges on a GC2 and it was within 5-15 yards (I believe). Another option might be an original Vector LM. It seems to get more positive feedback than the Vector Pro. My only concern is whether Accusport still actively supports the original Vector. I've read that they longer make some of the replacement parts.

You're welcome.

I took a quick look at the side nets in the related media on amazon. I don't believe the side nets shown in the video would have helped the shanks that I had. The hole in my insulation is pretty high up on the wall. It looks to me like it would have been very close and probably would have cleared those side nets. I do think if I had been aiming more toward center, it would've been caught. Currently, I'm offset a little bit from center of the net due to some other stuff in the way. My permanent setup would be more centered.

I think if I were hitting in a finished room, I would strongly consider an investment to get some kind of material to wrap around the full height of the sides, as well as some ceiling padding, just to be safe. For me, it would be a close trade-off of having relatively more open space with just the net versus the insurance against a shank.

I also noticed that they showed a guy hitting wedges in the video. He was outside, very close to the net, and it still hit pretty high up on the net. This confirms my fear, and I probably won't be hitting wedges anytime soon. Not really what I wanted to practice with a net anyway.

I'd love to have either the GC2 or the LX. I'm hoping the LX will come out and spark some competitive pricing between the two. I think either of these would be very usable for some productive swing analysis with just a hitting net in the basement. Knowing myself though, I'd probably be wanting a full sim within a few months...

[AweAgs]

I have a net installed in my garage that I bought locally. House of canvass on Cleopatra sells a net (9'x9'). It is white with gromets across the top edge. I ran an aircraft cable from one side of the garage to the other. The cable is attached to a tensioner which in turn hooks on to an eye hook. I use caribeaners through the gromets to the aircraft cable. This basically crates a curtain. When not in use I simply slide it off to one side against the garage wall. I have a driving range matt in front of it and when balls hit the net they roll right back to the mat. If struck pure they will often end up at your feet on the mat. I can hit wedge - driver into it with no issues. If you have a really high ball flight you can simply move the mat closer for the wedge game. I often open my garage door so that i can pick targets in the distance to visualize full shots.

Any chance you can post a picture of your cable and tensioner? I just picked up a net that I plan to hang in the garage with a cable as well and would like to push it out of the way when not in use. My net came from a golf school and it is bigger and heavier than most nets. As such I am concerned that cable will sag under the weight of the net. I have not looked yet, but does Lowes or Home Depot have this cable tensioner. As an alternative, I thought about firmly anchoring one end of the cable, then hanging a heavy weight on the other end to provide the tension.

[ktkn]

Depends what you are looking for. A more permanent structure? Does it need to be portable? Do you plan on using it as a simulator and want to attach a screen later to project onto?

Simply as a netting device to hit golf balls into? Yea, it will work.

Any advice on a portable net that I can project onto as well? or easily add an impact screen?