PVC pipes for impact screen structure

[Yongchai]

Anybody ever tried using PVC pipes to build the frame for impact screen?

Looking to build the frame myself (having no material building experience other than legos) i walked round my local hardware shop and the options were

1) metal - heavy, expensive, hard to join but stable
2) wood - lighter, less expensive, easier to join, pretty stable
4) PVC pipes - lightest, really cheap, easy to join, stable enough

I'm thinking about the 2" PVC pipes, comes in 4 meter lengths, has those sockets/joints that you plug the pipes in to join one another.

I tried bending them and they were semi-flexible (bending about an inch from the middle), and seem stable enough to support its own weight and the screen as well as any nettings necessary for the sides and top. I am thinking the frame flexing during impact will help absorb impact and prevent ball bounce back?

My idea is to join all the pieces together to its necessary dimensions, rope the screen to the frame using bungee cords, and throw nettings over the top and side frame. Finished.

Am i missing anything?

[jwm]

I have this setup, i used Formufit 2" 3-way connectors on amazon and bought a 4 sided net, impact screen in front of that, strung them up with bungies and so far so good. There is a lot of flex and I didn't glue the pipes, it makes me slightly nervous when it wobbles (sometimes I slide it a foot here or there) but it's been fine. Good luck.

[Frans@france]

Anybody ever tried using PVC pipes to build the frame for impact screen?....Am i missing anything?

Yes, buy one pipe and hit it with you iron 7 full speed. That speed is only half of the ball speed with an driver. And now image that you are doing the same thing but now the pipe is stressed because of the added weight of the nettings...

[Dax]

I have no construction experience either and chose to go with 1" conduit pipe (this is metal not plastic, as I feared the plastic would not hold up, as Frans has highlighted above). I found a company in the US on the web called canopy fittings and ordered all of my connectors through them. Their connectors are very high quality and I was surprised at how easy it was all to set up after spending a lot of time measuring and remeasuring and then getting the hacksaw out to do my cuts.

[syhlif32]

If you use Sch 40 PVC it will be fine.
Several people have done their impact screen frames in PVC.
My screen width is 3.20 meter I made the top like a ladder with two 2" pipes in parallel. Think there are 5 connection joints including the ends.
You can't flex that more than 1-2 mm in the center. Very solid.

[jwm]

There is a risk to it, definitely. I'm around a 12 hcp and I have little worry of hitting any leg of my 10x10x10 cube. If I did it would be at a greatly reduced speed because it would have to be a hosel.

If I brought a complete beginner in I'd probably take lots of precautions, foam balls, etc due to more than breaking a pipe. Like ricochets. Their safety. My beloved automobile.

[golfsimxpert]

Light Weight aluminum works best. More rigid, easy to handle and easily is covered with pads to prevent ricochet. Can be ordered locally from anywhere and cut to length. Many bracket choices are available as well.

rtstructure.jpg

[Jsgregg]

That cage looks really nice! Where do you get one of those?

[golfsimxpert]

I make these in my shop. custom sizes avaialbel

[Yongchai]

Did my hardware shopping today and didn't notice any aluminum pipes so just went with PVC. We don't have the SCH standard here, so i just went with what felt not too heavy, but rigid enough to be stable and not flex too much (2" class 8.5). Bought seventeen 4m pipes and bill came to around USD$110.

Got some T shape fittings, but couldn't find any 3-way corner fittings so might have to order some on line and do some jury rigging meanwhile. Found a pretty good website for fittings at

http://flexpvc.com/cart/agora.cgi?pr...side-outlet-90


Need 8 of them and they cost $27 total, not including shipping and taxes (25% of my cost for 17 pipes...)

They also got some extra deep (2.5" each side) straight couplings for making the horizontal bars for a 16ft screen which i have not found else where. (standard couplings will probably break under the load)

http://flexpvc.com/cart/agora.cgi?product=PVC-Couples

For 5 ways fitting in order to brace the frame to side and back wall, flexpvc is more expensive and the following would be better

https://www.greenhousemegastore.com/...pvc-fittings_1

Still undecided if i need the 'clean look' bracing (more expensive option) or just putting boxes behind the posts (free option) will do...

Lots of measuring and cutting to do next week...!

[skyeoh]

There is a risk to it, definitely. I'm around a 12 hcp and I have little worry of hitting any leg of my 10x10x10 cube. If I did it would be at a greatly reduced speed because it would have to be a hosel.

If I brought a complete beginner in I'd probably take lots of precautions, foam balls, etc due to more than breaking a pipe. Like ricochets. Their safety. My beloved automobile.

I would just insulate the structure with air conditioning ducting insulation foam from Home Depot and you are all set. Both can and hacker are safe.

[Yongchai]

I don't know how to post pictures on this forum so i'll just post a link to another forum and hopefully it comes through.

*link doesn't come through, so if interested in seeing a picture, google search "golf sim setup in a squash room"*

Didn't do an enclosure as i found that having the screen frame lean against the wall to be sufficient. (Though his led to the problem of the screen being tilted slightly upwards, so any ball that was hit high on the screen would bounce back high...)

And the width of the frame was big enough that shanks didn't hit the frame. (6m wide by 3.4m high)