How to build an affordable DIY Golf Net

[DoubleBogeyPapi]

As the title states. I've seen some stuff on Reddit where people build their net by using PVC pipe for the frame and some Harbor Freight netting to catch the balls and absorb the impact. Has anyone ever built one and could offer some tips/guidance on how I can do this? 

 

So far I'm thinking of building a frame for the impact screen using Electric Conduit Pipe for better durability, harbor freight netting, net ties, and all the anchors/attachments. Would appreciate anyone help on how they did this. 

 

Thank you!

[getitdaily]

This is going outside?

 

I built my own. I have two 10'x10' neta I bought on Amazon. They're $50 apiece. I bought two 10' iron pipes that are 1/2" in diameter. I used plastic zip ties to attach the net to the poles. 

 

I bought 12" long and 1" diameter iron pipes and anchored them into the ground with 50lbs of concrete. 

 

Put the small pipe into the big pipe and hit away.

 

I originally thought I would angle the pipes away from each other to get the net to not sag at the top. That didn't work as well as I thought so I used tent frame poles across the top to provide more rigidity. All zip tied. 

 

All-in...less than $300 for the nets and infrastructure. 

[DoubleBogeyPapi]

22 minutes ago, getitdaily said:

This is going outside?

 

I built my own. I have two 10'x10' neta I bought on Amazon. They're $50 apiece. I bought two 10' iron pipes that are 1/2" in diameter. I used plastic zip ties to attach the net to the poles. 

 

I bought 12" long and 1" diameter iron pipes and anchored them into the ground with 50lbs of concrete. 

 

Put the small pipe into the big pipe and hit away.

 

I originally thought I would angle the pipes away from each other to get the net to not sag at the top. That didn't work as well as I thought so I used tent frame poles across the top to provide more rigidity. All zip tied. 

 

All-in...less than $300 for the nets and infrastructure. 

Wow, very cool setup. Is the 300 cost factoring in the concrete? I intend to use this outside and I already have concrete in the yard so was hoping to setup the frame to stand on top of existing concrete. Probably weight it down with a heavier base or something. 

[getitdaily]

3 minutes ago, DoubleBogeyPapi said:

Wow, very cool setup. Is the 300 cost factoring in the concrete? I intend to use this outside and I already have concrete in the yard so was hoping to setup the frame to stand on top of existing concrete. Probably weight it down with a heavier base or something. 

Yeah, includes concrete cost. I think the cost may have been right at $300 rather than under it...regardless, it was really close to $300.

 

If you focus in on the picture you'll see that I have deeper base posts. I put 4 total in...2 forward and 2 back. This allows me to pull the net forward for wedges and when I'm working on a drill where I could shank balls. Also lets me position the net for my sons to hit balls. Then I can move the net back and have about 3 feet more room for the launch monitor to read the ball off longer clubs.

 

Has worked really well. 

 

You'll have figure out the best way to anchor whatever your setup will be. There's quite a bit of force when a gold ball hits the net at 160 mph.

 

I wouldn't use pvc for the vertical frame. I mishit ball and you crack that framing. Probably ok for a top frame if tour net is tall enough.

[iacas]

I recommend archery netting (like this; unaffiliated with this except as a customer) and not skimping on your net. It'll take one ball going through a hole that didn't exist the ball before to make you realize you should've spent a little bit more on the netting.

 

We had archery netting at our old location (and have it at our new location) and it was used daily for hundreds of impacts on virtually the same few square feet of netting for a decade… and you could barely tell it was used.

[getitdaily]

1 minute ago, iacas said:

I recommend archery netting (like this; unaffiliated with this except as a customer) and not skimping on your net. It'll take one ball going through a hole that didn't exist the ball before to make you realize you should've spent a little bit more on the netting.

 

We had archery netting at our old location (and have it at our new location) and it was used daily for hundreds of impacts on virtually the same few square feet of netting for a decade… and you could barely tell it was used.

I agree with this a lot. I plan to buy a 3'x3' reinforcement that's basically archery netting to tie wrap onto my nets to protect from wear, where most of my impacts are...especially driver.

 

Sunlight and weather weaken a net pretty quickly. Doesn't take much to dry out a net and then bust through it. 

 

I do recommend double netting if, beyond your net, you have neighbors...

[Triple Lindy]

If you’re going to be setting up and taking down regularly, consider something off of Amazon. You can get decent nets under $100 that can be assembled/disassembled in a couple of minutes. I had one that last for 3 years and would have lasted longer, but I left it up most of this past summer and the Texas sun cooked the net.
 

Even if you intend to leave it up permanently, if you’re in a climate that has lots of sunlight, take degradation into consideration. Maybe use hooks on your support poles so that you can take the netting down when not in use. And plan for height more so than width. You’ll find that you hit into the same general area, but you’ll want enough height for full wedge shots.

[br61]

There's a low cost hitting net that I have in my garage. It can be used outside. I take it down in spring and put it up when it gets too cold to hit balls at my club's range. I've owned this for 4-5 years and it's still in good condition. I use Fiberbuilt mat with it. The mat isn't cheap but I like it so far.

 

https://www.rukket.com/products/rukket-haack-golf-net-by-sec-coach-chris-haack-10-x-7ft

[PNW]

I have this one and have had it outside in the rain for a couple years with no issues. Very stable and also works as a soccer goal and baseball net for the little ones. If it's going to cost the same as something you need to build then maybe consider it. 

 

Haack Pro Golf Net with SPDR STEEL™ Netting (rukket.com)

[Soloman1]

7 hours ago, iacas said:

I recommend archery netting (like this; unaffiliated with this except as a customer) and not skimping on your net. It'll take one ball going through a hole that didn't exist the ball before to make you realize you should've spent a little bit more on the netting.

 

We had archery netting at our old location (and have it at our new location) and it was used daily for hundreds of impacts on virtually the same few square feet of netting for a decade… and you could barely tell it was used.

 

Yeah, ditto on the archery netting. Can tie it off with tie wraps. You could hang a comforter behind it if you want to deaden sound. PVC isn’t too hard to do for a reasonable frame. All you need is a saw, straight pieces, elbows and a fifth grader to supervise the design and construction. 

[hammersia]

Definitely archery netting. You shouldn't need anything else to deaden the sound it's as quiet as can be.

 

However the mat should be a substantial part of your budget. Nothing worse than trying to hit off a small mat not attached to anything and not at the level of your feet. 

[Doodlebug87]

I built a frame using 4x2 timber and stretched archery netting across it for my sim, works great although I've been meaning to protect the edges as a few rogue shots have resulted in scary ricochets off of the frame!

[me05501]

Budget golf nets from overseas are so cheap now they probably undercut DIY solutions. 

 

Be cautious using PVC for framing. It will not hold up to impact from a golf ball and it shatters into sharp pieces. If you build a frame from PVC you want to cover it with pipe insulation or pool noodles. 

[dcmidnight]

I paid $50 for this one at the beginning of Covid, looks like its gone up to $70 now.

 

Amazon.com: GoSports Golf Practice Hitting Net - Choose Between Huge 10 ft x 7 ft or 7 ft x 7 ft Nets - Personal Driving Range for Indoor or Outdoor Use - Designed by Golfers for Golfers,Red : Sports & Outdoors

[iacas]

20 minutes ago, me05501 said:

Be cautious using PVC for framing. It will not hold up to impact from a golf ball and it shatters into sharp pieces. If you build a frame from PVC you want to cover it with pipe insulation or pool noodles. 

 

PVC can work if you hang the net "inside" it. Usually a small cage type with a ceiling and maybe some short side walls… so the ball can never hit the PVC, just the net hanging 6" or so inside of the PVC framing.

 

Some would also rather shatter their frame than build a frame out of metal pipe or something and have a high-velocity ricochet. 😄 

[me05501]

4 minutes ago, iacas said:

 

PVC can work if you hang the net "inside" it. Usually a small cage type with a ceiling and maybe some short side walls… so the ball can never hit the PVC, just the net hanging 6" or so inside of the PVC framing.

 

Some would also rather shatter their frame than build a frame out of metal pipe or something and have a high-velocity ricochet. 😄 

 

Just sharing because it surprised me. I assumed PVC was more durable. I used it to build a "catch basin" at the bottom of my net and it didn't hold up to accidental impacts. 

[iacas]

Yeah, even the schedule 40 stuff shatters like Glass Joe. 🙂 

[PNWSlinger]

On 1/22/2024 at 10:06 AM, iacas said:

I recommend archery netting (like this; unaffiliated with this except as a customer) and not skimping on your net. It'll take one ball going through a hole that didn't exist the ball before to make you realize you should've spent a little bit more on the netting.

 

We had archery netting at our old location (and have it at our new location) and it was used daily for hundreds of impacts on virtually the same few square feet of netting for a decade… and you could barely tell it was used.

archery netting looks like a wonderful material but not exactly what I would consider “affordable” 

 

I went to the website listed and a 10x10 sheet is ~$500. Would you buy a whole net areas worth or just a smaller size? Looks like a great material tho. 

[iacas]

4 hours ago, PNWSlinger said:

I went to the website listed and a 10x10 sheet is ~$500. Would you buy a whole net areas worth or just a smaller size? Looks like a great material tho. 

 

I can understand how that's not super "affordable" but I see it as something like tripods.

 

When someone gets into photography, they can spend $1850 on tripods or they can spend $1500 on tripods.

 

The person who spends $1850 buys a $50 tripod. Then it sucks, so they buy a $300 tripod. Then they realize it sucks, too, so they finally buy the $1500 tripod they should have gotten to begin with.

 

The other person just buys the $1500 tripod from the get-go.

 

(This is obviously reasonably decent stuff for serious photographers. Prices subject to change/inflation, too, and may include the ball head, etc. 😀)

 

So… you could buy a $50 net, then a $150 net, then a $500 net… or you could just buy the $500 net. If you're serious about golf and take care of it a little, you'll get years of use from it. Amortizing it over thousands of golf balls and years, it's not all that bad. Plus, peace of mind.

 

Edited January 23 by iacas

[kobe123]

Facebook Marketplace.
 

I scored a Net Return Pro off of marketplace.

[DShepley]

10 minutes ago, kobe123 said:

Facebook Marketplace.
 

I scored a Net Return Pro off of marketplace.

So did I. I picked up a Net Return Pro and 1x4 Fiberbuilt strip for $300. I used it for 2 years and upgraded to a custom impact screen. I kept the hitting strip and sold the Net for $350.

[kobe123]

1 hour ago, DShepley said:

So did I. I picked up a Net Return Pro and 1x4 Fiberbuilt strip for $300. I used it for 2 years and upgraded to a custom impact screen. I kept the hitting strip and sold the Net for $350.

 

That's close to the same deal I got. One of the best purchases. Mine is still up and collecting balls.