Tired of taking a drive to the range every time you want to hit golf balls? Is a golf net worth it? Yes, but only if you use it correctly. Just pounding golf balls into a golf net won’t help your golf game.
Now that I have that out of the way, let’s talk about how a golf net can help and what other tools you might need to get the most out of it. As was mentioned from the onset, just hitting ball after ball into a net most likely won’t help. The goal of golf is to hit crisp shots with good clubhead speed, clubhead path and face angle at impact. Hitting into a golf net alone might give an idea of one or two of those but not all. So here is what you might need to get started if you’d like to hit golf balls somewhere other than the golf range.
- A Golf Net
- Hitting Mat
- Launch Monitor or Golf Simulator
- Quality Golf Balls
Is A Golf Net Worth It?
Are you into DIY and would like to make your own golf net? If so, here is how to build a diy golf net. Some years ago I got a head start and purchased a net called the Spornia Spg-7 Golf Practice Net. What I like about this net is that it bounces the ball back to you. That is versus the impact net I currently hit into where you have to retrieve the ball. FYI… once you’ve done it a few times the Spornia can be put up in maybe 2 minutes. Taking it down and collapsing the net was more difficult for me at first but after watching a couple of videos, I now also have that down to a couple of minutes.
If you want nothing else other than a golf net, feel free to stop reading. Nothing wrong with that. Golf can nickel and dime you and even get you for thousands and thousands of dollars if you want the best of the best. Most of us cannot afford an outlay of a few thousand dollars but we may be able to save enough on a weekly or monthly basis to pick up a new golf toy every now and then.
Here is my Spornia. Apologies for the mess of a garage and the leaves on the net. Had a heavy wind while the garage door was open. I was practicing a different setup here. Something which was helping me hit the ball better.
Before going on where a whole bunch of money can be spent, here is a cheaper way of going about doing things. First things first, you need to have a golf net per the above. Ok. You know when you hit a ball and it doesn’t feel quite right off the face of the club? Could be hitting it thin, off the toe or heal, etc…. Maybe we can find out your tendency by getting one or both of these items below.
Foot Spray or Stickers
I’ve used Dr. Scholl’s Odor-X ODOR-FIGHTING Spray-Powder which if memory serves me, I picked up at Walmart. You can also buy this foot spray on Amazon. A good price is around $5. Worked just fine. Otherwise you can find a product called Strike Spray Golf Club Impact Spray, although I have not used this product. I do like the option of the spray over the stickers which I will show only because the spray is easy to wipe off. Just spray a few light coats and give it a handful of seconds to turn white. Then don’t hit the ball like I do. Here are a few strikes. Notice my tendency? Then take a towel and re-spray.
Putting an impact sticker on the head of your irons, hybrids, or driver is also an option. Amazon has a number of options when it comes to a golf impact sticker and I would just make sure you have the option of using a sticker on irons, hybrids, and woods/driver. The impact stickers serve the same purpose as the foot spray in that you can see where you struck the ball on the clubhead.
Recommendation: Get a Quality Hitting Mat
Once you have a golf net, make sure you have a quality hitting mat. Please don’t take getting a nice hitting mat too lightly. The reason why I say that is I purchased a cheap hitting mat which caused pain in the elbows and wrists. While a cheap mat won’t bother all golfers, a cheap mat typically will not have nice artificial fibers which hold the ball well. What this means is if you hit down on the ball, you may not feel that same divot action you would feel as on the golf course. The problem maybe above all else when getting a nice hitting mat is sticker shock.
Initially, I bought a cheap hitting mat on Amazon. Now I use that mat to stand on. At this time I personally use the Fiberbuilt Flight Deck although it isn’t a mat you can stand on. It has a very nice price tag though. If you want something you can also stand on, you could go with their Fiberbuilt Golf 5’ x 3’ Practice Station. Off the top of my head, check out CCE (seen below) and GungHo for options.
Launch Monitor or Golf Simulator to Show Distance or Direction
I currently own a SkyTrak Golf Simulator where you can see distance and direction amongst a number of other golf related and helpful paramaters. I love being able to tie it to TGC2019 software to play thousands of golf courses indoors during the cold winter months. Mevo+ offers a similar device if you have a little more distance behind the golfer. Now SkyTrak or Mevo+ without added software will take you back about $2,000 at the time of this writing. You might be able to find SkyTrak used for around $1300 – $1500 or so on Ebay from time to time.
Less Expensive Option
The Garmin Approach R10 comes in at around $600 and offers many of the features of SkyTrak of Mevo+. You will find ball speed, launch angle and launch direction with this radar based unit that tends to work better outside.
The idea here is to have some type of unit which will tell distance and if possible direction as well. It is nice to know for instance that you consistently hit your 9 iron 117 yards carry and 122 yards total distance. Do you have a natural push, pull, slice, hook, fade, or draw? Hitting into a net with foot spray or impact tape can tell where you consistently (or not consistently) hit the ball on the clubface but won’t give distance or direction. So if you are able, having a device that tells distance and direction is a great help.
I have an older launch monitor called the Voice Caddie SC200 which you might be able to find used on Ebay for around $150 or so. What I don’t like is it doesn’t allow you to swing without hitting a golf ball and show your clubhead speed. If you are into increasing swing speed and want to monitor using an HH Golf Swing Swing Speed Trainer or the like, you’ll need a launch monitor that is able to capture swings without hitting a ball. Otherwise, the Voice Caddie SC200 does show carry and total distances along with swing speed, ball speed, etc… and I believe their newer models will show clubhead speed without hitting a golf ball. I’ve heard that a good device for picking up clubhead speed without having to hit a ball is the PRGR Launch Monitor. In fact, You can check out a recent post I made with the PRGR Launch Monitor Video and Review.
Play Golf Courses with a Simulator
A nice launch monitor which gives the option of playing simulator golf courses is fun. I tell my wife it keeps me out of trouble. A quick walk over to the golf cave and I can hit balls for 10-20 minutes and then play a quick 9 or 18 holes. Nothing like being able to play some well known courses or even some local courses with a launch monitor and software such as TGC2019 or GSPRO. I enjoy the option of playing a course on the simulator before my buddies and I play the same course on the weekend.
Quality Golf Balls
Don’t hit cheap golf balls while practicing. Yes, I understand range balls are cheap and don’t tend to go as far as a quality golf ball. What you will find though is if a cheap golf ball is consistently not going as far as a ball you use on the course or not spinning like a ball you use on the course, you won’t take that same practice to on course consistency. I’m not recommending picking up a Pro V1 or the like if you don’t play that ball on the course but if you do have a launch monitor, using a couple of quality golf balls can be beneficial in showing differences in distance and spin.
A Golf Net Allows for Practice Year Round
What it all comes down to is a golf ball net will allow you to practice year round. Many of us in colder climates suffer from not being able to play golf for several months. Hitting into a net sort of keeps our golf muscles in shape and lets you practice different things. But if there is something you want to practice with your swing and ask is a golf net is worth it, you need to have an end goal in mind. If you simply show up on the golf range and hit ball after ball without going for a target, distance, or shot shape, sure you can do the exact same when hitting into a golf net.
For most of us, we won’t have the option of taking chunks of turf out of our grass at home. So as you are able, get one item at a time. DIY or purchase a golf net, get a quality hitting mat, check out some golf launch monitors and simulators and pick up some quality golf balls. Your golf game will thank you for it come spring time.