Setting up a Home Driving Range Advice

[nkingy2003]

I want to set up my own home driving range but would like some advice. I have a large garden so space isnt a constraint. I want to know what equipment I will need and how I should have it setup ect.

First of all, the mat. I have seen the Longridge American Golf practice mats which are quite cheap at around £37. But are they of a good enough quality?

Then obviously I will need a net. There are the relatively cheap free standing fold up ones at around £40. I would prefer a big cube net structure as it seems safer and harder to miss the net. The only problem with this is that it is quite expensive, I will build the frame myself but the netting for the frame comes to about £150. How do you guys get on with a free standing net?

Then I want to get a camera. The primary reason I want a home practice range is to video my swing so I can watch it back and change things that are obviously wrong. A friend of mine works at a Curry's store and thinks I can get one good enough for what I want for around £100, any suggestions?

Also, I want to be able to see what sort of shot I am hitting. I fade the ball too much at the moment and really want to try and cure this but how will I know if I'm hitting a fade or draw when I'm hitting into a practice net? I will have the camera setup directly behind where I am aiming so I will be able to see if I'm starting the ball left or right of target but I'm guessing there is no way to tell if the ball would then go on to draw or fade. I guess I just have to look at the swing path on camera, if the club is coming from out to in cutting across the ball and the ball starts left then it would be clear that I'm still hitting a fade.

Any advice welcome!

 

[joer422]

i have a golf net that i payed around €35 for and it works fine once you make sure not to stand to far back so it wont go over and i have it right up in front off some trees in my garden just in case.
and there is no way to tell your ball flight hitting into the net thats why i only use it for warming up if i wont have time on the course range before tee off. it's not all that great for correcting problems

 

[brendy]

Mat, umbrella, 100 balls and wedge will do more good than a full on net etc ever will. Short game is king.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

You'll never get a true reflection on the shape of the ball hitting into a net. Personally I wouldn't bother. I'd rather film the swing at the range or on the practice ground and get a clear idea how I hit the shot, how it flew and look at the swing that produced the shot.

 

[Crow]

It would also help if either your garden is huge or your neighbours are deaf as the last thing I'd want to hear is my neighbour smashing away with the driver every night, some of today's drivers are pretty loud.

 

[StrangelyBrown]

I just stand on my deck doing half swings with a sand iron with a glove under my right armpit, i'm just trying to stop a flying elbow and keep everything connected.