Backyard Golf Nets: Should You Get One?
Nothing quite compares to golfing outdoors on a beautiful golf course or practicing your swing on the driving range on a sunny day. While these are the ideal environments for your favorite sport, sometimes you just can’t spare the hours in your day to make a trip to your closest golf course. A clever way people have found to work around this obstacle is to purchase a backyard golf net, but are these golfing tools really worth it?
Backyard golfing nets are an exceptional golfing convenience when you want to quickly practice your swing without leaving your house. Benefits to owning one include increased practice time, location versatility, and more.
Still, backyard golf nets aren’t for everyone, so you must find a way to determine if they’re worthwhile for you. In this article, we’ll discuss how to determine if owning a backyard golfing net is worthwhile for you based on factors such as your budget, space, and how frequently you golf.
Are Backyard Golfing Nets Worth It?
In general, few can deny the perks of having a golf net of your own set up in your backyard. However, while these tools can help you advance your golfing skills along with other benefits, we wouldn’t blame you for questioning how worthwhile they are to purchase.
The question of whether a backyard golfing net is worthwhile truly depends on the individual. If you’re a very casual golfer who only makes your way to the course once or twice a month, you probably wouldn’t use the net enough to justify its purchase. But, if you break out the clubs weekly or more, odds are you’ll take advantage of this investment.
Granted, this is just one of many factors you’ll want to consider. While frequency of use plays a big role in a backyard golfing net’s worth, it isn’t the only one in the equation. If you’re considering purchasing a golfing net for your backyard but you haven’t fully settled on whether this is a smart decision, take a look at the factors listed below and see how each pertains to you.
Budget
This is probably the factor people weigh most when making this decision. Backyard golf nets can come in a wide range of prices that are often dictated by their:
- Size
- Material
- Built-in features (ex. targets)
- Portability
- Add-ons (ex. carrying case, practice mats)
Therefore, determining whether these golfing tools are worthwhile for you will significantly depend on how much you’re willing to spend on it. You can get a cheap and relatively small net for as little as $50, but they won’t be the most durable or long-lasting option. Alternatively, the larger nets made of higher quality materials will often cost anywhere from $100-$200, so if you deem that too much to have a decent net, then a golf net might not be for you.
Purpose
The purpose of your backyard golfing net can be heavily tied to its cost since it often determines the net’s size and even some of the built-in features and add-ons.
If you want a net that allows you to practice an all-out swing, it will need to be relatively tall in order to prevent your golf ball from flying into your neighbor’s yard or further. Of course, the taller the net, the more it will cost. However, if the net is for a younger golfer whose swings won’t gain much immediate altitude, you can play it safe with purchasing a smaller net.
There are also backyard golf nets that can be designed for different purposes. Most are all-purpose nets that are designed solely to catch the ball, while others are built with targets to aid in aiming, and some are even built specifically to help golfers practice chipping.
Therefore, you’ll want to know your intended purpose for this net before you purchase one, or you might find the one you buy doesn’t suit your needs and, as a result, isn’t worthwhile.
Space
This probably isn’t the most important factor to consider when choosing a backyard golfing net, but it should definitely be in the equation.
Considering the range of sizes these nets can come in, you’ll want to make sure your backyard is an appropriate size, especially to house a net that matches your purpose. While you can purchase backyard golf nets that are barely larger than 3 feet and could easily fit in most yards, these aren’t beneficial for adult golfers or serious golfers of any age.
Instead, they’ll probably need on that’s 10 ft. X 7ft. or larger, and if you can’t fit that in your yard then you shouldn’t buy a backyard golfing net. Another thing to consider is where else you could potentially place this net.
Many golfers will move their backyard golfing nets indoors, such as in the basement or garage when outdoor conditions will prevent them from practicing for extended periods, so you might want to consider this too when you’re choosing the right net.
Ambition
The last factor we’re going to cover is closely tied to the point we made earlier regarding frequency of use. If you rarely golf, it doesn’t make any sense to purchase a backyard golfing net. However, if you rarely golfed in the past but you intend to start golfing more in the near future, then the investment might be worthwhile.
We also highly recommend backyard golfing nets to any individual who is truly ambitious about playing golf competitively or even training to be a pro golfer. Having a backyard golfing net will vastly increase your opportunities to practice various skills, even if it’s for 15 minutes.
You’ll be surprised how much extra practice time you can squeeze in when you don’t have to worry about traveling somewhere to golf, and how substantially this can advance your skills.
Final Thoughts
The decision to buy a backyard golfing net is one that many hobbyists and competing golfers consider. Overall, we’d say this tool is worth the convenience in most cases. It can satiate your passion to golf when you don’t have the time to get to the range or course, and it can give you every opportunity to practice your skills from home.
Even the smaller and cheaper nets have their benefits if you’re on a tight budget. Just make sure you consider the factors listed above to ensure this decision truly is right for you.
