How to Build a Enclosed Golf Driving Range

Enclosed driving ranges are perfect for the avid golfer who is too busy to go to the local range but still wants to perfect his golf swing. Best of all, they can be built just about anywhere around your home--either in your basement or outside in the yard. Even better, they're not complicated to make; you can put together an enclosed driving range in your yard in only a few hours, and for very little money.

Things You'll Need

• Shovel
• Cement
• 4 metal poles
• Net
• Ties
• Heavy-duty tarp
• Golf mat
• Sledgehammer
• Stakes

Instructions

1. Take a full practice swing and determine the height of your full swing arc using your driver. To be safe, you will want to leave an extra 6 to 12 inches of space between the top of your swing and the top of the driving range cage. Once you have the height of your cage, you need to determine how deep the cage will be. Ideally, the depth of the cage should extend between 12 to 15 feet from the tee. If the cage is too short, you will be dodging ricocheting golf balls; if the cage is too long, the trajectory of the ball will go into the top of the netting rather than into the tarp as designed.

2. Dig four holes to mark the corners of your driving range cage. Fill the holes with cement and sink the poles into the ground. If you do not want the cage to be permanent, consider sinking the poles into buckets or tires rather than the ground. Do not connect the poles with overhead supports--these may deflect a golf ball and cause injury to the golfer.

3. Drape the netting over the four poles and fasten tightly, leaving some slack in the netting. When purchasing netting, it is important to make sure the holes are considerably smaller than a golf ball. The golf ball will stretch the netting and pass through if the holes are too close to the size of the ball. Also, leave enough slack so that a ball hit into the netting can be absorbed rather than ricochet.

4. Hang a heavy-duty tarp at the back end of the driving range cage. The tarp should cover the entire netting area between the two back side poles and be draped from the ceiling of the cage to the ground. To prevent golf balls from passing through the bottom of the cage, consider leaving an extra foot of tarp along the ground folded toward the tee area. As balls are hit into the tarp, they will be absorbed and collect at the base of the cage. Do not build the cage against a solid backboard, such as a wall, because golf balls will deflect back toward the golfer and may cause injury.

5. Purchase or create a golf mat to be used with your enclosed driving range. If indoors, the mat will protect both your club and your flooring. If outdoors, the mat will protect your lawn. Additionally, if you find that you are hitting a number of balls to the side of the netting, consider hanging additional tarps along either side of the cage to reduce the risk of errant golf balls flying through a damaged net.

Tips & Warnings

• You can substitute the metal poles with any suitable material. Metal is usually lighter and holds up better outdoors than rubber or wood, but heavy plastic tubing or piping is another material that works well as a cage frame.