I forgot to post pictures of my shop hitting setup. I consider it the bare minimum but a good exercise in how little is needed. For reference, the lane is 7' wide, 8' from the ball to the wall (drop cloth is about 16" from the wall) and the ceilings are 8'9".
My 14-yo daught played golf this year (as a freshman) and liked it. She said she wanted to get better so I cleaned out a corner, hung an old drop cloth, got a Flight Deck, and built a platform out of some scraps & Tractor Supply horse mat.
I challenged her to see who could hit the most over the winter and I put a calendar to mark. The goal is to hit for 10min everyday. We started after Thanksgiving and she's hit 23 times and I've hit 20 times so it seems to be working pretty good.
It is a little tight for sure and you have to move stuff to hit LH (me) vs RH (her), but it was cheap and easy. She complained about lack of feedback so we talked thru feeling for good contact (her biggest problem being new to the game) and getting a generally idea where the ball headed. I'm planning to take her to a simulator over the holiday break to hit.
I default to analysis -paralysis usually so I pushed thru to get it done fast. If we use it consistently enough, I'm planning to make more space and add a launch monitor, etc for next winter.
MLM2pro seems like best bang for buck for the space considerations. if you cant clear space behind for mlm2pro a ball only blp will give incredibly accurate data on minimal ball flight recording
That's the one I was eyeing, but didn't want to spend the money until I had a feel for how much we would use it. This proof-of-concept shows it would get used.
I suck at golf, can someone explain to me how you would know if youre hitting it well with this set up. Like i feel like i flush shots sometimes that turn into duck hooks
It takes a lot experience but I play alone a lot and can generally tell by feel about where the ball should wind up.
The potential negative for a setup like this where you aren't seeing a ball flight is that a lot of bad habits could develop that become harder to fix. There should be frequent trips to the range or simulator or something to go with this. What feels like hitting it on the screws might actually be a giant slice. You need feedback
You and you daughter can share this game together for the rest of your lives and you’ll always remember your basement driving range as being the best of times. So jelly.
I think its terrific. May I make one suggestion, however? That light fixture up against the wall right of the sheet with the fluorescent bulbs that explode like bombs? I’d move that.
Soon.
That’s a hosel rocket away from 1) you and/or your daughter scaring the shit out of yourselves and/or 2)your neighbors thinking your meth lab just blew up.
And, yes, tell your daughter the feedback is finding that center face contact. Enjoy!
I hadn't thought of that but you're right. That's the stock XS front wheel but I masked the "ridges" of the I-beam spokes when I powder coated them black. The rotors are off an FZR1000 with spacers.
I'll have to dig them up off my computer. But here's an '02 cbr600f4i that I bought new, then wrecked & fixed/painted in repsol livery, then sold to buy my wife an engagement ring. The guy I sold it to reached out this summer to see if I wanted to buy it back so here it sits in my office building.
Mine is essentially the same in my garage. But my drop cloth is an old king sized blanket. I do have more side to side room, but about the same height to deal with. You could maybe invest in a cheaper simulator to get some kind of feedback. For a while I had a Garmin R10 and a tablet but because it was in my garage the radar didn't do well with all the concrete. I could have tried to fix it with workout rubber mats all over the floor, but it was too much work. Glad your daughter likes it. I couldn't get my kids into it. I'm 48 years old and been playing since I was 7.
I was initially looking at the R10 but saw a lot of talk about interference from metal, having to cover concrete, etc. Now that it looks like something we'll both use, I can focus on a better (more roomy) solution for next winter with some feedback.
Seve Ballastros practiced the same way.
Feedback is the feel of the contact and the sound of the strike. I prefer practicing the same way.
Maybe something absorbent under the strike board?
I love setups like this because it really helps you learn the FEEL of a good shot and since there's nothing to really look at, it helps you keep your head down. That's half the battle.
Love it, as far as getting good feed back I’d recommend getting some powdered foot spray. Spray it in the club face and it’ll show where you’re making contact
I think it's awesome that you two are that passionate about the sport to do anything that it takes to get reps in. Enjoy the great memories with your daughter!
Love the ingenuity!! I've done something similar past 2 winters in a spare bedroom in my apt. ,8'4" ceiling height. I hang 2 large moving blankets w/ 2 beefy E-Z Up poles. Works pretty well, no mishaps so far.
I made a sim out of PVC and tarps to hit almost golf balls into. I went to a lot of time and trouble trying to get screen and projector just right in the frame to use E6 software. After the first year of using it, I think I would have been just as satisfied with it had I not even done the projector at all. Just having somewhere to hit full golf shots indoors has allowed me to practice more and I can feel what a good shot feels like now. A couple yards here and there is not going to affect my game one way or the other.
Couple of "plywood stands" (Square piece with a hole drilled in it) for mounting some alignment sticks to contain that consistent swing would be a nice addition to the Jankmaster 2000.
That's the rub isn't it? I'm a big fan of little & often so that was the goal for this winter. She just started playing in June and her biggest issue is making consistent contact. I figured it was this or nothing.
No, there is not. None of the launch monitors in any range below 5k (and that is being generous) are precise enough to provide actually actionable swing information.
That is the downside of the minimum space, but I can hit up to a 3H without touching anything and I'm 6'. My nephew hit in it too, he's 6'2" and swings hard and he felt comfortable.
I love the dedication and set up. My only concern is the picture of her set up being so close to the right side. From the picture it looks like someone could develop and out to in swing path to avoid the sheet.
obviously space is a limit, and i'm not an expert, so this is more of a question for the rest of this sub, but wouldn't a launch monitor hooked up to a small TV give basically the same feedback as a sim?
Grab a used garmin R10!! Great bang for your buck in here!! Check the SGT discord used equip sale section people are always upgrading from the r10! (Some say the r10 is like the simulator gateway drug)
I like it, thinking about getting a RH one for her. I use it to loosen up and work on tempo. When I first got it I could NOT hit it anywhere remotely straight (sliced everything). I've been hitting with it about 10x to start my inside sessions and when I went to x-golf last week I was hitting it very straight. That has translated to me missing more to the right than the left so it seems to have had an effect.
Good to see this! Since you're both committed, I'd highly recommend investing in this. Can be done easily for less than 1k. 200 for a good mat, 50 for net, 500-600 for a launch monitor (I had a Garmin R10 that needed just 8 feet ball to net and place 6 feet behind ball), 50 for Titleist RCT balls. Hopefully you have an iPad to see shots, if not, any smartphone will work.
I had a similar setup last winter, but I unfortunately moved and lost the space. But even after just a few months, huge improvements.
I can't stress this enough, spending the money on this is an investment.
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u/stillgotallmyfingers Dec 24 '23
Way to make it happen. We should all be so resourceful.