Dreaming of turning your backyard into your very own Golf Driving Range?
If you are serious about your golf, then having a golf practice area set up at home can really help you to get better, fast.
Just imagine not having to make the trek to your nearest driving range and not having to pay for bad quality range balls ever again!
With your very own set up at home, you can work on your golf swing even if you have a busy full time job as well as young kids to take care of. Have 30min between meetings? Why not go and work on that drill you got from your coach (or Youtube...you know who you are). Yes, I'm speaking from experience.
Add on a golf launch monitor and a tablet, you can instantly play your favourite golf course right from your own backyard!
In this guide, I will show you how you can set up a golf driving range in your backyard, from how much space is required, which products will suit different needs and budgets, as well as how you can level up and play simulator golf with your set up.
PS: If you are lucky enough to have enough indoor space and want to set up an indoor golf simulator, we've also got a guide on how to build your indoor golf simulator, be sure to check it out.
PPS: Shameless plug - at Kaizen Golf, we do offer a complete Ultimate Backyard Package for a $150 discount, which means you can get a full backyard set up with a launch monitor for just over $1,000. We would love to help you with your set up.
Ok enough of the selling, let's get to the guide.
Size Requirements
Before you start buying all the gear, you will need to ensure that you have enough space to both fit all the equipment required, and most importantly, be able to swing a golf club safely.
Here are the dimensions required to comfortably hit all your clubs in an outdoor setting:
- Width - 3m (ideally 4m so you can aim to the middle of the net)
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Depth - 4.5m
- Height - 3m
If space is tight, you can do an 'irons only' set up with the following dimensions:
- Width - 3m
- Depth - 3m
- Height - 2.4m
Obviously these are 'rule of thumb' guidelines and could vary depending on your height, how you swing and your skill level. But if your space is smaller than 3m wide x 3m deep x 2.4m high, then it might be too tight unfortunately. The space maybe unsafe or it will force you to unconsciously change your swing to "suit" the space and may end up making you worse.
Assuming all is good on the space front, let's go through what you will need to set up your backyard golf driving range, starting with the essentials.
The Essentials
The Golf Mat
In our opinion, the golf mat is the single most important piece of gear in any backyard golf set up (indoor too for that matter). The reason for this is the fact that it's what your club and therefore your body will impact with, shot after shot.
A poor quality mat will not only not last, there is an increased chance of getting the dreaded "golfer's elbow" or other injuries if you use a thin mat which doesn't offer shock absorption at impact. This is especially true if you are intending to hit a lot of balls or have a fairly steep swing.
Our strong advice is not to go cheap on a golf mat, a minimum overall thickness of 3cm is a good guide.
Apart from thickness, there are a couple of other considerations:
- Size of mat - do you want a mat you can also stand on or you want something a bit more portable that you can easily pack away after a session?
- Type of turf material/construction - there are a number of different turf materials and designs when it comes to golf mats. They may give you a different feel at impact, so go with the one that gives you the feel that you prefer. You can learn more about the different types of mats that are available in Australia in our article - Golf Mats - A Buying Guide.
We also have a great range of high quality golf mats which, you can find out more about them on our website or by reading our Kaizen Golf Mat Buying Guide.
The Golf Net
Another essential element of a backyard golf set up is of course the golf net.
As far as golf nets are concerned, the 2 key areas to look for are:
- Quality of material - especially the netting, which is what is going to keep your set up safe. This is the most important aspect when choosing a golf net. We believe that a basic net with strong and durable netting material is better than a "fancy" net with average netting.
- Size - space allowing, we recommend a net is 3m x 3m which will keep things pretty safe and catch most of your errand shots.
When it comes to setting up a golf net, you can either purchase one off the shelf or you might be able to DIY one up which may better suit the space that you have and save you some money at the same time.
- Buying a pre-made golf net - If you are looking to purchase a golf net, we have a detailed golf net buying guide that we believe will really help, please be sure to check it out - Best Golf Nets for All Budgets in Australia - A Golf Net Buying Guide.
- DIY golf net - Whereas we definitely don't recommend doing a DIY golf mat, a DIY golf net is definitely a good option. As long as you get a strong net or a baffle, then it's a matter of how you can hang it. We have a guide on how you can build a DIY golf net here if you are looking to go down this path - How to Build a Golf Net - Best Designs for DIY Golf Nets
Now with a good mat and a good net, that's pretty much what you need to start hitting balls!
At Kaizen Golf, we offer a Mat and Net Deal, where you get 10% off the price of the net or impact screen when you purchase it together with a golf mat, which is a good deal if you are looking to just start off with the essentials.
Optional But Highly Recommended
Although not essential if you just want to be able to hit balls, here are a couple of things which we highly recommend that you add to your set up.
Add Some Side Protection
Unless you are hitting balls in a fully enclosed environment, there's always the possibility of a sideways shank not being caught by your golf net.
Given that you are setting it up in your own backyard and in a residential area, even one bad shank could lead to dire consequences.
So for peace of mind, we highly recommend that you add some side protection to your set up. You can just get one additional piece of netting or we do have universal "shank" nets that you can purchase.
Launch Monitor
Budget allowing, the addition of a launch monitor will really take your set up to the next level.
With a good launch monitor, you will get accurate ball flight data and feedback on each shot, which will make practice a lot more productive.
Want to play simulation golf in your backyard? Most launch monitors now offer out of the box golf simulation or the ability for you to use it with a third party golf simulation software.
Given we are talking about a backyard set up, just note that the image from the simulation will be displayed through a tablet or a laptop instead of being projected to an impact screen. It may not be as immersive as an indoor golf simulator set up, but we are playing golf none the less!
And the good news? With advancement in technology and increased competition, golf launch monitors are becoming more and more accurate and affordable!
If you want to add a golf launch monitor to your set up, we've also got a golf launch monitor buying guide as well that you can check out.
Final Thoughts
Backyard golf practice set ups are fantastic for any golfer who is looking to get some much needed practice in from the comfort and convenience of your own home. Especially if you are time poor with work and family commitments.
All you need is a good quality golf mat and something strong and durable to hit into and you've got yourself a driving range at home! Throw in a launch monitor and you will be practicing with purpose and can even play a round of simulator golf (or 2, or 3...).
Kaizen Golf, we offer a complete Ultimate Backyard Package for a $150 discount, which means you can get a portable backyard set up with a launch monitor for just over $1,000 or the ultimate permanent set up with a large golf cage, a large mat and a launch monitor for just a little over $2,000. We would love to help you with your set up.
If you have any further questions on choosing the right products for your backyard set up or if you have any feedback at all, please feel free to contact us, we'd love to hear from you!
