One of the many things I need/want to improve on is hitting a consistent long ball; both off the tee and with my long irons/hybrids/fairway woods. It is something I have longed for over the years and this year I think I have a plan to make it happen. It has to do with my previous thoughts on stretching, my orange whip and building an indoor driving range. Yup, an indoor driving range.

I still have quite a bit of work to do before I can make my indoor range hitting real golf balls. I received the net last year, Now I need a big space to set up and I now have that in my garage. It is going to be great and my golfing friends are almost as excited as I am to get things set up.
I am still working on the design, but the concept is there. I will also be building a larger hitting mat that will stand up to my continuous hitting. It is going to be great….I can hardly wait.
Of course, I will be documenting my progress on how things are going to work out for all you jealous readers, but have no fear you will be the first to know. When I come up with my final design, I will post it to see if you any suggestions. Until then, you will have to stay in a state of suspended animation.
One thing I am sure of – if I use my future net at least 4 times a week I will be in better shape come spring than ever before and my season will start at a higher level than ever. I mean, why not I have nothing to lose! It is going to be great.
Do you have a practice area in your house?
I am a grateful golfer!
Jim awesome! I have never had an indoor range and it seems like the perfect solve for your long off-season. I have a net and used to set that up and hit from my back patio and am with Kevin on this. It’s often difficult to tell if you’ve hit a good shot even if the contact feels solid. Another thing to note: A buddy of mind constructed an indoor range. My first swing with a wood hit his ceiling on the follow-through 🙂 He had 8-foot ceilings and we subsequently modified our swings so as not to hit the ceiling. Big mistake; as my swing was fouled up that spring from the adjustment. If you have 9-foot ceilings, great! If you have 8-foot, I’d limit my swings to the shorter clubs.
Look forward to seeing your plans!
Brian
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Thanks Brian. I am in a garage with a 10 foot ceiling, so I am good. I am looking forward to setting it up for sure. More to follow.
Cheers Jim
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One suggestion I can make after my past use of a net for a couple of years. Thread a ribbon or something you can easily see vertically in the net and use an alignment rod or piece of tape on the mat. When hitting into a net it is very easy to fail to aim properly and doing that too much can ingrain it into your swing. Having a ribbon to helps you see how far off you are. For a draw swing, since the net is so much closer to you, a foot right of the ribbon requires a requires a really big draw to get back to the center for instance so working on keeping the ball hitting within an inch or two of the ribbon is essential.
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Kevin
Great ideas thanks. I will definitely incorporate your suggestions.
Cheers
Jim
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