There are a number of great golf nets out there to train with from the comfort of your home. In this blog, I’m not only going to share with you my favorite practice hitting nets, but also why you should own one, and how to best train with them to improve your game!
What are Golf Practice Nets?
Golf nets offer a way to practice effectively at home without taking a trip to your nearby range or golf course. Now more than ever, hitting nets are becoming the go-to tools for golfers everywhere to work on their games!
How Much do Golf Practice Nets Cost?
The 5 best golf practice nets I share later in this blog range in price from $120 to $320 at base cost. Larger nets typically cost more money, but other contributing factors include: the style and structure, hitting surfaces, added features like collapsible design, UV treated and/or water repellency, side netting for an errant hit, etc.
Why Do You Need Golf Nets to Practice Golf?
The obvious reason for owning one is so you can hit more balls and spend more time practicing away from the driving range or golf course, especially for those of you who don’t have a ton of time in your busy schedule, having a station inside your home or an outdoor space can be a great alternative to driving ranges.
Other Factors to Consider
There are other factors you might consider in purchasing a golf net. Perhaps you live in a city where it’s challenging to get to the course? Maybe weather conditions in your environment make it difficult to train and play as much as you’d like?
Maybe you or your kids play other sports, and a universal net could be of use? Maybe playing and practicing is too costly, but having a budget net at home is more affordable and can save you some extra money? Maybe your property has limited space, and a golf net and its side barriers would keep those occasional hosel rockets out of your neighbor’s yard?
Having a separate hitting space at your home, whether inside or out, whether permanent setup or quick setup, can be a great thing to have! And for those serious golfers out there, a net can supplement the many hours of traditional forms of practice, plus provide an opportunity to train in a relatively stress-free environment.
Less Obvious Reasons You Should Own a Golf Practice Net
One less obvious reason I’d like to point out is that an at-home hitting net (when used the way I prefer) can help take results out of mind during training. What I mean is that in a typical training session or during play, we can become fixated on results. It can become a game of quick fixes when you slice one time and hook it the next.
Compensations and adjustments are then solely based on the result of the previous shot, and true progress is often hindered. You can quickly find yourself lost and with way too many swing thoughts.
Separating Results From Progress
In my coaching, one of the first things I make clear to my students when we first begin working together, whether it be in person or online, is that results ought to be thrown out the door for a moment.
We need to slow down and exaggerate movements, even to make the slightest of adjustments. I make it clear to my students during this training time that mishits are, in fact, okay!
Rather than hitting one bad shot and changing our whole approach, we move forward and focus on the movements until the results follow. This is where training aids and other golf products, like a practice net, can be so helpful.
When practicing with a golf net, you aren’t able to see ball flight. Contact and start line essentially become the two things we are concerned with. Was it solid, and did the ball start towards my intended target?
Pairing a Practice Net With Coaching
With hitting nets, it helps to have a clear understanding of what you are addressing in your swing. For this reason, I suggest working alongside a knowledgeable coach (whether online, in person, or both).
For example, members of my online academy are given step-by-step instructions on how to best set up their golf hitting nets, how to set up their cameras to film swings, what to work on following an analysis, and what to look for when they film their swings themselves during a subsequent practice session.
By following a specific roadmap like this, practice then becomes much more efficient and real progress can be made! To recap, a golf practice net provides a great opportunity for one to train new movement patterns in a less stressful environment, away from results.
Things to Consider Before Purchasing a Golf Hitting Net
Before purchasing your net, there are some important factors you should consider to ensure your purchase (the net) is the best piece of equipment for you and your home practice space.
10 Questions to Answer
Here is a list of 10 questions I recommend answering before purchasing one of the best golf hitting nets I’ve shared in the following section:
- Is the net for indoor, outdoor use, or both?
- What are the dimensions of the space you have available?
- If outdoors, what climate are you in, and what’s the weather like? Are you looking for something that is water-resistant and/or UV treated?
- Are you looking for a stationary net or one that can break down?
- Do you need an included carry bag to travel with your net?
- Are you looking for a large net or a smaller net that is compact?
- What sort of additional features are you hoping to have? I.e., side netting.
- Is the net meant solely for golf or other sports as well?
- What level of player are you, and what ball speed can you produce?
- Are you hoping to practice with every golf club in your bag?
With these questions and your needs in mind, let’s jump into the 5 best golf nets I recommend to my students and see if one of them meets your requirements!
The 5 Best Golf Practice Nets for Training (Milo’s Favorites!)
Alright, so let’s get into the golf nets I stand by and recommend to my students for their game. My team and I have partnered with Rukket Sports, a company that specializes in hitting nets and other practice tools. Not only do they manufacture nets and training tools for golf purposes, but also baseball, lacrosse, soccer, basketball, tennis, and more.
Our partnership has allowed me and my team to easily test and recommend their nets based on our customer’s needs. Rukket Sports offers a wide variety of hitting nets, all of which come with a fair play guarantee and lifetime warranty. There are 5 nets in particular that I think are some of the best golf-hitting nets out there! I’ve listed these below in no particular order.
1. Rukket Sports SPDR Portable Driving Range
The SPDR Portable Driving Range is Rukket’s most heavy-duty and largest golf-hitting net. This is the one I have at my house in my backyard and is perfect for outdoor use! With all the coaching and practice I do from home in addition to the golf course, this hitting net allows me to easily coach online and share valuable content with my students.
I especially like this hitting net’s sturdy frame. The golf net has stood up here outside in the desert for more than a year now, where it can get extremely windy conditions, dry air, and up to 115 degrees sometimes.
I’ve hit thousands of shots into the net at this point and had no issues. Errant balls mishit by my kids and yes, occasionally myself are easily collected by its strong side barriers. I’ve even blasted my driver with ball speeds over 190mph and long drive contests using this golf net! What’s also nice is that my kids can practice different sports using the net, like baseball. This has surely been the best golf net for my family and me!
SPDR Portable Driving Range Features:
– Includes the SPDR Net (10x7ft) with Side Barrier Protective Wings
– 3 Turf Portable No Skid Hitting Mat
– Size = 10x7ft
– Tough and rugged: Heavy-duty folding metal frame
– 2-minute setup, quicker to store away with the included carrying case
– Use real golf balls: Rukket Tough Netting! Use real golf balls and your own tee with any club in your bag
Below are some pictures my assistant got while at the 2021 Charles Schwab Cup Championship in Phoenix, Arizona, of Phil Mickelson and Vijay Singh warming up before their rounds. The driving range there was too short for these big hitters, so the Champions Tour brought in a golf net to help prevent balls from going through the back of the range, and wouldn’t you know it, they put a Rukket SPDR hitting net!
2. Rukket Sports RukkNet Pop-up Golf Net
For those of you looking for a more collapsible design, lightweight design, and a hitting net that is easily transportable, the RukkNet Pop-up could be the best golf net for you! This is the net many of my students and my team members swear by because of its simple foldable design and minimal footprint to hit into.
Rukknet pop-up golf net Features:
– Foolproof pop-up setup: the golf net opens from a 32″ circle to a 10ft x 7ft x 5ft golf net in seconds
– Size = 10x7x5ft
– Use real golf balls: Rukket Tough Netting (knotless 4-ply 3/4 inch inside). Unlike other golf nets, the RukkNet features a two-net barrier system
– More practice and lower scores: original ball return feature
– Use anywhere outside or inside; the backyard, basement, garage, patio, or practice fields!
– Lasting season after season: double-stitched heavy-duty materials and no fuss quick folding system
3. The Haack Pro Golf Net with SPDR STEEL™ Netting
Another great option for those of you looking for a net that is easily transportable, but maybe a little more rugged is the Haack Pro Golf Net with SPDR STEEL™. This is another net I have personally tested and demonstrated within the following sections. I especially like the internal target and extra strong netting material for those serious practitioners out there!
Haack Pro Golf Net with SPDR STEEL™ Features:
– 9x7x3ft Rukket Haack Pro Frame
– SPDR STEEL™ UHMWPE Netting (The most durable available. Rukket’s Haack Pro Net utilizes ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fibers found in aerospace applications. The result is a net that’s stronger than kevlar, abrasion resistant, and provides added UV protection)
– Adjustable Hitting Target
– Carry & Storage Bag
4. The Haack Pro Golf Net
Although this net doesn’t have the extra durable SPDR STEEL™ netting (which could be a selling point for those in harsher climates), you can bet this net will perform great for those of you looking to establish a solid practice station.
Haack Pro Golf Net Features:
– 9x7x3ft Rukket Haack Golf Net Pro
– Hitting Target
– Carry Bag
– Size = 9x7x3ft
– Patented design with cage feature
5. The Haack Golf Net
Rukket’s original Haack net was developed and endorsed by legendary University of Georgia coach, Chris Haack. For those of you looking for a great value on a net, this may be the one for you as it’s offered at one of Rukket’s lowest prices but still offers many of the same great perks. For a quick and easy setup with a sure-fire ball return allowing you to practice for hours on end, this net could do the trick!
The Haack Golf Net Features:
– Rukket 4 ply knotless high-performance netting & unmatched ball roll-back feature
– 2-minute setup/breakdown for more practice
– Lightweight and portable for golf practice anywhere and comes with a durable carry bag
– Large area to collect even an errant shot at 10ft W x 7ft H x 3ft D
How to Best Train with Golf Practice Nets
Let’s first revisit my initial thoughts on practicing at home. I feel an at-home setup can be ideal for training new movement patterns. As a believer in making the golf swing as athletic as possible, I feel golf nets can provide the opportunity to separate the swing from the results. Included here is a YouTube I made as a solution for those struggling when using golf practice nets:
Two Proven Methods for Making Swing Changes
For those of you looking to make dramatic changes and changes that stick, there are two methods I stand by in bringing about this desired outcome. These two methods include slowing the swing down and exaggerating the desired movement/swing change.
Golf Training Aids
To help with these two methods, I will also occasionally employ various golf training aids to assist in making desired changes. Ultimately training aids are not a cure-all and can’t be used when playing. Therefore, I recommend my students ladder their practice and alternate between shots with and without training aids until they are no longer required.
A golf net is obviously a different type of training aid in that you are not actually wearing or employing the golf net in your actual swing. It collects your golf ball after impact and in the early stages of its flight. The hitting net also acts as a target, which is important to realize and is worth expanding on for multiple reasons.
How to Align Golf Nets and Hitting Area for Ideal Practice Sessions
How you set up your practice area can play a crucial part in the improvements you intend to make. This is the key part, so many golfers glance over when utilizing their golf hitting nets, and why their practice never seems to translate to the golf course.
While putting together a golf-hitting net (like Rukket’s line of products listed above) nowadays is very easy, this doesn’t ensure you are going to make your desired improvements just by hitting 100 times a day into your net. I implore you to carefully read through these remaining setup keys for the best results in your practices!
How to Position and Stabilize Your Hitting Net
In the image above, you can see me setting up my Haack Pro Golf Net with SPDR STEEL™. I’ve placed the net in a space large enough for me to comfortably hit my full set of golf clubs and stabilized the net by following the setup directions.
Next, you will want to select a clear target within your net. This is crucial in creating a good hitting position and aligning yourself for best practice. This is where most golfers go wrong!
Here I have a clear target (provided by Rukket) attached to the net. I have placed my mat (Rukket’s Range Pro 5×5 Folding Golf Hitting Mat) roughly 8-10 feet away from the net to allow me enough distance for a free inhibited swing, but also close enough to stop the flight and create a sort of automatic ball return no matter the club I am hitting.
As you see here, I have also carefully aligned my hitting mat to the net with the golf ball directly in line with the intended target. With many golfers and online students, I tend to see the mat misaligned, usually pushed too far to the right (for right-handed golfers), with their feet directly in line with the target. This tends to cause them to swing more across their body to the left in an attempt to get the golf ball started in the middle of the net. You can bet this can really throw off a golf swing!
How to Align Yourself to Your Target and Net
Next, I align my club face and body to the intended target. As you can see above, I have also placed an alignment stick down between me and the golf ball, parallel to the target line for reference. I suggest you practice in a similar way! Adding another alignment stick in for the ball position is also recommended (below).
Understanding Basic Ball Flight Laws When Practicing With Nets
Now that we have things aligned, it’s important to keep in my some basic ball flight laws. I suggest you pay close attention to the angle of your club face and the club path, with the club face being the key factor in determining the start line. Reference these images below.
Example Practice Stations for Common Swing Flaws Using Nets
Here are just a couple of my favorite drill stations for fixing common faults I see every day. I recommend working with a coach first to pinpoint areas in your swing or game you need to work on.
How to Set Up Your Camera to Film Your Swing When Using Your Golf Practice Net
If you are one to film your swing or work with a coach online, filming your swing at the right angle is important for the best feedback. Here are a few guidelines I use in my coaching and suggest to my students.
Down-the-line
– Camera is positioned roughly 10 feet away in order to see the full swing.
– Camera lens is in line with wrists/forearms and aligned parallel to the ball line.
– Film in real speed and slow motion.
Face-on
– Camera is positioned roughly 10 feet away in order to see the full swing.
– Camera lens at wrists/forearms height and aligned parallel to ball line on wrists/forearms.
– Film in real speed and slow motion for best analysis.
Final Thoughts on Training at Home With a Golf Practice Net
Unless you are aware of the changes you need to make in your swing and what to practice using your golf net, I suggest having a coach that can guide you through the process. Many people simply beat balls at home using their golf nets without knowing they could actually be doing more harm than good.
If you are looking for further guidance and coaching for your game, in addition to coaching both in-person and virtually, I’ve also created an online academy to help reach more people outside of my base here in Arizona.
As a member of my online academy, you receive hundreds of training videos, monthly swing analysis, access to our coaching app, monthly member-only webinars, Q&A, access to our community forum, and first invites to our Milo Lines Golf Schools. Learn more about my coaching, method, and online academy here: milolinesgolf.com. I hope you enjoyed this blog!
