My Backyard Golf Setup Journey
So I got sick of driving 30 minutes to the overcrowded municipal course every weekend. Decided to turn my crappy backyard into a practice spot instead. Here’s exactly how it went down.
First I paced around my yard kicking at weeds. Measured a 15×20 foot rectangle near the fence where the dog usually poops. Called my buddy who works landscaping – he said “just mow that patch super short and stop overthinking it.” So I grabbed my rusty mower and scalped the grass down to putting green height.
Hit Dollar Tree for supplies:
- Plastic kiddie pools for “sand traps”
- Colored duct tape for targets
- Hula hoops to mark greens
The real struggle came with the hitting net. Almost bought some $300 professional setup before realizing: wait, I’m just whacking foam balls. Found an old badminton net in the garage and rigged it between two oak trees using bungee cords. Hung a shower curtain behind it for good measure because my neighbor hates me.
Testing phase was hilarious:
- First chip shot sent foam ball over fence into Mrs. Jenkins’ roses
- My “sand trap” pool flipped upside down in the wind
- Putting green got muddy after rain and looked like a swamp
Fixed it by:
- Weighing down pool edges with bricks
- Adding sand to muddy putting area
- Practicing only with plastic balls near the fence
Now every evening I grab a beer and spend 20 minutes chipping into the hula hoop. The net wobbles like crazy but catches most shots. My score hasn’t improved much but hell – at least I’m not paying $50 every weekend to lose balls in actual ponds.
Total cost? Under $15. Satisfaction level? Off the charts when I nail that duct-tape target while the neighbor glares through his window.