The build
The whole thing, part by part, with the real prices.
This is the actual setup in an actual backyard in Austin. Nothing here is a placeholder. The links are affiliate links, so if you buy through them we get a few bucks at no extra cost to you. If you find it cheaper somewhere else, buy it cheaper.
Parts
What we bought.
The launch monitor is most of the money and it's the one part worth being patient about. The rest is ordinary stuff.
| Part | Cost |
|---|---|
| Garmin Approach R10usedBought used. New is around $600. This is the one part worth hunting for. | $300.00 |
| 10ft x 7ft hitting netThe main net. Takes everything from wedge to driver. | $49.68 |
| 10ft x 10ft netHung at 45 degrees over the first one so wedge shots do not sail over the top. | $24.64 |
| String lightsSo you can hit after dark, which is most of when you will actually hit. | $45.45 |
| Steel cable and hardwareRuns tree to post. Holds the lights up and keeps them off your swing. | $28.78 |
| Magcubic projectorThrows the hole onto the net. Cheap, bright enough at night, good enough. | $45.45 |
| Magnetic phone tripodHolds the phone steady at the mat so the putting camera can see the ball. | $18.39 |
| Limestone Linksone timeOurs. You pay it once and that is the end of it. | $79 |
| Total | $591.39 |
Prices are what we paid. They move around.
The two mats
Not in the total above because we already had them, but you need both.
| A hitting matusedGot mine used off a guy for about $40, with the putting green thrown in. Check marketplace before you buy new. Don't cheap out on a thin one, your lead wrist will find out. | ~$40 |
| A putting green with cupsThis is the one we use. You only need it if you want the camera calling your putts. | varies |
The layout
Why there are two nets.
A single upright net catches drivers fine and then a wedge goes straight over the top of it into your neighbor's yard. The second net, hung at 45 degrees leaning back over the first, catches the steep ones.
Ten feet is enough
The R10 wants a little room behind the ball and a little flight in front. Ten feet to the net works, so does a one car garage. Pace it out before you order a net.
The cable does two jobs
It runs from the big spanish oak to a post and carries the lights up out of the way. Hang them low and you'll hit them, and then you're picking glass out of the grass.
The projector is optional
A $45 projector on the net at night is the biggest jump in how fun this feels. You can skip it and play off the phone. Daylight washes it out.
What we would change
Things we got wrong so you do not have to.
- Hang the second net before you decide the first one is fine. We learned about wedges the expensive way.
- Charge your phone, and get a battery pack. Screen on for a four hour round with the brightness cranked in the sun will flatten it. If your phone battery is already tired, this is the thing that ends your round, not the golf.
- A cheap projector is a night time projector. Daytime costs real money, so plan on playing at night.
- Buy a proper hitting mat. The thin ones feel fine for a week and then your lead wrist tells you about it.
- Put the phone tripod where a stray putt can't take it out. That's further back than you think.
- Used R10s are everywhere. No reason to pay new money unless you want the warranty.
What you can skip
The cheapest version that still works.
If you've got a net and a mat and you're happy playing off the phone, all you need is a launch monitor and our $79.
No projector, no lights, no second phone. You lose the big picture and camera putting. You keep the courses, the ball flight, the card and all the numbers.
Start there, add the rest when you know you like it.
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