Golf protective netting isn’t something often thought about. Apart from a driving range, many golf courses don’t even choose to install netting — not a wise idea. All it takes is one stray ball to change a golf course’s reputation and financial viability. Golf balls travel at tremendous speeds and great distances, increasing the chances of injury and property damage on and off the course.
But the reasons to install barrier netting go far beyond protecting people and property from harm. There are many other benefits to netting for golf courses, and the following are just a few:
Safety
Safety often tops the list of all the reasons to install golf protective netting. Should a golfer hook or shank a shot, that ball can become a hazard to other players or spectators and could cause serious injury. This is especially true on a driving range, where golfers practice their long game near the course. However, it can also be beneficial to install barrier netting near high-traffic areas where a ball may travel, such as parking lots, clubhouses, pools, gazebos, walkways, and other locations where people tend to congregate.
Property Protection
Not all golf courses have the luxury of being out in the country. Many can be found right in the city, surrounded by either residential or commercial properties — which makes netting to protect damage from golf balls essential to operations. A runaway ball can easily find its way off the course and cause property damage to a nearby home, office, or retail establishment. Without the proper precautions, the course could be liable for any damage. Any golf course perimeter flanked by residential or commercial properties, roadways or other thoroughfares is often an excellent location to install golf protective netting.
Legal Reasons
Though this should go without saying, owning and operating a golf course has many legal responsibilities. Protecting patrons and their belongings and preventing any damage to surrounding homes, offices, and retail establishments is just one of those responsibilities. The last thing anyone wants is to find themselves dealing with an unnecessary lawsuit, especially when it could’ve been avoided with the installation of golf protective netting — or simply multi sport backstop netting, for that matter.
Perimeter Definition
Any golf course that caters to more than one activity can use barrier netting to help separate one area from another. The most obvious is the delineation between the driving range and the rest of the golf course, but then there are those clubs that also offer tennis, swimming, basketball, and disc golf — among a host of other outdoor activities. It’s essential to keep each one contained, not only for safety reasons but for upkeep. No one wants to hunt for a tennis ball in the rough along the fairway. Nor do they want to take a dip in the pool to retrieve a golf ball.
Convenience
In an ideal world, all golf balls would land on the fairway. It’s no secret, however, that golfers rarely, if ever, bring the same level of skill to the game. Golf protective netting keeps everything contained within the play area, reducing the number of lost balls and time spent hunting in the rough for the last ball in the bag.
Necessity
Golf simulators aren’t cheap. And the only option is an indoor driving range for those golf courses with limited room and a fixed budget yet still want to offer patrons the opportunity to practice their swing. This generally requires a space of 14 feet in high, 18 feet in depth, and 9 feet in height, and indoor sports netting. It also allows golfers to work on their game during the offseason.
Netting isn’t just a “nice-to-have.” It’s an essential piece of equipment for any golf course, helping to keep people safe, protect surrounding property, and minimize the potential of legal problems should a ball enter someone else’s property.
Visit our website today if you’d like to learn more about our products. One of our team members will be happy to provide additional information or help find a solution perfectly tailored to your golf course.