The build
The whole thing, part by part, with the real prices.
This is our actual setup in an actual backyard in Austin. Nothing on this list is a placeholder and nothing is an affiliate link. If you can find it cheaper, buy it cheaper.
Parts
What we bought.
The launch monitor is most of the money and it is the one part worth being patient about. Everything else 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. | $50 |
| Total | $562.39 |
A hitting mat and a putting mat are not on this list because we already had them. Budget for a mat if you do not, and do not cheap out on it, your wrists will find out.
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 of it. Ten feet to the net works. A one car garage works. Pace it out before you order anything.
The cable does two jobs
It runs from the big spanish oak to a post and carries the lights up and out of the way. Hang lights low and you will hit them, and then you will be picking glass out of the grass.
The projector is optional
A $45 projector onto the net at night is the single biggest jump in how fun this feels, but you can skip it entirely and play off the phone. Daylight will wash 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.
- A cheap projector is a night time projector. If you want daytime you are into real money, so just 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 cannot take it out, which is further back than you think.
- Used R10s are everywhere. There is no reason to pay new money for one unless you want the warranty.
What you can skip
The cheapest version that still works.
If you already have a net and a mat, and you are happy playing off the phone screen, the only thing you actually need is a launch monitor and our $50.
No projector, no lights, no second phone. You lose the big picture and camera putting, and you keep the courses, the ball flight, the scorecard and all the numbers.
Start there. Add the rest when you know you like it.
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