I did this in January last year and it helped my game massively.
I went to Net World sports on the Internet and bought a 3 x 3 x 3m cage net (slightly modified as I had just under 3m in height. They made this for me, no problem). It wasn't the easiest thing to put up, mainly because I was installing it indoors, but the company were very helpful on the phone and it was soon done.
I then bought a True Strike mat. Not the cheapest but for me it was the best, as it comes in sections so you can build your own set up and the gel filled (I think) true strike mat sections for hitting irons off are fantastic, as you can effectively take a divot.
I really decided on putting the net up to give me some way of practicing, particularly in the winter, and I was lucky enough to have some space available. I wasn't a big fan of nets, as like others have said, you don't know the ball flight, distance etc. To combat this I bought a couple of things. Firstly, I got an old Vector Pro off eBay and tbh this was an expensive mistake. It is a good tool but takes too much setting up and needs recalibrating. I also got an Optishot cheap simulator, which is great for the money (around £350). However it shouldn't be confused with the £10,000 kits. The Optishot is a good simulator and shows AoA etc really well, just not sure how accurate it is on distance. However, the best thing I got was an Ernest Sports ES12. I have to say having used one I am surprised they are not more popular. They give a very accurate yardage for shots even in a net, where of course you can use real balls. Using one on a range will only measure the distance of the range ball, which is its biggest downfall. The ES12 has proved much more useful than either the Vector Pro or the Optishot and I use it every session. Even though it doesn't give you flight path, it gives a great insight into quality of strike which helps you work things out pretty fast.
I am sure using a 3 bays or similar would work very well in a net. I haven't used one yet and I am trying to work out which one would be best.
All in all, for me it has been a brilliant project. My nearest decent range in half an hour away, which means you need a couple of spare hours to go there and back and have a good practice. This way I can be practicing in 10 minutes. My ultimate aim is to put in a proper system like a GC2 or Flightscope if funds ever allow. we can all dream
.Good luck with it. If I can be if any help, just pm me.
