lob wedge is dangerously flying back at me

[bonvivantva]

I set a simulator up for my dad years ago and used the net return for the screen.  The hitting mat is close enough to the screen that you can hit a full lob wedge and the ball impacts the screen, rolls up, and harmlessly falls to the ground.

 

I set up a simulator for myself, using a swing bay from rainorshine golf.  My projector needs to be far enough away from the screen that I stand probably 8-9 feet back.  At that distance, my lob wedge can and often does hit the nylon ceiling of the bay (not the screen at all, but the nylon material above and in front of it that acts as a ceiling.  When the ball hits that nylon it works like a spring, stretching it out, and then violently throwing the ball back and down.  It hits the faux grass I have between my hitting mat and screen, and then bounces past me about face high.  Usually it's somewhat benign, but I also have a few dents in the fridge behind me.  

 

I'd rather not dampen the impact on the floor.  If possible, I'd like to do something to reduce that springboard effect up top.  Any ideas?  Has anyone had similar issues they've figured out?

[JAM01]

Can you by the foam acoustic tiles from Amazon (12x12) and faux them to the nylon? I use those on my garage ceiling with decent effect. 

[bonvivantva]

Yeah, those look interesting.  Maybe that on the underside, and heavy blanket above to try to limit the springboard effect.  I'll give that a shot.

[JAM01]

I used two sided gorilla tape on drywall to start. Then just spray glued them on. It was a garage ceiling so I wasn’t too worried about ever removing them. 

[Celeras]

He is talking about a one piece nylon stretched across a framed cage. Adding anything to that is going to be troublesome. Besides.... spin is what demolishes impact screens, and wedges do far more damage than drivers. If you continue to throw direct hits into the nylon it will not be long for this world no matter what you do. Generally ceiling protection is to prevent shots that climb up the screen... everything should be set up so all your shots actually hit it.

 

You say you are hitting from 8-9 feet away from the screen. If you launched your ball with a 45 degree launch angle (which is extremely high... typical is more like 25-30 degrees for a normal lob wedge), then the ball would only be 8-9 feet high by the time it reaches your screen. Unless your screen is 6 feet high I find it difficult to imagine how you are consistently airmailing the ball over it. You do you, but I think your approach should be making sure this doesn't happen at all.

[bonvivantva]

My screen is a few feet short of my 9.8 foot ceiling.  It hits either the last few inches of screen before the top nylon (and comes back but not quite with a vengeance), or if I hit it a little higher the ball may impact that top nylon cover that throws it back (dangerously).  If I moved forward a few feet, it would solve my problem with the wedges, but then I couldn't project the screen in full size as I'd also have to move the projector forward.  I bought some acoustic tiles and a weighted blanket.  I'm going to try to put the tiles down on top of the screen, then put the weighted blanket over it, hoping to reduce the spring effect.  I'll let you know how it goes.

[goinforeit]

Let us know how that goes. I built my ceiling with insulation board that has those acoustic tiles glued to them and it was a complete waste of money. Those tiles are garbage and don't reduce the impact at all. The tiles have trouble staying on and split on impact. 

If you can raise your enclosure by a foot, you could make baffles to hang that would catch those shots. IMO, it's the only option for those of us hitting from further away. Because, hey, you might want to hit a shot that does hit or exceed that 45 degree mark that causes those missed screen shots. 

My next project will be replacing my ceiling with baffles made from theatre curtains. I've used that on a sim and was brilliant. 

Happy to brainstorm with you and can face time the setup I have so you can see it up close. 

[bonvivantva]

3 minutes ago, goinforeit said:

Let us know how that goes. I built my ceiling with insulation board that has those acoustic tiles glued to them and it was a complete waste of money. Those tiles are garbage and don't reduce the impact at all. The tiles have trouble staying on and split on impact. 

If you can raise your enclosure by a foot, you could make baffles to hang that would catch those shots. IMO, it's the only option for those of us hitting from further away. Because, hey, you might want to hit a shot that does hit or exceed that 45 degree mark that causes those missed screen shots. 

My next project will be replacing my ceiling with baffles made from theatre curtains. I've used that on a sim and was brilliant. 

Happy to brainstorm with you and can face time the setup I have so you can see it up close. 

Will do.  I'm going to put the tiles above the nylon, and the blanket above them, so I'm hoping it just dulls the springboard effect.  Could exacerbate it for all I know.  I was also thinking an angled loose net that doesn't obstruct the view might work some as well, but I'll try the tiles and blanket first.

[ShortGolfer]

Almost golf balls can be tracked by radar.  Perhaps they could be used instead for wedges?

Most foam golf balls can't be tracked by the FlightScope 24GHz radar.

Edited September 4, 2024 by ShortGolfer

[bonvivantva]

3 minutes ago, ShortGolfer said:

Almost golf balls can be tracked by radar.  Perhaps they could be used instead for wedges?

Most foam golf balls can't be tracked by the FlightScope 24GHz radar.

That's a good suggestion, and I already have some almost golf balls, but I play mostly for practice, so I'd really prefer to be able to practice hitting full wedge shots with real balls without fear.  And for that matter, partial wedge shots as well that often launch higher and come back as well.

[goinforeit]

13 minutes ago, bonvivantva said:

Will do.  I'm going to put the tiles above the nylon, and the blanket above them, so I'm hoping it just dulls the springboard effect.  Could exacerbate it for all I know.  I was also thinking an angled loose net that doesn't obstruct the view might work some as well, but I'll try the tiles and blanket first.

I understand what you are going for here. It just may be the trick! 

And totally agree on the foam balls. That wouldn't be an option for me either. 

[bonvivantva]

On 9/4/2024 at 10:19 AM, goinforeit said:

Let us know how that goes. 

 

I got the tiles and the weighted blanket.  The tiles were so springy I decided they'd only make things worse.  I threw the blanket up on top of the enclosure.  The ends of the blanket hang slightly off the metal frame, and there is an inch or two of sag in the nylon now, but wedge shots fall dead to the ground.  Hit about 20 full wedges from all over my mat and never had one come back.  I could only get high screen impact (never made a direct shot to the nylon which is more of a throwing the club past the hands sand shot feel, and often unintentional.  But even so, I think the problem is solved.  I have a neighbor coming over Wednesday to play so I'll report back if we have any issues, but I think the 15 lb blanket spread out at 48x72 has kept the nylon stretch from throwing the ball back.  It even sounds like a thump when the ball hits the top of the enclosure now.

 

If anyone else tries this, I'd only recommend that you make sure the blanket can reach the metal part of your frame.  If you just expect the nylon to hold up a heavy blanket, I think it would fail over time.  I may even have an issue with my nylon despite the frame, but I could try to reinforce it with canvas or something I'm it looks like it's getting stressed/stretched.

[goinforeit]

On 9/9/2024 at 7:21 AM, bonvivantva said:

 

I got the tiles and the weighted blanket.  The tiles were so springy I decided they'd only make things worse.  I threw the blanket up on top of the enclosure.  The ends of the blanket hang slightly off the metal frame, and there is an inch or two of sag in the nylon now, but wedge shots fall dead to the ground.  Hit about 20 full wedges from all over my mat and never had one come back.  I could only get high screen impact (never made a direct shot to the nylon which is more of a throwing the club past the hands sand shot feel, and often unintentional.  But even so, I think the problem is solved.  I have a neighbor coming over Wednesday to play so I'll report back if we have any issues, but I think the 15 lb blanket spread out at 48x72 has kept the nylon stretch from throwing the ball back.  It even sounds like a thump when the ball hits the top of the enclosure now.

 

If anyone else tries this, I'd only recommend that you make sure the blanket can reach the metal part of your frame.  If you just expect the nylon to hold up a heavy blanket, I think it would fail over time.  I may even have an issue with my nylon despite the frame, but I could try to reinforce it with canvas or something I'm it looks like it's getting stressed/stretched.

This is great to hear! Glad you found a solution. Its a good feeling when those suckers don't come straight back at you!

Maybe run some safety wire above the nylon that the blanket can sit on. That way you can provide some support and clean up the overhanging edges. You could probably get away with a wire every 12" with the wire above the nylon so you can't see it from below. If you are unfamiliar with how to properly work with safety wire & how to tighten it properly, just google "safety wire motocross" and you'll get all the techniques you need. Obviously on a smaller scale, but you'll get the point. Just need a set of pliers. 

[bonvivantva]

The sag isn't noticeable and doesn't seem to be getting worse.  Also the nylon is over the frame, I'd have to remove it to add wire.  A couple of dowels would probably be enough to mitigate the sag thought I don't think it's a short term problem.  I might look around home depot next time I'm there to see if something might fit the bill.