Side Protection for Sliding Glass Doors

[johnperkins21]

I don't think I've seen any builds like what I'm planning to do. The best space we have in the house for my sim is in our living/dining room. Problem is there happens to be a wall-to-wall sliding glass door on the right side of where the sim will be. I plan to put up some heavy curtains at least 6" from the window on a track to help with any ricochets, but this would be a very expensive fix if the curtains don't slow it down enough. Has anyone done this, and what did you use that is both retractable (it's important to my wife that it be able to retract and let the light through when not in use), and strong enough to keep any stray shots from hitting. Would a stiff net behind the curtain, in front of the wall be enough? Two sets of curtains? Just looking for advice from anyone who's done this.

I still shank from time-to-time, and want to make this absolutely idiot proof if possible.

Here's an image of the location:

[iacas]

What about your fan? And the right side is where shanks are hit by righties, of course, so… maybe… you just can't/shouldn't have a sim if this is your "best" or "only" option?

I mean, in your family room?

[johnperkins21]

The ceiling fan will be taken down and replaced with an EyeXO, Projector, and spotlights. And this isn't the family room, it's the living/dining room which we don't need. We already have a family room and a place for a dining table which we use maybe twice a year. There is another location that we could use, but it would require tearing down a wall.

I expect to shank it near the window, I'm just wondering if anyone else has used a space like this and what they used for window protection. I found another thread where a guy used gym mats and that might be a good option to put behind the curtains. They could fold up and be put out of the way when not in use.

[pathfindr]

I put rigid foam insulation in front of my windows. They are relatively light weight so you can move them easily and come in different thickness. Here is a link https://www.homedepot.com/p/Super-TU...0464/300528092

[johnperkins21]

That's a good idea. Have you had the opportunity to accidentally test them? I saw a picture of someone using these things and thought that was a decent idea, but I don't think I could get them tall enough without rigging some sort of system to hang them. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Fitness-G...lack/519285297

Those foam insulation panels could work, I'm just worried about a major shank off the toe of a driver and whether they'd hold up.

[14MPH]

johnperkins21 I am not at that stage yet but I have a 4.5m sliding door that's awaiting installation, with each panel approx 1.5m. I plan to have some sort of curtains in place and for good measure, I am also considering a small hitting net section, tied down behind the curtain from top of door frame to the floor, but in front of the glass (about 1.5m wide to cover the last panel, which is also about how far my hitting strip will be in the middle of the room from the screen). So in theory, the angle of stray shots will almost need to be perpendicular to target before I worry about them hitting any glass. The netting can be permanent or removable but in any case, my doors when open, will stack at the far end so net and/or curtain drawn in front of it will not matter too much.

At the end of the day, its what you feel is safe to absorb the stray shots - I haven't tested it but not sure how strong foam insulation boards are and hence my preference for a small hitting net instead. Probably cheaper option too. From the inside, aesthetically, it should appear like plain curtains, from the outside, doesn't matter if the netting is seen when room in use for golf (or just remove it if an eye sore and not using the room for golf).

[johnperkins21]

I was thinking of a net as well. Curtains to grab and slow down the ball, but the net is there to stop the ball from making it far enough to touch the glass. I'm really just curious if anyone else has had to do this and what their experience is. At the end of the day it's probably better to go with overkill and include two or three safety measures (in addition to the curtains which are required to darken the space anyway) than it is to risk accidentally breaking a glass door.

Also, I'm jealous of that outdoor space. I'd love to put something up in the backyard but our HOA won't allow anything permanent like that over 8'. I'd love a spot where I don't have to worry about waking up my wife if I want to play after she goes to bed at night, and knowing the cats won't get in the way.