Help- Bounce back from top Cross Bar

[darbysan]

Background: Have an AllSports 10'w x 8' high Micro Bay simulator, with side extension nets and nets above the screen extending 5 ' toward the golfer. All poles are covered with Pipe Insulation foam. Top bar has 2 layers of the pipe foam. The Micro Bay has the Screen hanging from the top bar, but the side bars are spaced back from the screen ( it uses cables on the sides for tightening the screen).

My swing has changed enough that after a year, I now have started hitting the top bar with wedges, getting some nasty bounce backs. I tried layering a Harbor Freight Moving blanket over the top ( 2 layers, with some 1" foam in between- all material I had on hand so just a try to see). It hangs down over the top bar about 1 ft from the top , about 6 ft across the center of the bay. First try today, and I'm still getting some nasty bounce backs, and the HF blanket already has some holes in it. All of the tears in the HF blanket were within a few inches of the center.



Before the HF blanket try, I also tried putting a couple of hanging Baffle Loops in the overhead net in front of the screen, hanging down about a foot and about 8" in front of the screen, but they did not stop the issue either.

I like the idea of something similar to the HF blanket hanging over the top bar, as it would be easiest to install ( no Velcro, etc). I've seen mention of using some Memory Foam, but was wondering if it would hold up to the ball strikes, or just tear up like the HF Blanket. I've also seen mention of using the Home Depot Gutter foam, but wondered if it would hold up, or would need to be encased in some form of Ripstop Nylon, etc.

I would appreciate any ideas / suggestions. Links to products would be appreciated.

[MongoOnlyPawn]

Resize your pictures to a smaller size and post them in this thread. Kinda hard to give you any ideas without being able to see what you are referring to. You can resize pics with windows paint, a simple tool already on any windows pc. Get them under 2 MB and you'll be able to post them.

[darbysan]

Posted pictures to original post above...

[MongoOnlyPawn]

I think you need some distance in between the blanket and the bar. Anything resting directly against the bar isn't going to do much to reduce the ricochet. Can you move away from the screen a bit to swing? That way the ball should hit the overhead net and not the bar. My experience with gutter foam was not good. It's going to get holed quickly and not do much to reduce the bounceback. You could try a wedge pillow, fastened with some Velcro loops around the bar for positioning. It would hold up much better and redirect any ricochets. A wedge pillow tied to the bar and a 12" strip of HF blanket hung 10" or so in front of the bar would do a lot to help you out.

[darbysan]

Thanks. Gonna try something different tomorrow- waiting on Materials. Bought a White net (9'x7'), and will hang down 3 loops of net, 4 " apart and 10-12" down from the overhead net. This will put a net loop 4", 8" and 12" from the screen. If that doesn't solve it, I might insert 1"x8" foam into the loops. Worst case, I have a new net I can put behind the screen to help with screen impact wear, and I'll move on to the next idea...

[sirish19]

have you looked at the frame pads from the Net Return? I use them on the side for shank protection and they are super absorbant and I get very little bounce back.

[darbysan]

have you looked at the frame pads from the Net Return? I use them on the side for shank protection and they are super absorbant and I get very little bounce back.

I did look at these. They look big, and I fear that for my cross bar, with the ceiling net installed, that they might not fit well. We'll see how my project today goes.....

[darbysan]

Update for all those who like DIY solutions. Well, version 2 seems to work pretty well, but it is UGLY, so more work required. It was done quick and dirty, so needs some cleanup to be "pretty", but it was a proof of concept trial. I now have a White net that hangs down in three loops in front of the screen, at 4, 8 and 12 " distance from the screen. Loops were to be 11, 10 and 9" long, but it was very difficult to thread the wire through without spare hands, so that will need some cleanup. I tried it without any weight at the bottom of the loops, and they did not work- the net was too flimsy. I had some leftover 1/2" air hose, so I tried inserting that in the bottom of the loops, and SUCCESS. Stops the ball well, and no bounce back even if it hits the hoses. The hoses had been hanging for years in the shed, so they have a lot of bends that I could not easily remove , even with heat, so not very pretty!



Now, I just bought some clear vinyl tubing 5/8" dia that I will try as a replacement for the red hose- just think it will look prettier. I will boil the tubing and flatten before use to try and eliminate all of the twists. I also need to straighten out the dips in the net, and may just go back and start over again restringing the wire through the net now that I know it works. Do it, Try It, Fix it. My Motto!

I'll post an update after it is all fixed and Pretty!

[Ronsc1985]

You might try race car roll cage padding. It's designed not to rebound when hit Problem may be it is only offered in a few id's.

[darbysan]

UPDATE Version 2. Looks much better. Used clear tubing in the net, and adjusted the net's hang to be more level. Loops now at 9", 10", and 10.5". Tested and works pretty good. Total cost under $70. All materials can be sourced at Amazon...