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In today's community build roundup, we're going to take a look at four custom made golf enclosures and simulator frames that are built with EMT Conduit and Maker Pipe Connectors. Each of these unique builds provide a lot of great inspiration for those out there wanting to practice golf at home on a budget. Let's check them out!
First up is Michael's fantastic golf screen frame. The concept for this frame, and some of others we will see, is pretty straightforward. The conduit and connector frame is made to pull the impact screen frame taut with ball bungees. Mike used four 90 Degree Connectors from Maker Pipe to make the corner connections. This connector choice was really clever because it allowed him make the main rectangle that supports the screen while simultaneously adding the tube that offsets the screen from the wall. He also added two angled legs that brace the front of the frame. He attached those with the Maker Pipe Adjustable Angle Connector. If you want to make this exact frame, check out what Mike said about the build below.
"The screen is suspended from a conduit frame, 10' wide x 8.6 tall, with an offset from the wall of approx 10". I cut the conduit to the exact height of the ceiling, so it was a fairly tight fit. The putting green isn't actually used for the practice swings. (It was just there when I took the photo.)
2 @ 10' length (width)
2 @ 8'6 length (Height)
4 @ 10" length (wall standoffs)
2 @ 2' length (angled legs)
4 @ 90 deg Maker Pipe brackets
2 @ adjustable brackets
The gap at the bottom will be filled with foam tubes and carpet. The gap at the top will be filled with netting. The ends of all pipes are filled with MP plastic end caps." - Mike
Now let's take a look at two frames from John and Chris that share the same design. In a similar fashion to Michael they used 90 Degree Connectors to make a box design but instead of running pipes to the wall for the offset, they have them facing forward. This is a great idea for making an enclosure that has walls and a ceiling for keeping golf balls from bouncing all around your garage or basement. You could use eight 90 Degree Fittings to create a box, but you'll notice that the bottom of their frames are open and omit the lower pipe that runs from side to side.
Instead of 90's in the corners down there, they both used T Connectors to join the front vertical tubes with the pieces of conduit that run front to back. Securing the screen can be done in a lot of ways, but ball bungees like these are my go to suggestion. Another good thing to use in your golf screen frame is pipe insulation or pool noodles. Both of these are readily available and work great at reducing ricochet when golf balls inevitably hit the pipes in your frame.
Let's head outside and take a look at Gil's backyard driving range enclosure. Once again we have a simple box design except this time it's much larger and includes angled bracing to accommodate the bigger foot print.The back four corners use 90 Degree Connectors to achieve the 3 way corner connections just like we've seen previously.
The top front corners of the frame are extended to pull the netting tight. This could be accomplished with a 4 Way Connector but Gil opted to use two T Connectors in an interesting way. One connects the vertical upright and horizontal top piece that runs from the front to the back. The other one also connects to the top horizontal pipe but then sends another piece of conduit to the opposite side. At first glance I thought that the angled braces were achieved with 45 Degree Connectors, but after further inspection you'll notice that Gil bolted the conduit braces directly to the frame by drilling through both pieces and adding a bolt and nut. I suspect this was done to save money which is a good method for doing so if you don't mind the process of drilling through the conduit.
This DIY impact screen frame that Josh put together is a great option for those wanting a wall mounted solution. Overall it's very similar to the first build that we saw from Michael. The main difference is the pipes that function as an offset are secured to the wall with EMT Conduit Flanges from Maker Pipe. There's also no bottom pipe that runs from one side to the other like we saw in Michael's frame. I would only omit this pipe if the build is secured to the wall. You can see in the first picture that Josh added some additional angled bracing from the frame to the ceiling. I imagine this was done to hang netting from the ceiling but it could've been for structural support also. He achieved those braces with Adjustable Angle Connectors and Adjustable Angle Flanges.
As always, we appreciate each person that shared their builds with us. All of these golf simulator frames are great examples of what's possible with conduit and connectors. If you have questions or need help with a project don't hesitate to reach out to us at (843) 245 - 9747. Until next time, happy building!
