Championship-Caliber Driving Range Enclosures: Lessons from Augusta National
What elite practice facilities teach commercial golf operators about engineered range netting — and how to plan the budget before you bid.
At championship golf facilities, the practice range is not décor. It is daily infrastructure for players, instructors, and events. When the enclosure fails — sagging panels, undersized poles, deferred hardware — the facility feels it immediately in safety risk, downtime, and reputation.
Gorilla Netting recently completed a major driving range netting installation at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, working through general contractor Turner Construction Company. The job is a clear example of what turnkey commercial range work looks like when standards are exacting.
The Augusta National project, in public terms
The work included demolition of the existing system and installation of a new engineered enclosure across the back of the practice range: a 320-foot by 40-foot netting system on new steel poles, with cable and utility-grade hardware. Both wood and steel pole options were quoted; steel was selected. Down guys were incorporated into the structural design. The client timeline required completion by the end of September.
See the full Augusta National driving range netting project in our portfolio.
Why steel often wins at this scale
Pole type is a structural decision, not a brand preference. On many commercial ranges, wood poles remain suitable at moderate heights. As height and load increase, steel frequently becomes the answer for strength, consistency, and long-term performance. Every site still needs engineering — soil, wind exposure, access, and geometry can change the recommendation.
From our published planning guidance, roughly 50 feet on-center is a common pole spacing pattern, wood is often considered up to about 70 feet, and taller systems more often move to steel. Read the driving range netting cost guide for the full planning framework.
How to think about cost without inventing a per-foot price
There is no reliable per-foot price for a turnkey driving range netting system. Full projects with steel poles commonly range from $100,000 to $500,000+, and larger or more complex facilities can exceed that. Height is typically the single biggest material and engineering driver, followed by linear footage, pole type, foundations and soil, wind requirements, equipment and crew logistics, and permitting support needs.
A short run at modest height on flat ground is not the same project as the same footage at extreme height on difficult soils. Same linear-footage language — completely different construction package.
Repair vs. replace: a capital-smart contrast
Not every range needs a full rebuild. Panel replacement can extend life when poles and primary structure still perform. Dunwoody Country Club’s driving range netting panel replacement is a useful counterpoint to full-enclosure projects: right-size the scope to the failure mode.
What owners and GCs should lock before they bid
- Design height at the critical sections and total geometry
- Pole preference and foundation approach
- Wind and code assumptions
- Access and phasing constraints
- Warranty expectations
- Who owns stamped engineering and permitting
Gorilla Netting delivers turnkey commercial installs — site evaluation, engineered systems, procurement, installation, and a 5-year warranty on covered work — and mobilizes nationwide.
Ready to plan your range enclosure? Request a project-specific evaluation.