Review on Improve Your Game With Spornia SPG-7 Golf Practice Net – Automatic Ball Return, Target Sheet & Two Side Barriers by Hector Szymczak

I had been hitting into an old Big Mouth net for the last fourteen years or so, carefully tending it and taking it down every time so it never got rained on. Still, the webbing on the net started to fail, so time for a new net.After careful research, the Spornia SPG-7 seemed like a great choice, and I did opt for the roof option. After I put in my order, a couple days later the owner emailed me and told me they had just sold out, and if I would be willing to wait just a few more days for the next container of nets to arrive, he would throw in their new Spornia Chipping Net Pro. Fine with me, and my review of that cool little chipping net will show up over at that item.About the SPG-7.Pros:Sets up fairly easily, and for most hitters, will not need any of the metal hold-down stakes. Mine did lay flat on my lawn, but my lawn has just a slight slant to it and the net did lean just a hair, so I did engage one of the spikes and one of the attached strings. So I found out what the strings are for.The layer of nylon-like fabric with the target on it takes most of the beating. It gives off a satisfying "thump" when you hit one dead center, and is a nice sound. Should last a long time.I found that the roof attachment is OK, but I only topped one into it, and see my cons on it below.The net is solid, and overall, was easier to put away than my old Big Mouth, which is also a turn-and-fold round net. Plus, the bag is nice, as are the targets that are included for flop shots. Nice touch.Solid construction around the edges, and the netting is loose enough to take a hard hit ball and slow it down without bouncing it back at you.Cons:-The instructions need work. No two ways about it. The videos are not much better, and overall, you are mostly figuring this thing out yourself, since there are straps, strings and other things that might confuse you a bit. I got through it fairly easily, one mistake, but no damage and now I know how to put it up, and taking it down was simply the reverse. Remember to tighten the straps that hold the rods in, and on the bottom, there are two holes for the rods, which to use? I chose the one that looked to be reinforced.-The roof attachment - I was exactly eight feet from the front edge of the net, and easily hit a flop shot with my 60' wedge right over the center of the roof, and it landed only eight feet behind the net. Cool shot, but the net missed. The roof is OK for topped shots with regular irons and woods, not so good for high flop shots unless you get right up on it, maybe less than four-five feet in front? At that point you feel like you are hitting flop shots into a wall.There are two strings attached to the sides, one on each side. At first, you don't know what they are for, until you realize that they are extension strings to attach to stakes provided to hold the back of the net more stable and vertical.-My BIGGEST issue is with the relationship between the back net and the nylon target sheet.When you hit, the nylon target sheet is supposed to catch the ball, allow it to run down, and the net and back of the unit then return the ball to the holding area in the front of the net. But on mine, I found that since I am somewhat of a lower trajectory hitter, the ball hits the center of the nylon sheet below the target, and pushes back into the netting, where there is a loose flap of extra netting. Instead of the ball coming back to the front, it gets hung in that loose extra netting and hangs up behind a sturdy strip of fabric that the bottom of the net is sewn to. So you get balls hung up on the back of the net. If you are hitting a bunch of balls out of a shag bag, no big deal, but if you are trying to use only a couple balls, or have it almost against a wall indoors, this becomes a hassle since every so often you have to go back there and lift the netting, releasing the balls from the overhanging netting behind the unit.-Taking it down, the roof attachment rod is very hard to get out of the sewn top of the roof.-When you fold it up, it does fold, but it will NOT be like when you took it out of the bag, but will fit back in with little problems.-I like the added security of the roof attachment, but overall it is kind of a pain, and I did flop one over rather easily. I probably would not buy it with the roof, given the chance to do it over.Overall, I really like this unit, and it seems solid. I am a senior 92-100 MPH swing speed driver, so no worries about damaging it. I hit over 75 balls into it today, and it took them in stride, save for the ones that got hung up.I put on one of the red targets, and that is great for flop shots only, but does it well.One star off for the golf balls hanging up in the net, the roof rods, and lousy instructions.