Practical Golf Course Netting Maintenance Tips for Spring

Golf course netting rarely fails all at once. It fails gradually, through deferred action and missed seasonal checks. A loose fixing nobody got around to tightening. A minor tear that was noted but not fixed. By the time the season is in full swing, that small issue has become a panel that needs replacing rather than patching.

After a UK winter that delivered sustained rainfall, multiple named storms, and persistent wind loading across exposed sites, perimeter netting is under more stress than usual. The problem is that damage is rarely obvious from a distance until it is serious. Left unchecked, minor issues can quickly escalate into expensive repairs, and course operators are left exposed if an incident occurs and no inspection record exists.

This guide covers everything you need to inspect, maintain, and repair your perimeter netting before the season begins.

What a UK Winter Does to Your Perimeter Netting

Winter puts perimeter netting under sustained stress. Freeze-thaw cycles loosen fixings, wind loading tests tension throughout the structure, and debris accumulation adds weight that the netting was never designed to carry. By spring, issues that were minor in October can have developed into significant problems.

This past winter made the case clearly. The Met Office recorded England’s rainfall at 35% above the long-term winter average, with four named storms arriving between December and January. For any outdoor structure under continuous load, that is a serious cumulative burden [1].

The window between winter and the start of regular play is the most practical time to act. Courses are quieter, repairs can be completed before the daily load resumes, and by the time damage is visible from the fairway, the repair window has usually passed.

How to Inspect Your Netting Before the Season Starts

Start with a full perimeter walk before touching anything. You are looking for three things: structural damage to the netting itself, problems with the support system, and areas showing accelerated wear.

On the netting:

• Check for tears, holes, or fraying along edges and seams.
• Look for sagging sections that indicate lost tension or a broken fixing.
• Identify discolouration or brittleness, which can signal UV degradation.

On the support structure:

• Inspect every post for movement, leaning, or corrosion at the base.
• Check anchors and ground fixings for loosening caused by frost heave.
• Test tension points along the top rope and at intervals down the net face.

Areas close to tree lines, ball impact zones, and low-lying ground are typically the first to show wear. Give these sections extra attention.

Clean First, Then Assess: Getting Repairs Right

Before you assess the condition in detail, clear the mesh. Debris trapped in netting restricts airflow, retains moisture, and accelerates degradation, and a dirty net makes damage harder to find and easier to miss. It directly affects how long the netting lasts. Remove leaves, twigs, and any litter caught in the mesh before inspection. A stiff brush or low-pressure hose is sufficient for most netting. Avoid high-pressure washing on knotted or older nets, as this can weaken mesh fibres and dislodge already-stressed fixings.

Small tears caught early can be repaired with netting needles, using matching twine and standard knotting techniques. Always use the same material grade and mesh size as the original net. On golf course perimeter netting, that means matching the 28mm square mesh and 1.5mm twine thickness. Mismatched materials create a weak point that fails faster than the surrounding panel.

If tears are recurring in the same location, or UV degradation has made the mesh brittle across a wide area, replacement is the more reliable and cost-effective option. The HSE states that nets must only be maintained by competent people, and that any net subjected to significant load or structural stress should be inspected before returning to use. Do not assume a repaired panel is performing to its original specification without proper assessment [2].

Why a Written Inspection Record Protects Your Facility

A maintenance programme is only as useful as the record it produces. A structured schedule protects the facility, supports insurance and compliance requirements, and gives maintenance teams a clear record of every netting installation on site.

The HSE’s guidance for sports clubs is clear that anyone with control of premises, including playing fields and associated equipment, has a duty to keep that equipment in good repair and to take reasonable steps to confirm it is safe before use. In practice, that means keeping a written log for every inspection. Record the date, areas checked, issues found, and action taken. It takes minutes but provides a paper trail that becomes valuable if a claim or compliance query arises [3].

3 Mistakes Golf Courses Make with Perimeter Netting

The most expensive netting problems are usually the result of deferred action rather than unexpected failure. On golf courses specifically, three errors come up repeatedly.

Avoid these in particular:

• Assuming UV-stabilised netting needs no maintenance, when overlocked edges and tension points still require seasonal checks regardless of material grade.
• Replacing damaged panels with non-matching mesh sizes disrupts structural uniformity and creates uneven load distribution across the run.
• Neglecting the interface between netting and posts at ground level, where moisture retention causes the most insidious long-term damage to the support structure.

Prepare for a Safe & Successful Season

Perimeter netting that goes into a season uninspected is a liability. The fixes are always more disruptive mid-season than they would have been in March. Getting ahead of it is straightforward when you know what to look for.

Before the season begins:

• Inspect all posts, anchors, and tension points for movement or corrosion.
• Walk the full perimeter and check for tears, sagging, and fraying.
• Remove all debris and clean the mesh before assessing the condition.
• Carry out repairs using matching grade materials and mesh size.
• Log the inspection with date, findings, and actions taken.

Collins Nets has supplied heavy-duty perimeter netting and sports netting solutions to golf courses and facilities across the UK for over 35 years. From golf course perimeter netting built to withstand year-round weather exposure to specialist repair materials and expert installation advice, the team can help you keep your netting in good working order throughout the season.

Call 01308 485422 or use the contact form to speak to the team about your golf course netting requirements.

External Sources

[1] GOV.UK, Met Office, An Early Look at the Winter Statistics: Just How Wet Has It Been? (2026): https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/about-us/news-and-media/media-centre/weather-and-climate-news/2026/an-early-look-at-winter-2026-just-how-wet-has-it-been

[2] GOV.UK, Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Safety Nets and Soft Landing Systems: https://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/safetytopics/safety-nets.htm

[3] GOV.UK, Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Amateur Sports Clubs: https://www.hse.gov.uk/entertainment/leisure/amateur-sports-club.htm