Rooftop Net Height Calculator
Give the distance to the net and the steepest shot you want to contain, and get a minimum height for the top of a front net, rounded up. It is one planning figure, not a safety sign-off.
Minimum net height
Measure this height at the lowest point of the net’s top edge, not at the top of the poles: netting sags. Figures are rounded up. The straight launch line ignores gravity and backspin lift, which change the height by well under an inch this close; the angle you choose is what matters, and a shot launched steeper or sideways goes over or around a front net of any height. Only netting overhead and at the sides contains every shot, which on a roof above a street or neighbors is the only setup to consider. This figure does not make an installation safe: frames, anchors, wind load on the netting and roof loading are for a structural engineer, and permission and permits for the building owner and local code. Never hit toward people.
Sizing a net for a small, overlooked space
The closer you stand to a net, the taller it has to be, because a rising shot has less room to gain height before it arrives — a ball on a 35-degree line is already several feet up just a few paces out. That is the heart of rooftop and balcony practice, where space is tight and the consequences of a ball escaping are serious. Size for the steepest shot you could hit, not your clean strike, and remember that only netting overhead contains a ball launched steeper than that.
The height this tool returns uses a straight launch line, adds your mat height plus a margin you control, and rounds up. Treat it as a minimum for the lowest point of the net’s top edge, never as proof a setup is safe. The frame, anchors, wind load and roof loading are a structural engineer’s call, and permission is the building owner’s and your local code’s.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does the calculator decide the net height?
It projects a straight line from the ball at your launch angle and works out how high that line sits by the time it reaches the net, then adds your tee or mat height and a safety margin, and rounds every figure up. Gravity pulls a slow shot slightly below that line and backspin lift can hold a fast one slightly above it; over the few yards to a practice net both effects are well under an inch. The figure that decides whether a ball clears the net is the launch angle you plan for, so measure the height at the lowest point of the net's top edge, where it sags.
What launch angle should I plan for?
Plan for the steepest shot you could hit, not your best strike. A lob wedge can launch near 40 degrees on a clean strike and a ball caught high on the face or under it climbs steeper still, so 45 degrees is a sensible floor for full swings. No front net contains a shot launched steeper than the angle you plan for; only netting overhead does.
Is a net alone enough to practise safely on a roof?
No. A front net of any height can be cleared by a skied shot or missed by a shank, so on a roof or balcony above a street or neighbors, only a full enclosure with netting overhead and at both sides contains every ball. Never hit toward people, and confirm you're allowed to practise there. This tool gives one height; it does not make an installation safe.
Does wind change how tall the net should be?
It can. A following or gusting wind can lift a shot higher than a calm-air line, which is one reason the calculator includes a safety margin you can increase. In exposed rooftop conditions it's worth adding extra height and making sure the net is anchored so it can't billow and let a ball slip past.
Can this tell me if my frame or roof can take the net?
No. A net acts like a sail in wind, and a frame adds load to the roof and its fixings. Frame size, anchoring, wind load on the netting and roof loading are for a structural engineer, and whether you may install it at all is for the building owner and your local building code and permits. This calculator only estimates how high a straight launch line sits at the net.
Safety planning aid only. Always confirm you’re permitted to practise in your space, never hit toward people or a public area, and inspect and anchor your net before every session.