How to Build a Base for a Garden Golf Cage (UK): Grass, Platform or Sub-Base?

The question we get asked more than any other on WhatsApp isn't about the cage — it's about the ground underneath it. Should a garden golf cage go straight onto grass? Onto a raised platform? Or onto a properly built sub-base? After designing hundreds of home setups (and hitting balls from our own garden cage most days), here's the honest, complete answer — including the one option we routinely talk customers out of.

The short version

Option 1: Straight onto grass — the right day one

A freestanding cage like our Pro Golf Cage & Hitting Mat Bundle anchors with U-pegs straight into the lawn — no concrete, no fixings, hitting balls within the hour. For a summer start this is genuinely fine, and it has one under-rated advantage: you can reposition the cage while you learn how your garden plays (sun, wind, what the neighbours can see) before committing to groundwork.

The honest downside is winter. A well-used bay concentrates hundreds of footsteps on the same square metres, and from late autumn most UK lawns turn to mud there. You won't damage the cage — you'll just stop enjoying the sessions.

Verdict: start here if the landscaper is weeks out or you want to test the position. The cage simply lifts onto a finished base later — nothing about it changes.

Option 2: The raised platform — the one we talk people out of

A timber deck or platform solves the mud problem, which is why it feels intuitive. But it has a flaw nothing else on this page has: it's the only option that makes your cage taller. By the time joists and decking go down you've added 30cm or more — so a 3m cage now stands at 3.3m+ against your fence or hedge line. If neighbour sightlines matter to you at all (they're one of the most common concerns we hear), a platform works directly against you. The materials bill usually lands close to a proper sub-base anyway.

Verdict: only worth considering where the ground falls away so steeply that levelling soil isn't practical.

Option 3: The prepared sub-base — what we recommend (and build ourselves)

This is the build we describe to customers week in, week out, and it's what any competent local landscaper can quote from a one-page spec:

1. Excavate the bay area and remove the spoil.
2. Compacted MOT Type 2 — the crushed-stone sub-base used under driveways. This layer is why the bay drains freely and never turns to mud.
3. Sharp sand blinding, compacted and levelled dead flat.
4. Finish flush with the lawn in artificial turf (a putting-green surface with cups is a popular upgrade) or bark on a budget — bark can be swapped for turf later without touching the base.

The cage frame beds roughly 75mm into the finished surface, which does three things: locks the frame dead level and rock solid all year, keeps the bay draining through the stone below, and sits the whole cage a whisker lower than it stands on grass.

One thing we'll say plainly, because nobody else selling cages seems to: no base makes a 3m cage meaningfully lower. The cage needs its height — a driver swings a bigger arc than feels intuitive, and 3m is the margin that lets you swing without a single thought. The base's real jobs are drainage, stability, and never making the cage taller than it has to be. Dark green netting does the rest: against planting it reads as shadow, not structure.

Siting tips that save a season of annoyance

• Stay clear of overhanging trees. Netting collects leaves, sap and falling twigs — a metre of clearance saves you a seasonal chore and years of net life.
• Check the ball flight line, not just the cage footprint. You stand outside the cage mouth to hit into it — allow standing room on the finished surface too.
• Think about the filming angle. Most improving golfers end up recording their swing; leave room for a tripod where it can see the whole arc.

What does the groundwork cost?

It varies by region and bay size, so we deliberately don't publish a number — but it's a routine job for any landscaper who builds patios or artificial lawns, priced in the hundreds rather than thousands for a single bay. We supply a one-page base specification with every cage order so your landscaper can quote it sight unseen, and you pay them directly — no markup hiding in the middle.

Which cage does this apply to?

All of ours — the build is identical whether you're on the heavy-duty 42mm Pro bundle, the socketed version (which sets its four sockets into the prepared base for the most permanent install of all), or a standard 34mm cage. If you're not sure which cage suits your garden in the first place, our cage comparison guide walks through it.

FAQ

Can I put a golf cage on a patio or concrete? Yes — freestanding cages stand happily on any hard, level surface, with anchor plates instead of U-pegs. You'll want the hitting mat's rubber base for shock absorption.

Do I need planning permission? For a domestic garden cage under 4m, generally no in the UK — but if you're near a boundary and unsure, a friendly word with the neighbour beats a formal complaint later.

How long does the groundwork take? Typically a one-to-two-day job for a single bay, and the cage can be delivered and standing on grass while you wait — then lifted on when the base cures.

What about drainage — does it need a fall? A compacted MOT Type 2 base drains vertically; a deliberate fall isn't usually needed for a practice bay. Your landscaper will judge it against your soil.