Driving Ranges Don’t Cut the Mustard
Let’s face it, most public driving ranges aren’t much good. That’s not to say that I don’t use them and that I am not appreciative that they are there at all. Given the choices they are a blessing. But in the grand scheme of things, how nice would it be to have a range nearby with grass tees, lots of greens for targets at different yardages, bunkers and even places where you could work on hitting lies that aren’t flat.
Unless you play at a private club, why is it that most ranges are thin little mats on concrete pads with a couple of flags stuck here and there. Is there no money in owning a range? There are even some private clubs with questionable ranges. And sometimes they don’t let you hit off the grass if they do have it.
They save it for weekends and tournaments. How does hitting a ball off concrete prepare you for hitting it off grass? I’m not sure it’s ever helped me very much. A good practice facility needs some acreage. It also needs decent grass to hit from. Now maintaining sod isn’t easy, but is it so expensive that it’s prohibitive in all but the high end clubs.
Of course ‘nice’ greens out on the range are going to cost you extra, but they don’t have to be real greens. Just push a little earth around to make a raised target. I have seen some very nice public practice facilities, but they are few and far between. I haven’t tracked them over the years to see if they’ve stayed in business, but I’d like to think they have.
Here’s my idea, build a nice enough practice facility that you could sell memberships to it, just like a club. Of course you’d let people walk in and use the facility, but they’d pay more for single visits. Maybe they’d only get to use part of the facility or maybe make them hit off mats. I’d join a facility if there was one like that around and it was reasonable.
If I add up all the buckets of balls I’ve bought during a season, I know I’m spending more than $200, maybe considerably more.I don’t believe I get a lot better when I just play a round. You need to hit the same type of shot over and over to get it grooved. That only happens on the range. And you need to practice lots of different types of shots – uphill, downhill, above and below your feet.
Let’s face it, you need to practice every type of shot you’re going to encounter on the course and that includes hitting from the rough. How about the short game, where most of us take most or our stokes. How can you consistently hit good approaches from 20, 30 and 50 yards if you can’t practice lots of shots like these under course like conditions.
How many weekend warriors are really good at getting up and down from 30 yards? Now you don’t have to be in great shape or even very flexible to be good from that range, you just need lots of practice. If anybody out there owns a range, please let me know how it goes.
I’m really curious. I’d also like to hear from anybody who owns or uses a nice public facility. Are there any out there? And has anyone heard of memberships to upscale practice facilities?
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Comments
Your desire to practice your short game is laudable and smart, but you’re in the minority. Most DRs are filled with beginners and hackers with a driver in their hands and the other 13 in the trunk. After all, short game practice is always listed in the “tips” articles as the fastest way to lower scores. I’m not sure the investment in a well rounded facility could be recouped with just you and me using it.
These are really good points. What really boggles my mind is how crappy a driving range can be, and how expensive a bucket of balls is? $10 for a small bucket of balls? Where the hell is that money going to? I can easily see where it’s not going. It’s not going towards creating level grass hitting areas (I think I’m getting better playing side hill lies than fairway shots as a result). That money also sure isn’t going towards replacing old/useless range balls. And that money definitely hasn’t gone to pay for some new sand to cover the “concrete” currently in the bunkers!
I was a member at a private club for one year, and ended up moving out of the area. That year, I played the best golf of my life. The practice facilities were immaculate, and the best part was their short game area. They had two greens about 120 yards apart, and both were surrounded by bunkers and hills, with fairway in the middle. You could practice any imaginable shot with a wedge. I’m not saying that my local public driving range needs to be that way, but there is plenty of room for marginal improvement.
Great post! I need to go take a couple deep breaths now…
Average Golfer, I’m not sure which came first, the driver only practicers or the driving ranges without short game areas. Besides being helpful, isn’t hitting at targets fun? How long can you smash drives every which way before it gets boring or frustrating? I also think public courses are missing the boat by not having a short game practice area. Most don’t have the room for a full range, but how about some bunkers and greenside chipping. I hate getting out of the car, swinging a couple of clubs and then heading right to the tee box.
I cannot speak to all DR owners, but I know it is about the ‘highest and best use’ of the property. A friend owns a large commercial property development and management company. When they buy property, it take a few years for permits, licenses, bids, etc. to come through he can build DR’s for next to nothing and the revenue offsets loan interest, etc. There is little incentive to spend money to improve the ‘experience’…
I like the idea of a range membership with upscale benefits (grass range, putting and chipping areas, etc.) Hitting off mats is of zero value to me with my irons. I can mishit the shot and the clubhead still slides into the ball and squares up the clubface.
Nice post. A lot of good points here I have not read in a while…