[SteveC]

Is a full-fledged driving range a necessity for a high-end resort course? With land at such a premium in terms of both space and cost, I wonder if the guests could be satisfied with a short game practice area and a putting green.

Also wondering if anyone is familiar with alternative to the full-scale drving range (200yds x 400 yds), such as the mats and nets I experienced at Carnoustie several years about 3 years ago.

I think about a few places like NGLA, where practice consists of thrashing one off the first tee in the opposite direction from the green - no one seems to mind that. But in a resort setting, do you think there's a higher expectation?

[cary lichtenstein]

Pebble Beach has a driving range that hardly anyone ever uses and it doesn't seem to affect play or their pricing.

[Bill Gayne]

The Golden Horseshoe Gold Course has a driving range that leaves a lot to be desired relative to other courses. Maybe ten mats at the most with a short range that errant shots can easily end up on the first fairway or with the lawn bowlers. It has one small practice bunker on the side of the range.

They make up for it by having a really good golf course.

[Andy Troeger]

If my memory is correct the range at Harbour Town has a big net at the end of it because its not long enough otherwise. Its long enough to be adequate, but its nothing fancy.

[wsmorrison]

It sure is a factor if the resort would like to host an important event.  The Cascades course of the Homestead Resort does not have a practice hitting area.  The previous owners were intending to spend quite a lot of money to develop one on land opposite the road from the clubhouse.  I don't know if the new owners intend to do so or not.  

[SteveC]

Not likely that this course would ever host any big tournament. It will be associated with a super-high-end real estate development - $1MM lots, five-star hotel, fractionals, etc. So it's more about what property owners and hotel guests will be OK with.

[Wayne_Kozun]

Pebble Beach has a driving range that hardly anyone ever uses and it doesn't seem to affect play or their pricing.

I have played Pebble several times and I have never failed to use the range - the last time was last year When I happened to run into Jim McLean on the course on the Friday of the Ryder Cup matches.

[Michael Whitaker]

One of the national golf magazines did a survey of golfers a while back... asking golfers if they hit balls to warm up before their round that day. They then checked back with them after their round to determine their final score. What they found is that the players who hit balls before their round did not score any better versus their handicap than the players who didn't hit balls. It only made a difference on their opening tee shot... after that, they played to the game they brought to the course. Moral... if you didn't bring it with you to the course you ain't going to find on the driving range.

[Rich Goodale]

Thanks for that info, Mike.  It has always been my belief that for the 99.9% of us who don't know their swing well enough to gain anything from pre-game practice would be better spending time in the bar or the gym rather than the practice range.  Good to see that there is some scientific confirmation of my instinct.

Of course, Steve is asking another question, namely:  Does a developement aimed at high rollers need an all dancing/all singing practice range?  To me the answer is an obvious "Yes."

The market which will pay $1mm for a piece of dirt will demand a drving range in cart-driving distance, with pyramids of ProV1s stacked on the ground, and an expansiveness that would accommodate John Daly's dispersion of shots.

To paraphrase Mencken, no golf course owenr ever went broke overestimating the stupidity if the golfing public.

[Bob_Huntley]

Of course, Steve is asking another question, namely:  Does a developement aimed at high rollers need an all dancing/all singing practice range?  To me the answer is an obvious "Yes."

The market which will pay $1mm for a piece of dirt will demand a drving range in cart-driving distance, with pyramids of ProV1s stacked on the ground, and an expansiveness that would accommodate John Daly's dispersion of shots.

To paraphrase Mencken, no golf course owenr ever went broke overestimating the stupidity if the golfing public.

Of course, Steve is asking another question, namely:  Does a developement aimed at high rollers need an all dancing/all singing practice range?  To me the answer is an obvious "Yes."

The market which will pay $1mm for a piece of dirt will demand a drving range in cart-driving distance, with pyramids of ProV1s stacked on the ground, and an expansiveness that would accommodate John Daly's dispersion of shots.

Farnsworth,

You obviously did not meet or know Marvin Davis. When he bought the land for what is now Spanish Bay from Twentieth Century Fox, he demanded that the land pencilled in for the driving range was much to valuable for that purpose. The codos to the left of the first fairway proved that "he who has the gold rules' and indeed he made even more gold.

Marvin Davis was, at one time, a supposed billionaire. He died a bankrupt and looted his families trusts of millions. A particularly odious man.

Pilkington-Smythe

[Gary Slatter]

good question Steve.
Yes, if you have space, a range is a good idea.
But it is not necessary in a resort setting.
And having a range leads to having a school which leads to...we have had a Butch Harmon Golf Academy (3 years) and then a Jim McLean Golf School (3 years).  Both failed mainly due to having no local population to support the programs, a 1250 room resort supplied ONE person a week for the school.
We have two courses, one has a range one doesn't. No one from the Reosrt has ever complained, the course with the range ends up with the odd person who for $5.00 feel they can run the place without paying to play golf.  I prefer the one with no range!

[Jason Topp]

For me, yes it is a must.

When traveling with the family, I rarely if ever play.  Instead I squeeze in an hour of practice ocassionaly to take care of the golf bug

[Nick Church]

Not a requirement, but my only complaint regarding Spanish Bay was there was no location to warm up.  The short game greens were nice, but small wedge pitches hardly help to stretch.  Consider this especially in the temps & winds in Monterey.

If I ever developed a course (club, resort, or otherwise), a significant space and budget would be allocated to a range & short game complex (multiple greens, etc).  I now realize how spoiled I was with the short game area at The Bridgewater Club (Indiana).  I think Pine Valley, et al. have it even better with their companion "short" courses.

[Rich Goodale]

Of course, Steve is asking another question, namely:  Does a developement aimed at high rollers need an all dancing/all singing practice range?  To me the answer is an obvious "Yes."

The market which will pay $1mm for a piece of dirt will demand a drving range in cart-driving distance, with pyramids of ProV1s stacked on the ground, and an expansiveness that would accommodate John Daly's dispersion of shots.

To paraphrase Mencken, no golf course owenr ever went broke overestimating the stupidity if the golfing public.

Farnsworth,

You obviously did not meet or know Marvin Davis. When he bought the land for what is now Spanish Bay from Twentieth Century Fox, he demanded that the land pencilled in for the driving range was much to valuable for that purpose. The codos to the left of the first fairway proved that "he who has the gold rules' and indeed he made even more gold.

Marvin Davis was, at one time, a supposed billionaire. He died a bankrupt and looted his families trusts of millions. A particularly odious man.

Pilkington-Smythe

P-S

Last I looked, the surviving Davis family was ranked #3 in LA, after Kirkorian and Redstone, but well ahead of pikers like Spielberg, Geffen, etc.  As you should know, bankruptcy is a relative word for the rich.  As Scotty once said, they are unlike you and me.  Dying with $6 billion plus ain't dying "bankrupt", at least in my book.

I have a number of one or two degrees of separation "contacts" with Davis, and they confirm that he was not a nice man.  However, can you name a gazillionaire that was an incarnation of Mother Teresa?

In a quick Google I found a great line which said, in effect, that Davis loved being in the movie business because there were always lots of Wolfgang Puck sandwiches left over after business meetings, and owning the studio, he could eat all of them!

Is it true that Jabba the Hut was modeled after Marvin?

As for the topic, the Spanish Bay example is not a good one, if only in part because my post quoted above related to megabuck lot-sale oriented developements and not resort courses.

Farnie

[Bob_Huntley]

Last I looked, the surviving Davis family was ranked #3 in LA, after Kirkorian and Redstone, but well ahead of pikers like Spielberg, Geffen, etc.  As you should know, bankruptcy is a relative word for the rich.  As Scotty once said, they are unlike you and me.  Dying with $6 billion plus ain't dying "bankrupt", at least in my book.

Rich,

If it is you say, why on earth would one of his daughters file suit claiming he looted the family trusts claiming his so called fortune had evaporated?

Bob

[Rich Goodale]

Don't know, Bob, but it sounds like one of those family things. I just report what I do know.

[Willie_Dow]

Most practice ranges are so full of conversations, and loud talk these days, that one can hardly improve his swing - or get a tempo !

Dump them all !

[Tags:]

Tags:

[Tags:]

Tags:

Call to undefined function theme_linktree()