Driving Ranges over Water

[David Schofield]

During the Tour Championship telecast, they showed a few glimpses of the driving range at East Lake.  The range looked like it was over water for about 100 yards.  Practically, this seems like a bad idea, since it seems a certain way to lose a ton of range balls.  I got to thinking that there must be driving ranges that only hit into water.  A search of the forums popped up Raphael Larson's Pictures of Bayonne.  

Other than cruise ships, can anyone point me to other driving ranges over water?  

[igrowgrass]

Hangman Valley Golf Course, Spokane, WA.  They have limited flight golf balls that you hit into water.

I believe the Coeur d'Alene Resort is the same.

[David Schofield]

I assume that the balls are biodegradable, right?

[Rick Shefchik]

Logger's Trail in Stillwater, Minn. The target green in the photo is a decent approximation of the island green at the TPC Stadium Course at Sawgrass (at least, the distance and shape of the green are similar).

The water is about three feet deep, with a metal liner. I've seen it without water, so they must drain it at least once or twice a year, to retrieve balls and to prepare it for winter.

[Brad Klein]

Kensington in Naples, Fla. and Wild Dunes north of Charleston, S.C. both have lakes for ranges. You get no feel for the ball flight or distance when you hit there.

[Rich Goodale]

Half Moon Bay, "Old" Course, 1984-1988. Only way to warm up early in the morning was to hit shag balls off the back tee, away from the 1st hole and across the 18th towards Okinawa.

I must admit, it took a pretty good hit to make it to the water.......

[Eric Franzen]

The driving lake, with floating limited flight balls, at Stockholm GK.

[Tom Roewer]

The course where I work has an "aqua range'  It is very common here in Florida. Do the Math - you get fill from digging the lake (for building lots or course itself), you now have a reseevoir to hold water (ours pumps water into our lined pond which is pumped to the course) and you have now a driving range.  It's a little limiting in giving lessons because of feedback and i have resisted requests to put yardage distances in place as it serves more of a warm-up before a round and the "floaters" being less dense than regular balls fly a little farther with the right wind and less into the wind.  Back to lessons, usually one is working on either static or dynamic parts of the swing so distance control isn't always so important.  It does prove interesting in retrieving balls sometimes.  When there is a lack of wind the balls don"t gravitate to one side or the other, and here there are aalligators too!, so netting the balls from shore one must be alert.

[Ken Moum]

They have slightly different problem at Lundin Golf Club.

This sign is next to a hitting net behind the pro shop, which overlooks the North Sea.

[Martin Del Vecchio]

Celebration Golf Club, in Celebration, Florida, has an "aqua range".  Here is a tiny picture of it from their web site:



I am assured by one of the guys I played with there that the range balls float.  I don't remember seeing any balls floating, but I must say that it was a lot of fun hitting range balls into the water.

[JLahrman]

Couldn't they concrete the bottom of a water-filled driving range with a tilt?  Then every ball could drain back into an area where all the balls could be easily collected.

[John Keenan]

Coeur d'Alene Resort using floating balls or they did the last I played there.

[Tony_Muldoon]

Couldn't they concrete the bottom of a water-filled driving range with a tilt?  Then every ball could drain back into an area where all the balls could be easily collected.

No need,  when they float  wind moves them to a convenient place to pick up.


Still icy days are the major design flaw.

[Kalen Braley]

CDA resort does indeed use floaters as you hit them into one of the most beautiful lakes I've ever seen.

In that area, in addition to Hangman,  Meadowwood golf course in LL also has a "water" range

[Forrest Richardson]

East Lake has a carry of about 40 yards on the range. I hit a few balls in there. My apologies to the club. I am sorry.

We have designed an aqua range, but it was never built. They are odd, but in some conditions the only option.

[Doug Wright]

There are a couple in the Denver area at Wellshire GC (muny) and Perry Park GC (private).
The balls they use feel like whiffle balls.

Used to be a driving range called Aqua Golf too but NLE.

[David Stamm]

I can think of some Ted Robinson courses that could double as driving ranges over water........

[Pete Stankevich]

Palm Beach Gardens Municipal (FL) has one, as does The Refuge in Flowood, Mississippi.
I think there is one at Indian Creek in Jupiter, FL, but I'm not sure.
Also, isn't the one from the movie "There's Something About Mary" somewhere in Miami?

[Richard Choi]

Celebration Golf Club, in Celebration, Florida, has an "aqua range".  Here is a tiny picture of it from their web site:

I am assured by one of the guys I played with there that the range balls float.  I don't remember seeing any balls floating, but I must say that it was a lot of fun hitting range balls into the water.

I have played there, and remember the water range. The balls definitely float. The problem is that because the balls are lighter, they don't fly normal distance.

Pretty neat though....