Practice Fairway - Pyramids

[Todd Kuspira]

I work at a private golf club and I would like to try to use something other than pyramids on the practice fairway.  Has anybody seen or can recommend a suitable replacement that would enhance the practice fairway?  The club is located in Vancovuer, BC and we need something that is weather resistant.  Thank you for your thoughts.

[Jason Topp]

You mean pyramids of golf balls?

[Mark Bourgeois]

How about a Sphinx? We don't see enough of those on practice fairways, nevermind golf courses.

[Matthew Mollica]

With a nose on it Mark, so that someone back on the tee can aim at it, and return it to a more authentic appearance...

[Niall C]

Todd

I'm a member of a Scottish golf club. Whats a practice fairway ?

Niall

[Kalen Braley]

Before this gets too far in the weeds...

I'm pretty sure he's talking about this that you see on Driving Ranges at fancy clubs..



If I was running a driving range, in Vancouver of all places, I'd just build a covering for the hitting area of the range and use mats for 9 months of the year when its raining

[Mark Bourgeois]

Matthew, and in 50 years the club could hire Rees Napoleon III to restore it.

The problem of course would be getting him to stop there, not turning the playable Corsica island green into an Elba, for example.

Able was I ere I played Elba.

[Dan Herrmann]

Actually, the pyramids do serve a purpose - they tend to keep the balls in a compact area (on the pyramid tray), which makes cleaning up the hitting area a lot easier at the end of the day.

I didn't like the look, but they do help our staff.

[Sean Leary]

Before this gets too far in the weeds...

I'm pretty sure he's talking about this that you see on Driving Ranges at fancy clubs..



If I was running a driving range, in Vancouver of all places, I'd just build a covering for the hitting area of the range and use mats for 9 months of the year when its raining

I would agree until he mentioned weather resistant. That is when he lost me...

[Peter Ferlicca]

IMO, setting up pyramids on the driving range tee is the stupidest thing ever.  It is a royal waste of time.  When I was at Tumble Creek, every morning we had to set a rope line and make about 10 pyramids of balls.  By 8am, about 7 of those pyramids were completely knocked over with balls all over the place.  For the amount of time it takes to set them up, have a trash can full of balls on the back of you cart, it justs a waste of time.

At Stone Eagle they just put the baskets out with the balls in them, looks just as good as the stupid pyramids.  And with baskets you just tip it over a bit, pour out your 20 balls and then are good to go.  With a pyramid you know some guy with take his 6 iron wack it right into the middle of the pyramid and watch the balls go all over the ground, and then only hit about 15 balls, and then walk away with a big mess. 

This is one of the many things that is NOT NEEDED in golf, along with valet service, 8 outside service guys breathing down your neck, a range attendent to clean your clubs while hitting balls.  So many things here in America that are a huge waste of money. 

[JMEvensky]

IMO, setting up pyramids on the driving range tee is the stupidest thing ever.  It is a royal waste of time.  When I was at Tumble Creek, every morning we had to set a rope line and make about 10 pyramids of balls.  By 8am, about 7 of those pyramids were completely knocked over with balls all over the place.  For the amount of time it takes to set them up, have a trash can full of balls on the back of you cart, it justs a waste of time.

At Stone Eagle they just put the baskets out with the balls in them, looks just as good as the stupid pyramids.  And with baskets you just tip it over a bit, pour out your 20 balls and then are good to go.  With a pyramid you know some guy with take his 6 iron wack it right into the middle of the pyramid and watch the balls go all over the ground, and then only hit about 15 balls, and then walk away with a big mess. 

This is one of the many things that is NOT NEEDED in golf, along with valet service, 8 outside service guys breathing down your neck, a range attendent to clean your clubs while hitting balls.  So many things here in America that are a huge waste of money. 

I'm with you--money could be better spent in a lot of other places.

It always seemed to me that the people most interested in the pyramids are rarely ever practicing.The ones who practice seriously only care that there are enough balls on the range--not how they're arranged.

[JMEvensky]

Able was I ere I played Elba.

If you had figured out a workable palindrome,I was nominating this for the Goodale Poetic Posting Award.

Still pretty damn good.

[jeffwarne]

IMO, setting up pyramids on the driving range tee is the stupidest thing ever.  It is a royal waste of time.  When I was at Tumble Creek, every morning we had to set a rope line and make about 10 pyramids of balls.  By 8am, about 7 of those pyramids were completely knocked over with balls all over the place.  For the amount of time it takes to set them up, have a trash can full of balls on the back of you cart, it justs a waste of time.

At Stone Eagle they just put the baskets out with the balls in them, looks just as good as the stupid pyramids.  And with baskets you just tip it over a bit, pour out your 20 balls and then are good to go.  With a pyramid you know some guy with take his 6 iron wack it right into the middle of the pyramid and watch the balls go all over the ground, and then only hit about 15 balls, and then walk away with a big mess. 

This is one of the many things that is NOT NEEDED in golf, along with valet service, 8 outside service guys breathing down your neck, a range attendent to clean your clubs while hitting balls.  So many things here in America that are a huge waste of money. 

I'm with you--money could be better spent in a lot of other places.

It always seemed to me that the people most interested in the pyramids are rarely ever practicing.The ones who practice seriously only care that there are enough balls on the range--not how they're arranged.

Exactly how much money is spent making pyamids?
They have devives that make them-takes about 2 seconds lomger than putting out a bucket.
I hate most of the excesses in golf,but I hate balls piled on a wet range dragged through sand(used to fill divots) worse.

[Ronald Montesano]

What I don't understand is, 36 hours have passed and the thread-starter, the pyramid-whisperer has yet to check back. Buckets of balls are weather resistant, I guess.

[Bill_McBride]

IMO, setting up pyramids on the driving range tee is the stupidest thing ever.  It is a royal waste of time.  When I was at Tumble Creek, every morning we had to set a rope line and make about 10 pyramids of balls.  By 8am, about 7 of those pyramids were completely knocked over with balls all over the place.  For the amount of time it takes to set them up, have a trash can full of balls on the back of you cart, it justs a waste of time.

At Stone Eagle they just put the baskets out with the balls in them, looks just as good as the stupid pyramids.  And with baskets you just tip it over a bit, pour out your 20 balls and then are good to go.  With a pyramid you know some guy with take his 6 iron wack it right into the middle of the pyramid and watch the balls go all over the ground, and then only hit about 15 balls, and then walk away with a big mess. 

This is one of the many things that is NOT NEEDED in golf, along with valet service, 8 outside service guys breathing down your neck, a range attendent to clean your clubs while hitting balls.  So many things here in America that are a huge waste of money. 

I'm with you--money could be better spent in a lot of other places.

It always seemed to me that the people most interested in the pyramids are rarely ever practicing.The ones who practice seriously only care that there are enough balls on the range--not how they're arranged.

Exactly how much money is spent making pyamids?
They have devives that make them-takes about 2 seconds lomger than putting out a bucket.
I hate most of the excesses in golf,but I hate balls piled on a wet range dragged through sand(used to fill divots) worse.

I find something comforting about a neat range set up with a rack and pyramid of white Titleists at each station.  I hate little green bags with 20 balls in each, charged at $3.50 each (like my old club in Virginia).

[Peter Ferlicca]

The time it takes to set up a range with pyramids compared to just buckets is a lot longer.  If I am doing pyramids, you have a cart with a trash can on the back filled with balls.  Then you proceed to the range, first set the line to make sure all the pyramids are in a straight line, then you set down the tray, put over the pyramid stacker, then you have to scoop balls from the trash can into the stacker.  If you have to do over 10 pyramids, you will run out of balls and have to go and refill your trash can full of balls again. 

WHERE if you used just the buckets with balls in them.  You hop in the range picker with over 12 full buckets loaded in the back.  You proceed to the range and unload all the buckets right there.  MUCH QUICKER, and you have twice as many balls also.  A bucket holds about twice the amount of balls in a pyramid.  So then you don't have to constantly be refilling balls.

[Sean Leary]

The time it takes to set up a range with pyramids compared to just buckets is a lot longer.  If I am doing pyramids, you have a cart with a trash can on the back filled with balls.  Then you proceed to the range, first set the line to make sure all the pyramids are in a straight line, then you set down the tray, put over the pyramid stacker, then you have to scoop balls from the trash can into the stacker.  If you have to do over 10 pyramids, you will run out of balls and have to go and refill your trash can full of balls again. 

WHERE if you used just the buckets with balls in them.  You hop in the range picker with over 12 full buckets loaded in the back.  You proceed to the range and unload all the buckets right there.  MUCH QUICKER, and you have twice as many balls also.  A bucket holds about twice the amount of balls in a pyramid.  So then you don't have to constantly be refilling balls.

Peter,

Soooooooo when do you start stacking my balls in a pyramid this summer? 

[Mark Bourgeois]

What I don't understand is, 36 hours have passed and the thread-starter, the pyramid-whisperer has yet to check back. Buckets of balls are weather resistant, I guess.

Have you ever shopped for a Sphinx? They're really hard to find.

[Ronald Montesano]

Oh, I see...he took the bait and is now walking on four legs, two legs or three?