[Tommy Williamsen]

Growing up I would buy a bucket if balls and go to the driving range at the club. We were lucky because we also had a practice green where I could take my own balls and practice my short game. Often I would go to a field near my home with my bag full of balls and hit shots. Most clubs just had a "driving range" and no real place to practice. In the UK a lot of clubs only have a net to hit a few shots before play. Now most clubs have extensive practice areas and balls are included in the dues. Guys wear out the tee and "range rats" can spend the day practicing. When did all that change? Where are your favorite places to practice?
 

[Tom_Doak]

I heard the numbers for the driving range at Memorial Park the other day and almost died.  It was reportedly making $1m BEFORE the renovation and putting a second deck on the tee.


But I am the opposite of a range rat, and I hate that for many clients the proximity of the range SHOULD, in their minds, justify making trade-offs that make the 18 holes worse.

[Ira Fishman]

When we were kids, we used to take a shag bag to our local high school football field. The goalposts were great for a target line. Still my favorite place even compared to the upscale practice facilities now common at resorts and some high end clubs.


Ira

[AChao]

TW ... for those high-end clubs, my experience is that rich people aren't good at golf and don't hit many range balls.  There are people who practice a ton and range rats, but those are places like my old club that have a lot of low handicap players and aren't as necessarily able to join the really high end clubs with the crazy opulent ranges.


TD ... one of my childhood friends loved golf and always wanted to own a course.  He was a pretty bight guy.  I saw him years later and asked him if he bought a course or developed one (his family was wealthy and in real estate)... he said that he didn't like losing money and bought a driving range (and self-storage facilities) instead and was very glad he never bought a course.


At the end of the day, grass, decent balls, and targets are all you need. 


Although, if another member paid for everything, I'd happily play at a range that had a launch monitor, greens that look like real greens, different angles and wind direction, a variety of lies, balls that I play, etc.  The course still matters far more than the range though to me.

[Tom_Doak]

At the end of the day, grass, decent balls, and targets are all you need. 

You don't really even need grass, although you can probably charge more if you have it.

[Kurt Everett]

If there's a good putting clock, a nice driving range isn't necessary, especially at a club.
Spent 2 days at Ballyneal last summer and never hit a single practice ball. 

[Tim Martin]

I’m not much of a practicer but some of the facilities are noteworthy especially clubs that hold tour events consistently. TPC River Highlands in Connecticut went from modest to state of the art although it took a while to get there. My favorite back in the day was always Westchester Country Club’s range which seemed an endless series of stalls on your right on the drive into the club. They also had a practice putting green you would never tire of. I have no idea if Travis had a hand in building it but it has wild contours and slopes.

[Peter Pallotta]

I hadn't thought of it before, but some courses seem to invite you not so much to practice/shoot lower scores as they do to play/have fun.

When I was there years ago, the range at Crystal Downs was 'irons only'; it was too short for drivers. And it strikes me that this was no accident, ie that whatever the practical reasons for CD not having a full range/practice area are, the more subtle & underlying reason is that it's not and doesn't pretend to be a so-called 'championship test', but simply a welcoming home course meant to be played everyday during the summer and have fun on.

The British courses that have just a big net to hit into and warm up at seem to share the same ethos/sensibility.

[Tom_Doak]

When I was there years ago, the range at Crystal Downs was 'irons only'; it was too short for drivers. And it strikes me that this was no accident, ie that whatever the practical reasons for CD not having a full range/practice area are, the more subtle & underlying reason is that it's not and doesn't pretend to be a so-called 'championship test', but simply a welcoming home course meant to be played everyday during the summer and have fun on.

Peter:


It's no accident, it's that there was no such thing as a big practice range as we know them now, back in the 1920's when most of the classic courses were built.  The range was more a place to hit a few balls to warm up, or a space to hit balls with a caddy shagging for you.  So they were never assigned enough space to make them work as people want now.  And, of course, Alister MacKenzie's focus was on finding the best holes around the clubhouse, not finding the best spot for the practice tee.


Actually, though, the original range at Crystal Downs was different:  the tee was to the right of #10 fairway, and you hit balls across the 10th and 18th fairways, which were all mowed as one!  I don't know when they built the current range, I'd guess around 1950.

[Tommy Williamsen]

Interesting comments. I don't practice the long game as much as I should but do practice my short game a bunch. Ballyhack doesn't have a good place to practice the short game so when I am there I practice on the course. Where I live has a decent but not spectacular place to practice. My old clubs, Four Streams and Musgrove Mill have great short game areas. I would spend hours there.

[Kurt Everett]

When I was there years ago, the range at Crystal Downs was 'irons only'; it was too short for drivers. And it strikes me that this was no accident, ie that whatever the practical reasons for CD not having a full range/practice area are, the more subtle & underlying reason is that it's not and doesn't pretend to be a so-called 'championship test', but simply a welcoming home course meant to be played everyday during the summer and have fun on.

The British courses that have just a big net to hit into and warm up at seem to share the same ethos/sensibility.

The vast majority of clubs here in Kansas City are irons only, which is completely fine by me.  Short game areas have become more commonplace

[Dan_Callahan]

I would be reluctant to join a club that didn’t have a driving range and short game area. I love hitting range balls and chipping and putting.

Interestingly, Atkinson CC, which is semiprivate, built a par 3 course a few years ago and added a membership category for the range/practice facility and par 3 course. That membership is completely sold out for 2021.

[Kurt Everett]

I would be reluctant to join a club that didn’t have a driving range and short game area. I love hitting range balls and chipping and putting.


Interestingly, Atkinson CC, which is semiprivate, built a par 3 course a few years ago and added a membership category for the range/practice facility and par 3 course. That membership is completely sold out for 2021.

The club I'm a member at is doing a renovation and I'm strongly encouraging the addition of a par 3 course, even if it's just a few holes.  I think that is a huge perk and something I've really enjoyed while traveling and playing new courses.  My 8yo boy would get a lot out of it too

[Thomas Dai]

A decent size putting green, a couple of nets with a good mat to hit a few warm-up shots into and a decent chipping/pitching area with a practice bunker is all I need.
Haven’t been on a traditional driving range for years and have no desire to do so. I can see the need for them for teaching and making money from other players though.
There are more and more indoor simulator rooms being installed at clubs these days and they’re pretty good and constantly getting better, nice-n-warm in the winter and with a/c in the summer too ... obviously not the same as playing but don’t knock them until you’ve tried them.
Something else worth considering if there’s a big range area is having it double-duty, ie using it as a short-course at pre-defined, say quieter, times.
Atb

[Padraig Dooley]

There's hitting balls.
There's practice.
Most think they're practicing when all they are doing is hitting balls. The best form of practice is playing. Ideally the best practice area would be three practice holes, a par 3, 4 and 5.

[Jeff Evagues]

When we were kids, we used to take a shag bag to our local high school football field. The goalposts were great for a target line. Still my favorite place even compared to the upscale practice facilities now common at resorts and some high end clubs.


Ira

When I was in college I would go to Pitt Stadium, which had astroturf, and stand on one goal line and hit wedges thru the far goalposts. No one ever bothered me.

[Kurt Everett]

When we were kids, we used to take a shag bag to our local high school football field. The goalposts were great for a target line. Still my favorite place even compared to the upscale practice facilities now common at resorts and some high end clubs.


Ira

When I was in college I would go to Pitt Stadium, which had astroturf, and stand on one goal line and hit wedges thru the far goalposts. No one ever bothered me.

Love it.  Calvin Peete practiced on a baseball field

[Dan_Callahan]

The Taft School has an 18-hole golf course on campus. When they went co-ed many years ago, they put athletic fields and buildings on a bunch of the holes, so they ended up building a new 9 to keep it 18 holes. The cool thing was that they left 3 or 4 of the old holes, and they would mow them and maintain them at a reasonable level. So students could go out with a shag bag and hit balls on those old holes ... either from the full yardage or closer. Not sure if thats still the case ... I haven't been back in about 15 years.

[John Emerson]

I heard the numbers for the driving range at Memorial Park the other day and almost died.  It was reportedly making $1m BEFORE the renovation and putting a second deck on the tee.


But I am the opposite of a range rat, and I hate that for many clients the proximity of the range SHOULD, in their minds, justify making trade-offs that make the 18 holes worse.

The East Potomac Park range is rumored to take in close to 4 million.  That is the busiest practice complex I’ve ever seen in my life. 

[Tom_Doak]

A decent size putting green, a couple of nets with a good mat to hit a few warm-up shots into and a decent chipping/pitching area with a practice bunker is all I need.

When we started talking about the restoration at Dornick Hills, the one piece I didn't think we would be able to restore were the original first and second holes, which were changed thirty years ago, so that the old first green is now very much in play on the range [although they also use it as a practice bunker  ]


Anyway, when I was trying to think of alternatives, I thought maybe they could rebuild the old green as it was and then occasionally close the range to use the original hole for events.


Instead, they mentioned that there are some safety issues with two homes on the far right side of the range, so it sounds as though we are going to restore the two holes per the original design, and turn the practice range into a short game area with some nets for warming up!  Eventually they may go for simulators, too, but those are not in my budget!

[BCrosby]

TD -


We were in Houston last weekend for a wedding and went by Memorial Saturday afternoon. Parking lot was full (we found a spot across and down the street). Course was filled with kids playing in a Cameron Champ event for minority juniors. Both lower and upper levels of the practice range were full. There was a line to get a hot dog. Lots of people just hanging out. Memorial was happening. 


Muni golf as it should be.


Bob 

[Kyle Harris]

When we were kids, we used to take a shag bag to our local high school football field. The goalposts were great for a target line. Still my favorite place even compared to the upscale practice facilities now common at resorts and some high end clubs.


Ira

When I was in college I would go to Pitt Stadium, which had astroturf, and stand on one goal line and hit wedges thru the far goalposts. No one ever bothered me.

Several jokes running through my head now.

[Jim Sherma]

When I was younger and had time to play a lot of golf (5-6 days a week on the course) there was no need to practice as I got all of my practice on the course. As I've gotten older a nice practice area and range is necessary if I am going to continue to pretend that I can be competitive at this game. Having hour or two windows through the week where I can sneak over to the range or get some putting and chipping in keeps me somewhat sharp and also fills my OCD needs of instant feedback.


I am fortunate to live 5 minutes from my club and that it has very nice facilities. The nicest aspect of the range and one of the practice greens are that they abut the parking lot. I can drive in, grab my clubs out of the trunk, change my shoes and be hitting balls with no interaction or wasted time.


Also, don't discount the mental value of simply "hitting balls". While it might not fulfill the "practice with purpose" mantras, simply the act of hitting balls can be very rewarding in and of itself. Putting 5 footers for a half-hour can serve the same purpose of mental-floss. Good for the soul even if it's not the best practice bang for the buck.

[Kalen Braley]

All this talk of practicing on a 100 yard football field and irons only driving range.  I guess I'm the only one who sucks using the big stick and in need of a place to work on it. And yes spare me the jokes, i'm a short knocker, but I can at least regularly get it out there 220...

P.S. When I was in high school back in the 80s, there wasn't another high school within 20 miles that had AstroTurf for its football field.  Can't imagine the maintenance guys were OK with people practicing golf on grass fields.

[Will Lozier]

The most "interesting" range that I have seen at any club is that of Cypress Point. After hitting what I thought was the perfect opening drive without warming up at all, my host Chef Paco said to me: "That should be good...if you can find it."


I was alarmed for sure...until I crossed over 17-mile-drive where I could see the hundreds of range balls in the first fairway!


Clearly, as it should be, the focus is wholeheartedly on the course!!

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