Wondering if anyone has heard this before.
I went to a new driving range Friday night just before closing but had a chat with owner. He said most ranges use either 10% or 35%? range balls solely to prevent them going over the back fence with the limited availaibility of land in most populated areas. He uses normal balls as he is fortunate enough to have a 300m x 100m plot. He also mentioned a customer who had complained that he could reach the markers at other ranges, but not at his. He claimed most ranges place their markers at shorter distances than actual to compensate for the range balls. In other words the 150m marker is actually at 135m and he said another customer had confirmed this with a laser measure at a number of ranges. This was all news to me and if true, it puts the whole issue of using driving ranges to determine club distances up for question. You can bet some of them don’t measure things very accurately.
Any of you guys with laser measuring devices use them for this and what were the results.

I was speaking with the guy at Tempe, and he said that they put their distance 10% closer (so the 150m sits at an actual 135m mark), because the extra thick covers of the range balls (they need to be super durable after all) mean about a 10% to 15% loss of distance compared to normal balls.

So I guess as long as that is the case and you’re hitting flat across level ground then the two cancel each other out and you can be fairly comfortable with your distances.

Hang time and height at the top of the apex would be different too wouldn’t they?

They would of course, but they’re not definitive measurements. I’ve always used the driving range to give me at least an idea as to how far I hit each club. I’ve found the results on the course often don’t match the data I’ve accumulated from the range.

Now I’m starting to think this may be the reason why.

Most range balls are a 1 piece ball.

They don’t travel as far which has 2 advantages for the range owner. You can build the range smaller and they are less attractive to steal.

Will trial my laser range finder next time I am at the range to see how accurate the measurements are.

Generally however I hit the ball somewhere around 10m less on the driving range (assuming that the distance measurements are accurate) that I go to due to the quality of golf balls being used.

I certainly would be careful about using the driving range measurements as gospel regarding how far you hit the ball. Even if the measurements are accurate, normally the quality of golf balls being used will not travel as far as what a new ball that you would use on course would.

That of course is the whole point.
If the ranges were to consistently use 10% balls and place their 150m marker at exactly 135m, then we could trust to some extent. My point is, how accurately are the compensations made?
I’ll be very interested to see the results your range finder gives you. Then of course I guess we’d have to look at differences between ranges as well. So the more different ranges we can do this on the better, at least as far as this thread is concerned.

Obviously, the best means is to use the markers on one’s home course, assuming they are accurately marked. I think they usually are, except some give distance to front of green, others to centre. Allowances have to made for up/down wind, up/down slope, etc which is already complicated enough, without finding your underlying data is based on false information.
I’m not saying my distance control is 100% accurate anyway, but I’ve often hit shots from a 120m mark, and what I’ve felt was a good contact has come up short, and sometimes vice versa. Just makes me wonder, this is the kind of thing that would be caused by false input. The old Garbage In, Garbage Out syndrome.
Me thinks I’ll work solely on the distance markers at the course and use that as my basic data until we know better.

The range at Secret Harbour is grass, and the hitting area varies about 30m from the front to the back, and you hit within the two markers about 2m apart. This means that the grass can regenerate, but it also means that the 150m mark is only 140 this week, and it may be 165 next week.

Unless they take this into account and move the signs, I’ve never paid that much attention.

all grass ranges are like this, I haven’t been to one yet that moves to signs to take that into account….

the range i hit at uses “short balls” and mats, but i am pretty sure that the distance markers are accurate. I hit the range balls 145 with a 6 iron, but 155 with normal balls. also i have found that there is a huge difference with the driver. With the range balls the low spin drivers get he ball nowhere, so occasionally i dig an old “good” ball out and the flight, distance, penetration are completely different – much more so than with the irons etc. I just use this range for working on my swing anyway, looking for good contact and positive swing thoughts etc.

would it even be possible to accurately calculate what percentage shorter a range ball would go for all golfers?
in other words: would the difference in performance of range balls be the same for all swing speeds?

... so does that mean I am actually only hitting 180 with my driver when I am normally hitting the 200 marker?

Thats disappointing, I feel less of a man now :(

yup range balls a generally 10 to 20% shorter
thats the reality

OK one of my hobby horses. You can check distances via google earth. At my range, The Ridge, the distance markers can be measured to within 0.5 metres. I will have to now compare the two next time I’m there.

I guess the other misleading thing is hitting off elevated teeing boxes, makes it look like you are launching your drives higher than in reality.

Google be praised!

I’ve just measured the distances to the distance markers at Bulleen driving range.

100m marker: from 96m – 103m depending which bay you are in.

150m marker: from 143m – 157m

200m marker: from 187m – 198m

Back fence: about 240 – 245m assuming you go in a pretty straight line, more if you hit obliquely. There is a 250m sign, which is a little bit generous I guess.

From the middle of the left shed, the distances are pretty close to the mark, maybe 5m short for some of the longer distances.

They use yellow range Srixons which seem to go pretty well even when they’re a bit worn – nice high flight and good hang time. Probably 2/3 of your average bucket are in close to new condition.

Just measured Tempe Driving Range on Google Earth.

160m marker is at 150m

200m marker is at 180m

220m marker is at 200m

You guys are great at thinking outside the square. Google is great for this. I used it to measure the carry from a 150m marker on my home course to the far side of a creek short of the green. Could never par this hole before I had that info and have done so 3 times since. Probably a mental abberation more than anything but just knowing seems to help with the doing.

So it’s as we suspected, not only are the markers not accurate, but there’s a degree of inconsistency in how far out they are. There is some valid reasoning behind it, but if it’s not done properly, we need to know about it.

Was at the Chinderah Driving Range earlier today near Tweed Heads.

I had my laser range finder and decided to measure the actual distance of the distance markers.

From the back of the grass tees, the 160m marker was actually 146m away and the 240m marker was actually 220m away.

Good thread, pity it stopped.

Gone off driving range practice lately. You really notice the difference when somehow a quality white ball has snuck into the ball machine, just feels so much better off the club.

Just measured Paradise golf range at Terrey Hills in Sydney.

Between 170m and 190m to the back fence…

I asked at our local range about the distances as they did not look correct and was assured they were as marked, I will now also measure on goole earth. never given much thought to the balls not being 100% but it does make sense now as I can see a distinct difference with the ball flight.

If their distance markers are not what they say they are, and the range doesn’t tell consumers this, have they breached any fair trading laws?

What…..where, what is a driving range ?