just wondering if anyone else agrees with the title. i find the driving range incredibly boring, hitting off astroturf and not actually plaing on a course is rubbish and i find it does me more harm than good…

I dont agree with you gribbles. I happen to love the driving range and am there almost daily! Having a sponsorship at one definitely helps – Sistems Golf Werribee – sorry for the gratuitous plug! I must admit I only hit driver during my training sessions so I can understand your frustrations with Astroturf.

You have to create you own games during practice sessions to keep up the interest factor. For me that means:

1: Use a clubhead speed radar and chasing a PB on swing speed
2: Seeing how many I can hit over the ranges back fence on the fly
3: I also practice competively. I hit the ball in 6 ball lots as is the case in Long Drive Competitions, set myself fairway boundaries. From here I keep accuracy stats and “kill” percentages (balls you catch absolutely flush!)

Your have to keep practice interesting and entertaining. Just beating balls is pointless.

Yeap, I love nothing more than going down and practicing with the irons at the course on the practice fairway. I am hitting off grass though. I agree with A_B in that you have gotta challenge yourself and make it interesting!

Yep, I find driving ranges boring too. They could make it more interesting by making it look more like a fairway – trees along the edges, fariway and rough and offer more grass tee areas. I’d also rather practise on the course.

boring, boring, boring.

The only good thing about them is they help with time constraints.

Well I think it is up to the individual to make your practice entertaining – make your fairways, make your own games, take a mate and play against each other. Practice how you play!!

I must admit, the driving range I am at is very nice and soon to become Melbourne’s first Aqua driving range – although I plan on taking the water out of play! lol

The other things that I also like about practicing at the range are:

- I dont have to pick up the balls! I wouldnt practice if I did.

- The yellow balls go 10% shorter than regular balls, therefore to drive it as far I have to hit it harder!

- Our driving range is usually into a howling head wind! The harder the conditions I practice in, the easier it becomes in competition. And If I do hit a comp with howling head winds, I have been there many times before.

But I can understand what every one is saying.

I now only go to work on my striking and my swing. Everything else (distance, etc) is pointless as your using dead balls off astro turf.

The only good thing about them is they help with time constraints.

Or having pots shots at the person in the golf buggy scooping up golf balls from the range :)

I agree it can be boring, but still go once a week for 100 balls to keep that “feeling” of the right swing/plane, and for ball striking practice.

Each to their own though!

just wondering if anyone else agrees with the title. i find the driving range incredibly boring, hitting off astroturf and not actually plaing on a course is rubbish and i find it does me more harm than good…

Matts can be helpful in turning your ears to a drop kick vs a clean shot. If the matts have some swing line aides on them, for early years in the game they too can be helpful.

Making range work interesting comes from making up targets and playing games to quantify and qualify your results day to day. Give yourself the challenge of having to work your ball to a target rather than just say you hit it.

If you are not enjoying the range, then do not bother and just spend more practice rounds as you go. Do not beat yourself up for spending time in the woods if you are not going to work on the range too.

I much prefer the course for practice rather than the range, but when at the range I try to make it interesting. Unless I have some specific mechanics to work on I will plat imaginary holes. Drive to a target, hit a long iron to a target and pitch to a target. Must admit I don’t chip at the range seems a waste of time much better to use the practice greens.

If the driving range is boring, there is a “better” or different place to hit balls. If you can, go down to your local beach and hit balls on it! Tee up your driver on the “wet but firm sand” and away you go. There is water on the right or left (depends which direction) you are playing. You have endless opportunities with bunkers and hitting off firm sand will help your game ten fold. There is always a gust of wind around as well!

It all depends on the range though, I like the range to have alot of targets to hit. I don’t like ranges that are just paddocks with distance markers. I like it to have Bunkers to hit out of and over. Greens with multiple holes to hit and obsticles to try and draw/fade around. My range has this and I tend to go more often because it helps you make your practice more fun. Also if you can go with a mate, always good to have someone else there to talk crap with in between swings.

the range is a good practice environment to hone your skills & to take out some stress. Think of it this way, you learn to swing a club at the range and then learn to play golf at a course.

Things I hate about the driving range:
(1) hard astroturf
(2) hard yellow balls
(3) loud people (you don’t have to let the entire driving range know you’ve successfully hit the ball with a driver that went about 100 m).
(4) people who stand directly behind you waiting for you to finish even though you still got half a bucket of balls left.
(5) people walking pass your bay INSIDE the safety line when you are half way through your swing.
(6) friends giving friends lessons next to you (no, I do not want to overhear your theories about how to hit the ball because it’s already hard enough trying to remember what my coach said)
(7) people in the next bay who have no clue but still trying to hit the crap out of a ball with a driver and ended up hitting the ball in to the roof and bouncing back, narrowly missing your head
(8) people giving you attitude when you ask politely if it’s their last bucket of balls they are hitting
(9) people stop to look at my swing and have a giggle
(10) people stop to look at my swing and have a look of jealousy

What would I like?
All the bays made in to tiny concrete walled booths with a door at the back and the front opens up to the field. The door have a ‘Do not disturb’ sign. Wishful thinking…

Things I hate about the driving range:
(1) hard astroturf
(2) hard yellow balls
(3) loud people (you don’t have to let the entire driving range know you’ve successfully hit the ball with a driver that went about 100 m).
(4) people who stand directly behind you waiting for you to finish even though you still got half a bucket of balls left.
(5) people walking pass your bay INSIDE the safety line when you are half way through your swing.
(6) friends giving friends lessons next to you (no, I do not want to overhear your theories about how to hit the ball because it’s already hard enough trying to remember what my coach said)
(7) people in the next bay who have no clue but still trying to hit the crap out of a ball with a driver and ended up hitting the ball in to the roof and bouncing back, narrowly missing your head
(8) people giving you attitude when you ask politely if it’s their last bucket of balls they are hitting
(9) people stop to look at my swing and have a giggle
(10) people stop to look at my swing and have a look of jealousy

What would I like?
All the bays made in to tiny concrete walled booths with a door at the back and the front opens up to the field. The door have a ‘Do not disturb’ sign. Wishful thinking…

LOL… very funny, especially number 7. Sadly I have been guilty of number 6..

Also a number 11 – kids (and sometimes even adults) running out onto the range to retrieve a ball they have blasted no more than 10 metres..

Things I hate about the driving range:
(1) hard astroturf
(2) hard yellow balls
(3) loud people (you don’t have to let the entire driving range know you’ve successfully hit the ball with a driver that went about 100 m).
(4) people who stand directly behind you waiting for you to finish even though you still got half a bucket of balls left.
(5) people walking pass your bay INSIDE the safety line when you are half way through your swing.
(6) friends giving friends lessons next to you (no, I do not want to overhear your theories about how to hit the ball because it’s already hard enough trying to remember what my coach said)
(7) people in the next bay who have no clue but still trying to hit the crap out of a ball with a driver and ended up hitting the ball in to the roof and bouncing back, narrowly missing your head
(8) people giving you attitude when you ask politely if it’s their last bucket of balls they are hitting
(9) people stop to look at my swing and have a giggle
(10) people stop to look at my swing and have a look of jealousy

What would I like?
All the bays made in to tiny concrete walled booths with a door at the back and the front opens up to the field. The door have a ‘Do not disturb’ sign. Wishful thinking…

LOL… very funny, especially number 7. Sadly I have been guilty of number 6..

Also a number 11 – kids (and sometimes even adults) running out onto the range to retrieve a ball they have blasted no more than 10 metres..

..i’ll come up with one soon..

pretty realistic list must say, ha

but guilty of running out (at the grass range) to get that extra balls to finish off with….a good solid hit !

it’s the only chance I have to get on speaking terms with my driver… longest club i can safely hit on the club range is a 7 iron due to the course maintenance crew being situated next to it (great planning hey)

Just hate the occasional yahoos that have 0 interest in golf and just want to laugh at each other taking air swings… but then they hit a sh&nk which thumps into the dividing barriers giving you an instant “This Is Your Life” type of experience…

What I miss at the range I go to is the guy in the caged cart picking up the balls. Do they have them at any ranges in Melb or is it a safety thing?

I loved aiming for the cart, it’s actually the reason I tried golf in the first place.

Ultimate driving range…...
Alignment markers on mat
A variety of greens/flags at various lengths (and in increments of 25 metres)...and more distance markers!!!
I use the range to check my yardages every now and then..especially when I buy a new club (and yes factor in about 10% due to the dead balls). I actually don’t use driver at the range much…5-7 balls to know my swing path is on song.
Actually spend more time on my mid and short irons, cos lets face it…hitting greens is where its at…and damn I need to hit more!!!

Another thing I hate about the range is the amount of straight lines:

The line of the edge of the matt
The line of the edge of the dividing wall.

Grrr, to hit anything but strainght at whatever these lines are pointing you at is asking for trouble!

What I miss at the range I go to is the guy in the caged cart picking up the balls. Do they have them at any ranges in Melb or is it a safety thing?

I loved aiming for the cart, it’s actually the reason I tried golf in the first place.

Adz
don’t have a caged cart where i go but at night we get quite a few foxes. instantly yellow balls come from everywhere.

Hope I haven’t started a massive arguement here, lol. I only mention it as I went to vic park driving range in brisbane last week and it sh!t me to tears. people everywhere talking at the top of their voice, on mobile phones yelling so loud they didn’t need the ph etc. On top of this i just hate the astro turf and the plastic tees- perhaps its because i’m at an average driving range. oh, and its up hill and i have no idea how to judge the distance, except for the 100 and 130 flags, which i don’t like hitting at bc your offf astroturf. I have however hit some balls at pacific harbour bribie island’s range, and thats different. everyone is quiet and polite, you’re hitting out of nice grass and it is all flat. Maybe i should’ve just posted a thread “I really like to practice on a course rather than the range” lol. Has been interesting seeing the opinions of others though.

What I miss at the range I go to is the guy in the caged cart picking up the balls. Do they have them at any ranges in Melb or is it a safety thing?

I loved aiming for the cart, it’s actually the reason I tried golf in the first place.

I would love to be that guy for a while…. I am sure they could rent out a cart like that

the thing I hate most is when there are several #3s evenly spaced along the range yelling to each other

I love the range…but you need to be there for a reason, not just beat balls.

But you have a specific target, not straight down the range, but on an angle to the mat. Try to shape shots etc…or work on something very specific technically.

I am lucky though…the range I go to has new mats and B330s as range balls.