Driving Range "Pros"

[Russ_D]

Im afraid im about to climb on my soapbox and have a bit of a rant.

Driving range "pro's", now it doesnt happen too often but it annoys me every time. I'll be at the range and up he rocks, you know the type. Head to toe in Titelist/Taylormade etc. as though he's been covered in glue and just run through the pro shop. Sets down his tour bag of new clubs and grabs his driver.

Happened the other week. I was hitting really nice shots, good distance, straight or a gentle fade and during a break he says "you'll never play good golf with that swing" refering to my Don Trahan swing. I shrug it off and watch him go through his practice swing, "i'll show you the correct way" he says. Skulls his driver 50yds along the floor. I almost wet myself!

Is it just me that these guys choose the bay next to or do they stalk any of you guys?

 

[patricks148]

unfortunately i have to put up with a driving range pro when ever i go to the range in Inversneck.... the bugger gives me lessons:rofl:

 

[Russ_D]

unfortunately i have to put up with a driving range pro when ever i go to the range in Inversneck.... the bugger gives me lessons:rofl:

:rofl:hope he gets it passed 50yds!

 

[stokie_93]

Im afraid im about to climb on my soapbox and have a bit of a rant.

Driving range "pro's", now it doesnt happen too often but it annoys me every time. I'll be at the range and up he rocks, you know the type. Head to toe in Titelist/Taylormade etc. as though he's been covered in glue and just run through the pro shop. Sets down his tour bag of new clubs and grabs his driver.

Happened the other week. I was hitting really nice shots, good distance, straight or a gentle fade and during a break he says "you'll never play good golf with that swing" refering to my Don Trahan swing. I shrug it off and watch him go through his practice swing, "i'll show you the correct way" he says. Skulls his driver 50yds along the floor. I almost wet myself!

Is it just me that these guys choose the bay next to or do they stalk any of you guys?

I went the other week and was knocking little wedges in to a pin. I went in just a pair of joggers and a t-shirt as didn't see the point of wearing golf clothes.

Some guy came in full golf outfit, shoes and everything.
Sets up on the bay next to me even though the place was totally empty and goes straight for his driver. He knew I was watching him cause I do it out of curiosity.

He proceeded to challenge me to a 'longest drive contest', me being a fairly big hitter did not turn it down.
Best out of 3 he said, his first was carved so far right it wasn't even close to the range.
The second he proceeded to slice another (not as bad) but still nowhere near a good distance
The last one i've never seen someone put so much behind a golf ball, he was extremely close to skying his nice new shiny M2 Driver. :rofl:

 

[Ethan]

I was beside a guy like this a while back. Head to toe in Adidas and TM stuff, Tour Bag full of TM stuff. Hit a nice ball, though.

Turned out he went to Q School a few months later and got on the Euro Tour.

 

[ger147]

Maybe it's just where I live but if anyone tried that with most of the folks at either of the ranges I use regularly, the most likely outcome would be him being introduced to the "2 snooker balls in a football sock" routine...

 

[User 105]

There used to be a guy like this up at Chesfield downs range, not in all the gear though. He'd walk up and down the range and stand and watch someone for a few mins, then interrupt. 'Can I make a suggestion , he'd start".

He'd avoid most of the regulars up there and would usually hunt out someone new.

I don't think it was anything malicious, and I think he genuinely wanted to help people, but the stuff he used to come out with was truly cringe worthy.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

I must be lucky. The most I ever get is a partial smile. Nobody ever speaks, not even a hello so challenges like these would just not happen. I like the anonymity of it.

I did have to laugh at myself last year. I was playing in a corporate day and was warming up at the range. A little bloke sets up next to me with a huge Taylormade bag, clothes fairly normal. I'm hitting a few and being a fun day I stop and say hello. I go back to my balls and suddenly hear a totally different swish and whacking noise and see a ball disappear into the distance. I stopped, turned and saw him hit his next one. "Blimey, that's going okay" I said to him. He smiled, thanked me and carried on. Did I feel a pillock later when I discovered he actually was a pro, one was in each 4 ball. As we all know, proper players don't need to prove anything. They just get on with it.

 

[Alex1975]

I just WISH this would happen to me at the range!!

 

[ScienceBoy]

I only give advice to people I know and only if they ask for it, if I don't know I tell them to see a pro.

In reality it's only happened a handful of times and it was something obvious and an absolute basic thing.

I know little about the full swing but I can talk for hours about putting and chipping.

Recently played my local par 3 with 3 new players. One asked me how to putt and chip so I showed him. He shot 10 shots better than the other 2 over 9 holes! I didn't even show him how to do a full swing!!

 

[Vardon11LDN]

I was beside a guy like this a while back. Head to toe in Adidas and TM stuff, Tour Bag full of TM stuff. Hit a nice ball, though.

Turned out he went to Q School a few months later and got on the Euro Tour.

Care to name drop?

 

[Capella]

I only give advice to people I know and only if they ask for it, if I don't know I tell them to see a pro.

In reality it's only happened a handful of times and it was something obvious and an absolute basic thing.

I know little about the full swing but I can talk for hours about putting and chipping.

Recently played my local par 3 with 3 new players. One asked me how to putt and chip so I showed him. He shot 10 shots better than the other 2 over 9 holes! I didn't even show him how to do a full swing!!

Was that meant to go into the other thread? The one on "On course advice"? It seems a bit out of place here.

 

[ScienceBoy]

Was that meant to go into the other thread? The one on "On course advice"? It seems a bit out of place here.

Not read the other thread, I gave the advice for the new guy on the putting green, not the course. I sometimes help a few friends on the range but only if they ask, they are also newish to golf so it's often basic errors in routine, alignment or giving them a fab drill of mine to help them when they have a bad series of shots. I don know the cure but I can get their head back together.

 

[Bazzatron]

It helps that I look miserable as sin most of the time, never get approached.

 

[Robobum]

Im afraid im about to climb on my soapbox and have a bit of a rant.

Driving range "pro's", now it doesnt happen too often but it annoys me every time. I'll be at the range and up he rocks, you know the type. Head to toe in Titelist/Taylormade etc. as though he's been covered in glue and just run through the pro shop. Sets down his tour bag of new clubs and grabs his driver.

Happened the other week. I was hitting really nice shots, good distance, straight or a gentle fade and during a break he says "you'll never play good golf with that swing" refering to my Don Trahan swing. I shrug it off and watch him go through his practice swing, "i'll show you the correct way" he says. Skulls his driver 50yds along the floor. I almost wet myself!

Is it just me that these guys choose the bay next to or do they stalk any of you guys?

You haven't looked in the ask the experts section then!?

 

[m10johnson]

If I go to the range away from my course, headphones in all the time.

Problem solved.

 

[Nashy]

It helps that I look miserable as sin most of the time, never get approached.

My good lady says I have a brilliant .... off face which stops people hassling me.

 

[snell]

If I go to the range away from my course, headphones in all the time.

Problem solved.

Ditto 👍👍

 

[Beel77]

I tend to play ahead of these lot nearly every weekend! Waiting on the tee staring us down until me and the lads get onto the green on quite a few par 4s at our course. They proceed to hit it slap bang middle of the fairway 20 yards from the green... Oh fair enough we all say until they duff the 2nd, thin the 3rd and then 2 or 3 putt.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I tend to use the very end bay of the range and so tend to get left to my own devices most of the time. Depending on how I'm hitting it, I'll either give them a weary smile as they rabbit on it if I'm not in a good place I'll tell them with a few Anglo Saxon phrases to go away and come back when they can produce their PGA qualification

It is t so. Uch the range pro I have issues with, it's idiots trying to smack every ball and listening to each one bounce off the side wall and the ceiling, accompanied by top level decibel shouting about how the next one is "going miles"