Is anyone like me looking for a more complete practice facility?

[justswinggolfer]

As the British summer daytime draws to an end, I'm getting anxious about how I can get my golf fix, especially with working Mon-Fri and 9 to 5 job..., bad weekend weather and other social commitments.


Is anyone else looking for an affordable yet complete practice facility that allows you to work on all parts of your game?

I've lived in London and recently moved to Cambridge and found it's all the same-ish. Toptracer works nicely but as soon as it gets too dark the radar sensors stop working. The indoor trackman or GCquad sims seem a little too expensive and are time-limited. The traditional no-tech thrills are cheap but feel a bit mindless without numbers. I also want to putt, chip and practice bunker shots but not always available at more affordable golf courses.

I’ve seen the stuff they have in Korea… I’m so jealous. They call it indoor screen golf. Two caught my eye. Golfzone which has moving and different lies (sand and rough etc.)!! Backyard golf has sims, putting areas, fairway and greenside bunkers, and coffee for the Mrs or while “I’m working from home” doing my meetings.

Does anyone else want one of these in their area?

 

[paddyjk]

Top tracer seems to work ok for me at night. I go over to the one at hemmingford abbots some times. I also have a personal launch monitor that is pretty handy to for use at my basic range.

 

[Orikoru]

Top tracer seems to work ok for me at night. I go over to the one at hemmingford abbots some times. I also have a personal launch monitor that is pretty handy to for use at my basic range.

If the range is floodlit it should be fine. I did use one near me that stopped working once it started getting dark, haha. Still had about 20 minutes left and didn't realise that would happen, so I pretty much just hacked balls around pointlessly after that.

 

[paddyjk]

If the range is floodlit it should be fine. I did use one near me that stopped working once it started getting dark, haha. Still had about 20 minutes left and didn't realise that would happen, so I pretty much just hacked balls around pointlessly after that.

Ha ha I didn't know that. One thing I find with quite a few TT ranges is they are more like somewhere to go for a laugh with mates than serious practice. Table service , food , beer etc.

 

[road2ruin]

If the range is floodlit it should be fine. I did use one near me that stopped working once it started getting dark, haha. Still had about 20 minutes left and didn't realise that would happen, so I pretty much just hacked balls around pointlessly after that.

Yep, our local range had TT stuck in with all the fan fair but became apparent that as soon as it got to dusk it just didn't work. They ended up having to upgrade their lighting on the range which solved the issue.

 

[Teebs]

A friend and I chatted about this recently.

Big investment but I reckon it would work in the UK. Proper launch monitors on every bay (GC Quad have a couple in the UK IIRC) and indoor facilities to match. Proper shop, custom fitting and a quality Café.

I know that's what alot of ranges do (take Snainton for example), but go top-end.

Rudding Park is good, but the shop and staff are hit & miss (and it's expensive)

 

[Springveldt]

I thought Top Tracer used radar? I guess it must be using some sort of camera system as well?

 

[HeftyHacker]

Yep, our local range had TT stuck in with all the fan fair but became apparent that as soon as it got to dusk it just didn't work. They ended up having to upgrade their lighting on the range which solved the issue.

My experience is that they're fine in day light and fine when it's floodlit - it's dusk where it seems to struggle for some reason.

I usually just wait til it's dark now if going in the evenings - the most local one is open until 10pm.

 

[Albo]

Just buy a personal launch monitor

 

[sjw]

I could really really do with a practice bunker somewhere. I think one of the ranges near me has one but it might be reserved for lessons, I might have to get in touch with them. Otherwise I'll have to just wander down to the club one evening and hit 10 or 20 out of a bunker on a quiet hole. I just need to get my head around committing to the shot.

 

[road2ruin]

I could really really do with a practice bunker somewhere. I think one of the ranges near me has one but it might be reserved for lessons, I might have to get in touch with them. Otherwise I'll have to just wander down to the club one evening and hit 10 or 20 out of a bunker on a quiet hole. I just need to get my head around committing to the shot.

The practice 'bunker' at our club barely has any sand in it, I don't think they've done any maintenance on it during the 9 years I've been using the course! I ended up doing what you suggested, went out when it was quiet, spent as long as I could in a greenside bunker until I could see people on the tee and then I carried on.

 

[Orikoru]

As above - our club's practise area isn't up to much. We don't have very much space anyway so not knocking them, but it's just not very useful. The chipping green is like an upturned bowl for some reason, so all you can is kind of loft it to land at the top and try and stop it there - useless for playing low chip and runs since it just rolls back down to your feet so you've no idea if you hit the right distance or not. And as above, the bunker alongside it is small, shallow and has hardly any sand.

 

[Slab]

As above - our club's practise area isn't up to much. We don't have very much space anyway so not knocking them, but it's just not very useful. The chipping green is like an upturned bowl for some reason, so all you can is kind of loft it to land at the top and try and stop it there - useless for playing low chip and runs since it just rolls back down to your feet so you've no idea if you hit the right distance or not. And as above, the bunker alongside it is small, shallow and has hardly any sand.

Much sympathy, ours is brilliant (just to big it up) Great lush fairway quality grass on three sides, play to it from below, level or even slightly above. Go over bunkers or practice with no obstacles. Play out of thick rough areas. Planted long grass area to chip over. Two large bunkers for sand work
I have about 8-10 different chips/short shots I go through not counting bunkers

I spend hours round there, much better than a quick 9 holes

 

[Orikoru]

Much sympathy, ours is brilliant (just to big it up) Great lush fairway quality grass on three sides, play to it from below, level or even slightly above. Go over bunkers or practice with no obstacles. Play out of thick rough areas. Planted long grass area to chip over. Two large bunkers for sand work
I have about 8-10 different chips/short shots I go through not counting bunkers

I spend hours round there, much better than a quick 9 holes

I have the opposite view, I think even if we had a great practise area I'd find it boring after about 15 minutes and would much rather be playing 9 holes. Since we had the baby I've not been able to do it this year, but I use to like going down the club on a summer evening and playing a few holes - if I buggered up a shot I would drop another ball and do it again, making it a bit more worthwhile as a practise. It's also how I figured out my pitching clubs and distances, whenever I had 50 or 60 yards I'd drop a second ball down and try two different shots.

 

[Slab]

I have the opposite view, I think even if we had a great practise area I'd find it boring after about 15 minutes and would much rather be playing 9 holes. Since we had the baby I've not been able to do it this year, but I use to like going down the club on a summer evening and playing a few holes - if I buggered up a shot I would drop another ball and do it again, making it a bit more worthwhile as a practise. It's also how I figured out my pitching clubs and distances, whenever I had 50 or 60 yards I'd drop a second ball down and try two different shots.

Not surprising you get more out of the course with the description of the practice area. Think I’d find it tough to get motivated to use it under similar circumstances

It is very opposite for me since I’d need to pay a green-fee of some sort to practice on course it’s not realistic to play a few holes or drop more than one extra ball and that’s not gonna cut it if I’m trying to work through techniques etc. A half hour round there disappears so fast in the mornings. Weekend I can easily do double that

 

[Deleted member 1147]

I have the opposite view, I think even if we had a great practise area I'd find it boring after about 15 minutes and would much rather be playing 9 holes. Since we had the baby I've not been able to do it this year, but I use to like going down the club on a summer evening and playing a few holes - if I buggered up a shot I would drop another ball and do it again, making it a bit more worthwhile as a practise. It's also how I figured out my pitching clubs and distances, whenever I had 50 or 60 yards I'd drop a second ball down and try two different shots.

You'd probably benefit from trying competitive practice.
As kids we used to have chipping competitions. We could do that for hours, winner chooses the next shot, getting more and more crazy and difficult.
Adults don't tend to practice together so much, making the competitive element less common.

 

[HPIMG]

My club has terrible practice facilities. The one bunker has more stones than sand but the course itself is really nice. I am not really interested in anything to track my shots just would like a few short game options that resemble the course and a large range for longer shots.