Practice Ground Etiquette

[GB72]

I have made the decision to start making use of the practice ground at my club rather than the nearer driving range. I just cannot translate the form on the range into form on the course so feel that practicing on the grass must be better and worth the journey.

Anyway, I have bought a sack of lake balls to use but am somewhat confused as to the etiquette if more than one person is using the facility. How do you tell which balls are yours when it comes time to pick them all up? Is it usual for only one person to be on the practice area at a time?

May sound like a stupid point but do not want to pitch up and look like a prat.

 

[brendy]

At our grounds, you go with x amount of balls and you leave with roughly x amount, noone labels theirs and the pro uses a specific kind of ball so you always know if you have lifted any of his. Every time I go I lose one or two in the longer grass at the end but usually find the od one left by the last guy who hit a few parting shots onto the green area and never bothered to retrieve them.

 

[Parmo]

I bought 100 top flites for pratice sometime ago and dont mind loosing a few here and there, also anything I find on the course usually goes in aswell.

I have noticed some people buy Yellow practice balls which makes things a lot easier on collecting them.

I just looked on Fleabay and you can get 100 practice yellow balls for 25 squid.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/100-Yellow-Mixed-P...p3286.m20.l1116

 

[ColinR]

I have about 100 balls in a practice bag all marked with a big CR in black perm pen. I know which ones are mine

Although, the other day I was standing waiting on the first tee behind a couple of older gents. The first guy put a ball on the tee with a huge CR on it !! I just let it go, but it did make me smile.

 

[USER1999]

I mark mine with 3 concentric bands so I can pick up my own balls, as most are old provs and I don't want to swap them for rocks.
I won't use the practice ground if there are more than 3 people on it, as it gets to be chaotic when you need to pick the balls up.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I marked all of mine with a thick red line around the centre although apart from the pro (who justs writes "Range" in a coloured Sharpie pen) I think I'm the only one who knows which ones are mine. Others do put their initials on but these can't always be seen in the longgrass and have been known to find their way into my Clikka tube. Normally if I have picked other peoples balls up and they are still there I'll give them back. If not I'll hit them back out and leave them.

Our practice ground isn't too bad and can accommodate 3-4 easily although you do have to be a bit considerate about picking balls up. I normally wait for someone to make the first move and then stop and pick up however many I've already hit (unless I've only hit 20 or so). If it gets too busy I'll normally go over to the short game area or the bunker until someone goes.

Its geting harder to have the ground to yourself unlike last year, as the club have done some work to improve facilities including mowing "greens" (not perfect for puttting but at least you can stop it on the shorter grass and adding yardage markers and flags (they have measured them pretty well as I've regularly checked them with my Skycaddy and they are pretty spot on). It needs mowing more regularly but that is the only gripe.

 

[TonyN]

American golf do a box of Hit me again balls, think they are about 10quid for 50 or 100(cant remember), most are like stale rock cakes but if you aint bothered you cant go wrong!

 

[Cernunnos]

Mark your practice balls, simple or know what balls you are using to practice with Get yourself a sharpie marker (there are other markers..lol), come up with your own logo. Picking a colour of marker that is not what others are using is also an advantage, whether playing on the course or practicing on a practice ground/range.

It also helps if you are playing to a particular spot no-one else is. I find it annoying when I'm hitting my balls to a spot, only to get some loon start to play theirs to the same place, my reaction is find your own section of the ground to play to, occasional misshits allowed.

 

[level5s]

i have marked all mine with big crosses. i just use balls i retire and ones i find that are not good enough to add to the bag.
amazing the number of nice shiney new balls you can pick up and add to the bag.

 

[Cernunnos]

American golf do a box of Hit me again balls, think they are about 10quid for 50 or 100(cant remember), most are like stale rock cakes but if you aint bothered you cant go wrong!

It really doesn't help your game playing with just anything lakeball wise. You're best either using balls you normally use but have retired them due to having several rounds or a round out of them.

That or choose a brand new ball of the budget variety that performs similarly over general shots to your own
There are doezens of budget balls some of them quite reasonable that are worth using as practice balls, most people wouldn't want more than a dozen or two dozen to practice with at a time anyway. See no point in buying 50 or a hundred practice balls unless you know a recreational field you have all to yourself. After all what you hit you also have to pick up.

I'll usually mark up a sleeve or two sleeves of my own day to day balls when visiting a practice ground rather than the usual driving range half a dozen balls are more than enough to locate & pick up at a time.

 

[GB72]

Have already bought 30 random lake balls to use to start with. Sadly my regular balls tend to go missing in action before they are retired.

They are now all marked up ready for a trip out this afternoon.

 

[medwayjon]

I always practise with the balls I am playing at the time.

The only exception is teh range obviosuly as they would be rather expensive.

I just like to use the ball I play as it helps you get the feel of the balls for when you replicate the shots on the course.

Wow, I am so technical for a high handicapper, lol.

 

[Deleted member 1147]

We can just take a bag full from the dustbin full of balls used for junior coaching.

That way there is no problem with taking other peoples balls.

In fact most people just leave them on the range after practice and let the juniors gather them up themselves for there coaching sessions. But I would never do that, of course!!

 

[TonyN]

Agree Cernunnos, You'll not get same results, but for tweeking swing changes and direction drills, lake balls won't really matter, It would only be distance and spin I would worry about!

 

[Cernunnos]

Feel is my main reason for saying try & keep to your usual ball. Or more to the point consistent feel through all the practice balls being used is the most important thing. Nowt wrong with using Pinicle Golds for this, readilly available, not too hard & not expensive.


Must admitt I have a very good local sportfield where on an early morning the only thing to bother me are the dog walkers & I do try & practice short game there too, aiming to lay up into saplings to finnish off

 

[RGuk]

I'm avoiding the whole range/practice ground/ball thing here. BUT, in terms of other stuff, we have a simple range and most players take a tube of balls. I have arrived and hit only 3 or all 21 before the player next door wants to collect, so I go with him and start a fresh tube when he starts his.
I have two tubes of old "used" balls and two tubes of brand new Donnay Titanium in white or yellow. The old balls all have my initials on, the new ones....not! I only use the old "premium" stuff on the pitching ground, will happily hit anything (ball wise) up to 3 wood on the full range. Only hit drivers at the driving range.......I only ever work on the direction and strike.....long since given up reading anything into the distance......

 

[OldWindy]

At our grounds, you go with x amount of balls and you leave with roughly x amount, noone labels theirs and the pro uses a specific kind of ball so you always know if you have lifted any of his. Every time I go I lose one or two in the longer grass at the end but usually find the od one left by the last guy who hit a few parting shots onto the green area and never bothered to retrieve them.

We 'share', too. Some folks mark 'em but most don't bother; there always seem to be extras to be found here and there.

 

[vig]

I would use old balls (the same as youplay with for consistency)
Buy a piece of thin MDF. Drill out a dozen, golf ball sized holes. Spray paint half the ball with flourescent paint. firstly you'll easily recognise your balls and secondly when you putt with them you can see how they react. I've not done it myself but was told about it by an old guy and it makes sense, as long as you're not going to play with them again.

 

[theeaglehunter]

My practice ground is located just next to the normal range but is more than accommodating for as many people as are usually there. According to measurements on google earth and the convertor on my phone it is 19 acres (77854.4 square meters) in size. I have decided myself to start using this soon rather than keep paying for range balls at 4.50 for 100 so I am watching this thread with interest although the collecting balls thing shouldn't be an issue. I am thinking of buying a bulk lot of 'A' grade titleists to use as in the long run this is probably cheaper than paying for a weekly range visit which I want to start being my minimum golf practice.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/100-Titleist-Grade...1742.m153.l1262