Practise Areas at Clubs

[Orikoru]

We have a chipping green as well but it's almost completely useless. For some reason they made it as a severely upturned bowl so whatever angle you use it from you're chipping up a severe slope, with only a tiny flat portion on top. If you want to practise your roll-out on chip-and-runs - tough luck.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

@Springveldt , it isn't the space required to hit the ball, it's the whole ball collection issue. The more people there, the more you have to stop for someone collecting. 2 or 3 is manageable, 6 would be like trying to herd cats . Anyway, as I don't practice there it isn't really a problem for me .

 

[clubchamp98]

We have a 200 yd practice area about 100yds wide.
There is a practice par 3 for short game about 100 yds long. Has two bunkers on it.
driver not allowed.

I used to use them a lot ,still do if working on something.
Used it today for half an hour on my long irons.
Love practicing but my wrists don’t anymore.

 

[Mandofred]

@Springveldt , it isn't the space required to hit the ball, it's the whole ball collection issue. The more people there, the more you have to stop for someone collecting. 2 or 3 is manageable, 6 would be like trying to herd cats . Anyway, as I don't practice there it isn't really a problem for me .

The problem for me in the past....is that some people won't stop hitting balls when you go out to pick up yours....clueless. If someone goes out to collect their balls I change clubs to a short wedge....not killing people is a good thing to me. Others?....

When I do practice....I put out my own cones at 30,50,70,90 yds and practice those distances and the ones inbetween. Rarely do I hit long stuff.

 

[CliveW]

This is my attire when picking up my balls!

 

[sjw]

Our practice area is much as you describe - just a big open field. There is a kind of teeing area in the form of a giant mat, but it's seen better days. It's also walk from the clubhouse.

It is due to be redone, though, with a practice bunker being added as well. The teeing area is going to be moved back apparently, so you can hit driver. And apparently, they'll even shuttle you there on a cart if you want lol

The downside is that we now have internal OB down the side of the 11th - which I've put a ball in 2/2 times so far since it's come it

 

[Old Colner]

Really surprised at the replies on here, people can not be bothered to walk 150ish yards to collect practice balls. We have a practice area, I have a 'Clikka Tube' it holds 21 balls, practice balls, old tatty balls no longer any good for a round, it doesn't matter if they get lost or somebody else picks them up.
I hit them from one end go after them and collect them back into the tube, they are really not that far apart then hit them back to where I started.
We do have some seniors who have plenty of time on their hands an mark their practice balls (can't be bothered).
Sometimes you may be lucky and somebody has left their tube of balls laying around, you can hit those and don't need to collect them.

 

[CliveW]

Great range at Celebration Golf Club, Florida. No need to pick up your balls, but you do need to use their balls otherwise they sink.

 

[Orikoru]

Really surprised at the replies on here, people can not be bothered to walk 150ish yards to collect practice balls. We have a practice area, I have a 'Clikka Tube' it holds 21 balls, practice balls, old tatty balls no longer any good for a round, it doesn't matter if they get lost or somebody else picks them up.
I hit them from one end go after them and collect them back into the tube, they are really not that far apart then hit them back to where I started.
We do have some seniors who have plenty of time on their hands an mark their practice balls (can't be bothered).
Sometimes you may be lucky and somebody has left their tube of balls laying around, you can hit those and don't need to collect them.

Must be nice!

 

[rudebhoy]

@Springveldt , it isn't the space required to hit the ball, it's the whole ball collection issue. The more people there, the more you have to stop for someone collecting. 2 or 3 is manageable, 6 would be like trying to herd cats . Anyway, as I don't practice there it isn't really a problem for me .

5 golfers standing 10 yards apart are never going to keep their balls separate!

 

[Lord Tyrion]

5 golfers standing 10 yards apart are never going to keep their balls separate!

Sorry, I didn't mean that. I meant coordinating when to hit, when to collect. It would all be too random so there will reach a point when you are just standing around, twiddling your thumbs waiting for someone to collect their balls, get back to safety. Hit 5 more balls, the next person goes. Repeat until you give up and walk back to your car

 

[jim8flog]

One of my big laments was when our practice ground became a driving range. Luckily it also coincided with the time I cut back my practice a lot.

Inevitable really as it started to become a dangerous place to be. Some players would carry on firing balls whilst others were picking up their balls.

When I first joined the club as I had afternoons free I often had the practice ground to myself.

One of the 'amazing' sight was in a pro am . A pro hitting balls and his caddy catching them in a bag.

 

[jim8flog]

Two of the other things that happened as a result of having a driving range was we lost our 3 hole short game 'practice course' because people on the range would mishit and balls would land on the course.
and we had 2 practice bunkers/chipping pitching greens and these were lost as it the area became the access point for the ball collecting vehicle.

 

[Mandofred]

Great range at Celebration Golf Club, Florida. No need to pick up your balls, but you do need to use their balls otherwise they sink.

Not the same thing??

 

[rudebhoy]

Sorry, I didn't mean that. I meant coordinating when to hit, when to collect. It would all be too random so there will reach a point when you are just standing around, twiddling your thumbs waiting for someone to collect their balls, get back to safety. Hit 5 more balls, the next person goes. Repeat until you give up and walk back to your car

Yes, I understood the point you were making. I was trying to make a different one, put 5 or 6 average golfers 10 yards apart, balls will be overlapping all over the place.

 

[DeanoMK]

Leighton Buzzard is much the same as described by others, a small range where you pick up your own balls after, the max distance being about 180.

Two warm up nets and then a short game chipping area which is very nice actually.

 

[Golfnut1957]

Ours used to be as described in the OP. 250 yards long and slightly uphill, so drivers are not a problem. When I first joined it was just a practise area with all the issues already described. It didn't bother me much as there wasn't too many people interested in using it, so if you picked the right time you could have it to yourself.

About 10 years ago the club used various grants to install driving range bays and a ball dispenser, no floodlights though as they would bug the neighbours. It is run by the Pro who has a fully equipped teaching bay there, and is a real money earner for us as it is in constant use by members and non-members alike.

After it opened, I took all my old practise ball down there and hit them for one last time, thus donating them to the cause.

 

[RichA]

I was just lamenting again about how there's no driving range near me, and started thinking about the practise area at my club.

There's a 200-ish yard practise area at my club which is essentially a range, but you'd presumably have to bring your own practise balls and then have to collect them at the end. My club is only 5 minutes drive away so would be convenient for a mid-week practise when I'm working from home, but I just cannot picture myself wandering around the practise area afterwards picking up 30 odd practise balls to take them home again. Does anyone actually do this?? I can't recall that I've ever seen someone just practising down there at my club - if people are there they're usually having a lesson with the pro I think.

The only time I used it I took about 6 balls out and practised my pitching to the nearest flag - I really can't imagine smashing 30 full shots in all directions and then picking them all up afterwards.

Practice bores me, so I mostly don't. Occasionally, if I'm playing a pairs comp that my partner is very keen on or if I've the bed and woken up half an hour early before a round, I'll pop to the range at a local course that's en route to mine for a quick warm up.
I'd rather hit a dozen slightly thought out shots than machine gun my way through 40 range balls, so I don't use the dispenser as 40 is the minimum number. Instead, I use any Slazenger, TopFlite, Srixon Distance, ProV1, etc ball that I don't like playing with that I've found and chucked in the bag during a round. After every round I put the foundlings into a little bag that I keep in the garage for this purpose.

That long winded explanation leads to my suggesting that you do something similar. Just use foundlings at your range and don't bother collecting them. Some kid will be grateful for a few practice balls.

 

[sunshine]

I'm quite lucky, my club has a large practise ground, 300 yards long and about 200 wide. Mats and grass to hit off, at the top and bottom. The bottom end is levelled off and maintained like a fairway, the serious golfers go down there to practise in peace. The top end is close to the 1st tee and perfect for warming up, range balls are free and unlimited. There are a couple of practise bunkers and a chipping green at the bottom too, but long term the short game area needs an upgrade.
We have a lovely large multi-tiered putting green, another putting green in front of the clubhouse which is mainly used for chipping, and a couple of warm up nets by the 1st tee. Also a sim room next to the pro shop. If you like practising it's a good place to be a member.

 

[Orikoru]

I'm quite lucky, my club has a large practise ground, 300 yards long and about 200 wide. Mats and grass to hit off, at the top and bottom. The bottom end is levelled off and maintained like a fairway, the serious golfers go down there to practise in peace. The top end is close to the 1st tee and perfect for warming up, range balls are free and unlimited. There are a couple of practise bunkers and a chipping green at the bottom too, but long term the short game area needs an upgrade.
We have a lovely large multi-tiered putting green, another putting green in front of the clubhouse which is mainly used for chipping, and a couple of warm up nets by the 1st tee. Also a sim room next to the pro shop. If you like practising it's a good place to be a member.

But do you still have to take your own balls to hit and collect them yourself? Or do they give you balls more like a driving range?