What does your membership buy you?

[Canfordhacker]

Am I right to feel miffed?

There's a range at my club, and alongside is a practice bunker and chipping area. I've got some spare time at the moment and have been practicing my chipping a lot. I have one of those tube things with 20 balls in it, makes it easier to collect the balls and restart. But this evening one of the pro's had a word and told me I shouldn't be using my own balls but should buy a bucket to practice. When I'm practising longer irons, fair enough as they have to pick them up. But isn't it enough that they have my £900 already that I can't use the facilities? Even if I practice twice a week throughout the summer months, that would be a 25% increase in my fees. I was too stunned to argue, though he wasn't unpleasant about it.

What do you think?

 

[Stuey01]

Fair game to use your own balls on the short game area, in my opinion

 

[lyden]

I'd feel aggrieved, my place has certain times you can use your own balls. Mainly so your not disrupting other peoples practice while your scrambling around looking for your balls among a load of range specials.

 

[scratch]

Am I right to feel miffed?

There's a range at my club, and alongside is a practice bunker and chipping area. I've got some spare time at the moment and have been practicing my chipping a lot. I have one of those tube things with 20 balls in it, makes it easier to collect the balls and restart. But this evening one of the pro's had a word and told me I shouldn't be using my own balls but should buy a bucket to practice. When I'm practising longer irons, fair enough as they have to pick them up. But isn't it enough that they have my £900 already that I can't use the facilities? Even if I practice twice a week throughout the summer months, that would be a 25% increase in my fees. I was too stunned to argue, though he wasn't unpleasant about it.

What do you think?

Bang out of order! My club has a practice range where you can buy tokens from the pro shop but people use either range balls or their own shag bag for the chipping area. I use the range at Iford as well and use my own balls on the chipping green.

 

[Imurg]

Ask them to show you where it says you can't use your own balls.
If the range is part of the club then you should only have to pay for range balls on the range.

 

[steve531st]

My last club moved away from that policy some years ago because people would finish off their short game practice by pitching the balls onto the driving range (or the local yobos would hit them anywhere).
As there probably isn't a penalty for using your own practice balls I would call the pro's bluff. (Suspect he is wrong anyway, especially on a moral front).

 

[pbrown7582]

Seems a bit harsh, we have a short game area which to use our on balls on, then the range is split 70/30, so that most of it is for use with range balls but you can take your own balls and hit collect and go home.

 

[Deke]

Wow, what a farce! I only use my own balls at my clubs practice green, if I want to use the practice range (more like a field with a grass tee area, better than hitting off mats! ) I can hit my own or get a basket of 30 for a buck! And you are paying £900 a year? Sheesh!

 

[AmandaJR]

We have a range (£1 for 25 balls) with covered bays etc where you hit range balls. Mind you seems common to hit a few "one hit wonders" (as I do) and a mixed bucket is usually the case!

Then there's a separate short game area, bunker and grass field about 120yds long where you use, and collect, your own balls.

Using range balls for short game practice seems crazy!

 

[car.crash]

Range balls are banned from our practice area and that's a public course.

 

[MarkHK]

Our short game area always has balls on it that the green staff have found around the course or old ones that the members have thrown on, there's normally about 30-40 balls there for anybody to use.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I always use my own balls for short game work as they are usually old Pro V's etc so replicate what I'd use on the course. On the practice field you can buy a bucket of balls from the pro (£2 for 25) or use your own.

 

[kev_off_the_tee]

They'll be wanting you to use range balls on the putting green next. How ruddy stupid

Will they supply premium balls for you to chip with as budget balls just bump and run, and range balls aren't even as good as budget balls

 

[Deleted member 1740]

We've only got a small range practice area and we don't have a pro who is directly employed by the club so we don't have any issues like yours.

But I'd be telling the pro what to do with his range balls and where to stick them.

 

[car.crash]

Buy some range balls and keep them.

 

[chrisd]

Range balls are an absolute waste for practicing the short game, I'd, in the nicest possible way, tell him to show me the rule or swivel!

 

[Wayman]

why would you buy range balls to use on short game area?
tell him to jog on!

 

[HawkeyeMS]

I always use my own balls for short game work as they are usually old Pro V's etc so replicate what I'd use on the course. On the practice field you can buy a bucket of balls from the pro (£2 for 25) or use your own.

Or go and pick some up like I do.

 

[chellie]

We don't have to buy balls to use on the practice area at our club.

 

[Canfordhacker]

Cheers guys, seems pretty unanimous. Think I'll carry on as I was!