Price for Range Balls

[hackzaw]

So the season is very nearly here. I'm getting my golfing comittments established again. I like to get my membership (King's Forest in Hamilton), but since they don't have a range, I also like to have a range membership somewhere else. Without a membership, I find the ranges very expensive. Around here, it's pretty consistent that a large bucket (70-80 balls) runs $8-$9.

I hate hitting off mats, and in fact it's my belief that hitting off mats negatively impacts your golf game. So I'm willing to spend a little more to hit off grass, and I'm willing to spend a little bit more again to hit off a proper bent grass tee deck with good targets and good balls to hit.

There's a place really close to me that have a $50 membership, and then you get two-for-one balls. But in the past, he's had one week special where the membership is $25. It's real grass, but crappy balls and lousy targets. But for $25, and how close it is, I couldn't go wrong.

Anyhow, he's not offering the discounted membership, so the "price-per-crappy-ball ratio" has gone up. Realistically, I only get out to the range maybe once a week. If I go 25 times, each time I go, it costs me $2 just for my membership. So my cost per large bucket is $8 ($6 for two-for-one medium + $2 membership).

I'm considering another place that's $99 and then half price balls, but they actually have good balls, good turf, good targets, and an added bonus of a great short game area. It'll certainly cost more, but value will increase.

Long winded way of asking... what do you think a large bucket (80 balls) should cost, and under what circumstances (turf, targets, balls, short game area, proximity to where you live, etc.)?

[jvincent]

As with all things, the market is going to decide the going rate.

Around here I've seen as high as $10 for a large bucket at a place with decent grass.