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If you were going to build a simple 1 tier, 30 cubicle driving range, what would you like to see included in the construction (Sand traps, Putting Greens, Accurate Yardage Markers, Elevated Greens with Flags, Targets etc.....) Any suggestions would be muchly appreciated.....
could it be that one of our guys is opening up his own driving range?
my advice is make sure you get good grass tees! not that uneven thick stuff you see everywhere else... and proper distance markers...
A good short game area! A good putting green, sand trap, chipping green, and a pitching area. I spend a lot of time at Kevin Haimes' and the Orleans range (where the Chuck Brown store was) simply for their short game areas. I can practice ball striking at just about any other range.
Unforunately, I would imagine the best margins for a golf driving range are for mat stations (no upkeep required) where the "civilians" (as opposed to die hard golfers) will spend their money as well.
grass tees a good 30 yards deep. Split into 6 5 yard slivers so you can rotate the hitting area quite regularly and have people hitting off of grass, not dirt :) And of course if the hitting area is going to move up and down over a 30 yard spread, make sure to have yardages posted for each sliver.
Also, it's way more fun to hit to a green (just anything shaped to look like a green) as opposed to markers, makes judging your shot a lot easier
A beer cart? (sorry Del, couldn't resist) :-)
Good grass tee areas, with no STONES underneath (taking chunks out of forged irons on the range does not make paying customers happy :grumpy: )
Good range balls, not those ones that are rated at only 80% of the flight of a normal golf ball (Srixon's come to mind, the range at my course uses them)
Accurate Yardage markers. Meaning on your tee deck if it is deep enough the yardage could vary by 5-10 yards from front to back. So put your yardage markers at 50,75,100,125,150,175,200,225,250 and for Geoff & "RICHARD you need the 300 yard marker :-) (in case you have not heard, those guys are deeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep :lmfao )
On the tee deck you have a sign stating where the exact yardages on those signs are measured from. IE, front of the deck, middle or back edge. That way people know how far they are hitting shots. When trying to dial in short irons it is important to know exactly how far a 1/2, 3/4 or full swing with a 56* wedge, etc flies.
Small greens at the shorter yardage markers are a bonus too.
If you have room a small bunker off to the side would be great, as long as it has good sand in it, with good drainage underneath. Plus a small green to chip too.
Bag stands of course, and a bucket of clean water with soap in it at every station. (Keep it filled with clean water too)
Along with a soft bristle brush for club cleaning.
Little items like that make your range Top End.
Last but not least, garbage cans, benches, a pop/water vending machine close by. I would even put out buckets with sand in them for the guys who still smoke, so you don't have butts laying all over the place, and I would put a sign up asking people to
"Please Use The Buckets Of Sand To Butt Out In. Thank You."
(Funny how much you notice that after you quit smoking ;) )
I have been on some high end ranges and low end ranges. To me the most important issue at any range are the balls. As long as the balls are in decent shape I am happy. No range will ever have the exact balls that people play, due to costs. Sure I would love to have NXT Tours at the range at my course, but it just isn't going to happen! :laughing:
If you are thinking about opening your own range then Good Luck, I wish you all the best. If there is a need for a range in your area then you should do well.
Keep the ideas coming guys, I've had this idea in the back of my mind since the last time I retired. I find driving ranges and golf domes just plain boring. Their distance markers if there are any are anything but accurate. The domes have ideal conditions for this time of the year, but they do nothing to help you with a slice you've been working on, your shot ends up hitting the back wall long before a slice would have even happened. Driving ranges don't provide any kind of challenge, your just hitting balls at the moon as far as I'm concerned. I forsee a driving range where you can simulate chipping and pitching to what looks like a green, and a flag to try and snuggle up to. I want accurate distance lines, measured from the center of each platform/cubicle. I want targets both close in (50yd) and a long way off (150/200 yrd). I want another simulated green at the 250 yd mark for those people who want to crank it. A putting green is an absolute must. A smaller green with sand traps to chip out of. And now a lot more good ideas are coming to light. Keep em coming please.....
you should cover the mat area for the winters and for the rain with like an overhang and put massive industrial heaters up so people can practice in the winter. like being in a warm dome but actually seeing your shot go out to a field... and if you wanna put heaters in the ground too so all the snow melts on top eisier to drive a cart over and pick up all the balls.... haha you got a million bucks to spare eh :P
If it were me I'd just make a shot game / putting range. Pitching greens, chipping greens, putting greens and a number of green like targets placed 60 to 110 yards out. I can bang balls anywhere, but finding a place to work on your short game is difficult. Haime has the right idea, but on much to small a scale IMO.
One thing I forgot in my other post and this is very very important.
Face the range to the EAST if at all possible.
Reason for that is most of your range use will come after supper in the summer months. Looking into the sun when hitting balls sucks. The local range here, faced the west. It was brutal trying to follow the ball after supper. Doesn't matter now, the city decided they needed an industrial road through that piece of property.
I agree with having the target greens for short irons. However you still need to be able to accomadate the "Bombers" who come to the range for one thing only. To tee it up and rip it, no matter what direction it goes :lmfao
Wont' that affect the morning sessions? I find range facing north is also great (Orleans range), not sure if the glare might bother the lefties...Quote:
Originally Posted by Golfbum
Also make it kids friendly. My 3 and 7 years old love the putting green, but when it come to hitting irons on the range, after 10 minutes it's like pulling teeth. Seriously, if you have enough land, put some sort of enclosed artificial green for kids or with some minimal supervision, I'm sure many fathers will agree, and your concession sales will increase. What I'm saying is in addition to take kids to Cosmic Adventure playground, it would be nice to have season membership to family friendly range where a daddy could spent quality times with his kids and improve his game. Just my 2 cents :thumbsup :-)
Raising the tee boxs just a little so you can see the landing distance would help.
Ben Hogan once said something along the lines of 'practice with either a head wind or tail wind - never a cross wind'.Quote:
Originally Posted by Golfbum
________
KAWASAKI KD125
Which of course makes perfect sense. Cross winds change your ball flight dramatically.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gapwedge
However you can not always situate your range to face the wind.
So IMO you face it facing east if possible. That eliminates the sun in your eyes after supper.
The Range at my course faces east. It is a pain early in the morning when we play on weekends. Other than that it is fine. The wind could be blowing from the north, south, east or west or any combination of the above! Toss the grass and that is what you get!;)
I always like to hit balls into a headwind. It will exagerate ball flight flaws. It is amazing how well a flush hit ball will travel into the wind. I agree on the cross wind thing - very tough to tell what is causing the ball to move when it draws or fades (but hooks and slices are still operator error:confused ).Quote:
Originally Posted by Gapwedge
Given all of that I would personally like a range aimed to the north or north-west to get the strong prevailing winds in your face plus minimize the sun issues at dawn and dusk.
Really want to thank those who submitted ideas. I did not appreciate the scope of what seems like such a simple endeavour. Things like (grass, astro turf, sand, wind, sunset/sunrise, water, lighting, drainage, land, city regs). All these things require further investigation, but I've got a knot in my shorts for a "Practice Facility" as apposed to a "Whack It" driving range. Again thanks, if you've got any other good ideas keep em coming......