Is the driving range a waste of time?

What I usually do at the driving range is to get a sense of the effect of changing a factor in my swing.  Example: maybe I want to understand better the effect of tee height on my drives.  So I will hit a few drives with the tee quite high, then at a medium height, then quite low. This gives me a feel for the difference(s) of varying tee height. May also do that with how far or close I am standing to the ball; what happens if I set up markedly further away, or then if I am markedly much closer.  Then I can see what effect the different positions have on my result. Etc.  I almost never go to the range to just hit balls, but mainly to test out the effect of swing variables.  An exception is after I have had a long layoff: just go hit some balls to get my body to remember what it is supposed to be doing.

Much like RayG said, if you go to the range often and develop consistency you will avoid many of the trouble shots you find yourself in on the course.  If you are practicing only on the course then you probably aren't playing great golf.  How many tour plays avoid the driving range?  I don't have an answer but I'm going to go out on a limb and guess they all go to the driving range.  You can work on things at the range that would otherwise be hard on the course.

Me personally, I don't play whack a ball at the range.  I take each shot one at a time and analyze what went wrong, what went right, what I need to improve on, etc.  You can develop your game at the range better then at the course.  In addition to muscle memory practice you achieve at the range you can also gain consistency with new clubs you may have purchased.  Unless you never buy a new club, then in that case the range may be less beneficial.  I'm beginning to ramble, I think....I'm tired!!!  I think you get my point though

Is a batting cage a waste of time? Is returning the serve from a tennis ball thrower a waste of time? Is it a waste of time to punch a heavy bag?

No. It's not the same as the real thing, but it is worthwhile in many ways. The driving range is the same.

This is a great idea! I'll give this a go next time im at the range.

Yes, it's a complete waste of time. That's why professional golfers never go there.

Drills, Video, Ingraining Good Habits

It also works great if the range is crowded and you're with a friend, as is often the case here in the NYC/LI area in the early spring, or the winter if there are heated stalls. You can have a match between you, which also helps to concentrate. We will also play a version of "H-O-R-S-E" once in awhile. Hit a fade around the pole, low draw, high stopper, etc... changes things up quite a bit.

Driving range is like any other type of practice, you will get out of it what you put in.  As others have suggested, range time should be used to better understand impact of swing changes or simulate course play.  I use the same routine at the range as I do on the course so that it will eventually become automatic and not something I have to think about.   After a warm up I will play 18 as if I was on my home course, going hole by hole and picking clubs based on the distance each hole is and how far I hit each shot.

Obviously you can't simulate the shots on bad lies, in sand, under trees so you need real course practice time as well, but you can accomplish a lot on the range if your approach is right.

I think the range is fine as long as you keep calling it a PRACTICE range and not a driiving range . Use all your other clubs , then hit a few off the tee . Most of the ranges here in RI are not grass , but off mats . Those rubber "tees " are a waste , don't give you accurate height or course result .

Going to the driving range is a waste of time if all you do is just go to bash balls... If you practice properly though, it is VERY effective.

Pretty much the same thing everyone else has said. Personally I like to have a plan for what I am going to work on before I even go to the range. I need something specific to think about otherwise I am just beating balls.

I love beating balls or practicing and go to the driving/practice/beating ball range as often as the wife will let me.

The range is one of my favorite paces to be.  I try to go with a plan, something definite to work on, especially if I found a problem on my last trip to either the course or the range.  I can't often spare the 5 plus hours for a round but a couple of hours at the range, hitting balls at my own pace and varying my shots, can be both productive and, for me, relaxing.  Recently I've had a problem with consistency in where I strike the ball with my irons.  For me the best place to fix any swing problem isn't on the course but on the range where I can work toward a solution at a better pace and with more balls than I can on the course.