Practice fairway - how well do you have it?

[killerduck]

I just thought it ask the question, because I've been reading a lot on this forum about people with range memberships and range deals with their club memberships etc.

At my humble 9 hole course here in South Australia, we are 'blessed' with a run-down old cricket oval that allows anyone, up to maybe 20 people, to bring their own balls and spend as long as they like hitting anything from 8-6I across the field, to maybe 51-3W if you go diagonally across the field.

Many courses in my area have no practice fairway at all, while some have practice fairways that are literally old fairways. ie - 15 metres wide, leaving very little space for those warming up before a comp round.

What are your clubs facilities? I think this would be an interesting topic.

We also have a practice green with space for chipping, but it must be the worst one in the WORLD!!! It is SO thick with Kikuyu grass, it is largely useless. Good thing our actual greens are pretty good!

[andef]

I'm happy to say that the course I play at has the best facilities in my area. We have a 300 meter range that is about 120 meters wide. On the side which is closer to the clubhouse we have mats, enough for 35 people. On both sides of the mats we have a bunker and a small chipping green. Around the clubhouse we have two putting greens and a chipping green.
On the side which is further away (and runs parallel to the 10th hole) we have about 20 mats but from april-november we are able to hit off actual grass. on this side we have two big putting greens, a chipping green, another chipping green with two bunkers and rough and a 100 meters and in pitching area. we also have a nine hole course 100 meters from this practice area.

[James_Black]

We have a practice hole (around 150 yards long)
2 practice greens. 1 for putting 1 for chipping.

And a automated driving range (the balls tee themselves up) with 20 bays and 5 grass bays.

Pretty good facilities.

[Fourputt]

After reading the OP's situation, I feel blessed. My home course has a grass range (with mats for winter) that is at least 100 yards wide. I've never counted, but there must be at least 50 stations, none automated I don't really get that. Part of my practice routine is to play as if I'm on the course, so automatic tees would be a wasted cost with no return in my opinion. The range does not have any greens on it, but it is well marked for distances, and it's about 290 yards deep. We replace all of the range balls annually.

On one end of the range (not part of the range itself) is a lesson tee with it's own short game green. There is room for as many as a half dozen lessons to be conducted simultaneously there. On the other end of the range is a chipping area with two target greens, and bunker between them. You can practice up to about 50 yard pitch shots there. Adjacent to the 1st tees of the Executive 9 and the Championship course is a large putting green. We have 3 courses - the above mentioned Executive 9 (par 31), a 9 hole Par 3 course with holes from 80 to 195 yards, and the par 72 Championship course.

I also have 2 other courses nearby with very good practice facilities, including good short game areas, so there is always some place close to home for me to work on my chipping.

[billysandy]

We have a private grass range open to green fee payers and members only, so there aren't any people just rolling up and taking up space.

[Shanks A Million]

We have a range, all grass, real golf balls. The range has about 40 positions it can be placed in, from front to back (so the yardage markers are only right in one of the 40 spots), so the grass is always regrown by the time it's reused. We also having a chipping area with a bunker, and a putting green as well.

[James_Black]

We have a range, all grass, real golf balls. The range has about 40 positions it can be placed in, from front to back (so the yardage markers are only right in one of the 40 spots), so the grass is always regrown by the time it's reused. We also having a chipping area with a bunker, and a putting green as well.

what do you mean by real golf balls?

[Shanks A Million]

what do you mean by real golf balls?

Most ranges use limited flight balls, often one peice, very cheap. My practice facility uses actual golf balls. They obtain them from the water hazards and donations of old balls. Most of the balls are Titleist and Top Flite, though you can find nearly every type of ball you want, from Callaway HX Tours to Srixon Z Stars, and anything in between. The nice thing is, the distance on the range is nearly equal to the distance on the course. There is some distance loss from the fact that many of the balls are old, but other than that, you lose maybe 5-10 yards.

[Fourputt]

Most ranges use limited flight balls, often one peice, very cheap. My practice facility uses actual golf balls. They obtain them from the water hazards and donations of old balls. Most of the balls are Titleist and Top Flite, though you can find nearly every type of ball you want, from Callaway HX Tours to Srixon Z Stars, and anything in between. The nice thing is, the distance on the range is nearly equal to the distance on the course. There is some distance loss from the fact that many of the balls are old, but other than that, you lose maybe 5-10 yards.

Our range doesn't use limited flight balls. I've actually never seen an outdoor range that did. Closest thing I've seen to that are those which use floating balls hit out into a lake. Ours are simply cheap balls made for durability so that they survive all the pounding they receive during a year on the range.

I forgot to mention in my first post... my home facility is not a private club. We are a public, property with 3 courses, run by a county parks and recreational district. Very well run, I might add.

[DaSportsGuy]

The range nearest me is all grass cut same length as fairways. It has two levels and can fit up to 40 or 50. Not even the longest hitters can hit it too far for the range to hold.

[Shanks A Million]

Our range doesn't use limited flight balls. I've actually never seen an outdoor range that did. Closest thing I've seen to that are those which use floating balls hit out into a lake. Ours are simply cheap balls made for durability so that they survive all the pounding they receive during a year on the range.

Yeah, those are still range balls though. What I mean is, these aren't "range" balls, floaters, etc. They are actual golf balls, ProV1s, DT SoLo, TriSped, HX-Hot, etc. I've only been to a few ranges that have that. Disney is another, they have all NXT, DT Carry and DT Roll balls.

[Fourputt]

Yeah, those are still range balls though. What I mean is, these aren't "range" balls, floaters, etc. They are actual golf balls, ProV1s, DT SoLo, TriSped, HX-Hot, etc. I've only been to a few ranges that have that. Disney is another, they have all NXT, DT Carry and DT Roll balls.

The way I look at it, if it isn't the ball I use on the course, then it's just a range ball, regardless of the name on it. A mixture of "lost" balls would actually give more inconsistent feedback than regular range balls. At least I know that range balls are all going to react pretty much the same, shot for shot. For short game practice I never use anything but the balls I use on the course.