Article on: The seven types of people you see at the driving range

[boogielicious]

From golfdigest.com

http://www.golfdigest.com/story/the-seven-types-of-people-you-see-at-the-driving-range

Which are you?

By Same Weinman

Among my favorites:

1. The middle management executive on his lunch break. He's got his tie tucked into his dress shirt, a fountain soda from Wendy's at his side, and he's got 20 minutes until he's back to the drudgery of conference calls and PowerPoints. Don't talk to him.

2. The Champions Tour hopeful. He gets four large buckets, situates himself in the furthest corner of the range, and works his way methodically through his bag. There's usually an alignment tool involved, maybe even a video camera, and he only breaks to towel off and for his own pre-packed lunch. Don't talk to him, either.

3. The guy who brings his girlfriend. This is usually first- or second-date material, in the idyllic stages of a relationship when he thinks she's actually interested in taking up the game (she's perfect!) and she's impressed by his 185-yard reverse-pivot drives. Flirty help with her alignment is almost always a given.

4. The guy who brings his kids. The wife is at a baby shower, and he's got the rugrats till 3. Why not share with them the game he loves? His plan is to spend the first 10 minutes teaching them proper grip pressure, but loses them after five. Before long, he's busy working on that new baby draw while his kids toy with death playing tag on the range infield.

5. The guys who are solely interested in hitting the range picker. They employ baseball-style grips and hit low screaming hooks at helpless minimum-wage range employees. Bonus points for hitting the truck on the fly, or even better, for forcing him to flee in surrender.

6. The beginner. He's wading slowly into the game unbeknownst to friends and family, and doesn't have the slightest clue what he's doing. He pulls an aluminum Spalding driver from the borrow rack, repeatedly hits the side guard of the stall when catching one off the toe, but gets the most bang for his buck by re-teeing balls he's dribbled seven feet out in front of him.

7. The lurker.  He's been there for two hours already, and is only halfway through his first bucket. Usually retired, often wearing black socks, he takes an uncomfortable interest in your game. "Is that a Callaway?" he asks. Especially chatty at the soda machine. "Saw you hit some sweet 8-irons over there," he says creepily.

[David in FL]

Funny and true, but I'm an outlier. I'm the older guy trying desperately to stretch a bit and loosen up the creaky joints before teeing off for an actual round of golf in 15 minutes. Bonus points if I get to roll a half dozen lag putts on a practice green that even remotely resembles what I'll find on the course! :-)

[RandallT]

Champions Tour hopeful here!!

Hmmm, age 50 is tantalizingly close, now that they mention it.

[isukgolf]

Sort of the champion tour guy ... no alignment tools, only a few select clubs, no video ... only 2 large buckets :-)

[Mr. Desmond]

Another category --

The past middle age wannabe in the midst of his 3rd swing change in 5 years, at the end of the range hitting a bag in 1.5 hrs, taking a swig of water mixed with bourbon in his "water" bottle so he won't take it seriously, and not saying much, but darn he hits a lot of wedges with weird drills ... before he hits mid-irons and drivers... and what is that, 3 drivers in his bag? Definitely avoid this OCD type.

[saevel25]

http://www.golfdigest.com/story/the-seven-types-of-people-you-see-at-the-driving-range

I would put none of the above :)

I am this type of driving range guy,

I try to do as much as possible with the least amount of golf balls.

[Sante TwoGloves]

none of the above for me also. i live very close to a range and lately have been ending my morning workouts there. i buy a large bucket one day but only hit 15-20 balls, then hit another 15-20 balls the next day, etc. until its time to buy again. I will take a few irons one day, then my longer clubs the next. I like to buy used clubs cheap and compare them to what I am playing with. targets and distance is my main emphasis at the range. discovered recently that i get better distance and direction with graphite shafts in my irons. i must be getting old. :)

[mcanadiens]

Four years ago, i was the beginner. None of them ring true anymore. Golf Digest must be running out of decent story ideas.

[Lihu]

Except that I'm not a Champions Tour hopeful, and now I'll have 2 cameras. I also talk to people on the range in between buckets. I probably hit only 2 to 3 buckets a day. Most of the people I know hit 4 or 5 or more buckets a day. They are the Champions Tour hopefuls. . .

I'm the opposite, I'm the guy who's kids bring him and the kids teach me how to hit the ball. They usually lose me after a bucket or two, and I start falling into bad habits and mutter to myself. . .

Actually, there's some truth to the GD article. I see this a lot at the range. . .I've seen multiple occurrences of all 7.

[Gator Hazard]

Right now I could be #6 except I had no idea I could pull clubs from a said borrow rack.  I do however try and work on things and not just blindly smack away at balls.  Recently I have been working on my foot placement, especially for longer clubs.  I have been working on my grip, and I have been working on getting forward through the swing and doing that ankle hinge kind of thing.

Grab balls that have dribbled out in front of you?  Who does that???

[Lihu]

Surprised no one noticed the ball tee-er upper dude. Looks like something you might see in Asia. Just hoping their clients don't catch one off the toe.

[rkim291968]

None of the above.  The list seems to be lame.   We should start our own list.

Me?  - Muttering, swearing, talking to self guy.

Others I've seen:

• I am dishing out free instruction guy.
• I only bring 3 sticks guy.
• I can't finish the full bucket guy.
• I am waiting on the guy who can't finish his full bucket guy.
• I am likely to hit guys next to my stall with my errant shot, flying club, broken clubhead guy.
• I like to play in the corner stall where nobody can notice my poor swing guy
• 200 mph swing guy
• I can't hit !@#$ but I look good guy

[No Mulligans]

None of the above.  The list seems to be lame.   We should start our own list. Me?  - Muttering, swearing, talking to self guy. Others I've seen: [LIST] [*] I am dishing out free instruction guy. [*] I only bring 3 sticks guy. [*] I can't finish the full bucket guy. [*] I am waiting on the guy who can't finish his full bucket guy. [*] I am likely to hit guys next to my stall with my errant shot, flying club, broken clubhead guy. [*] I like to play in the corner stall where nobody can notice my poor swing guy [*] 200 mph swing guy [*] I can't hit !@#$ but I look good guy [/LIST]

ha, I'm the can't finish a full bucket guy.

[Dave2512]

None of those but that is pretty much everyone else I see. Fortunately I am not approachable looking so I don't get much small talk on the range. I am not there long but I do notice what others do, usually try to get the spot at the very edge. I try to be cool about it but the range is typically chopped to bits so I'll take a strip of divots just the other side of the boards that form the edge of the ropes and then leave.

Many times just there waiting for a open spot to tee off between groups. Because I see all those people at the range I do my best not to join their groups. The guy grunting, making small talk and asking gear questions is far from my dream partner. And because people on the range are usually there before they play I know who to get in front of or let get out there a ways before I start. So I guess I am type 8, avoid the most of the other 7 guy. I'd be fine with Champions Tour hopeful but I only see someone serious at the range maybe once, twice a summer. If there is someone there with sticks and a camera it's me.

[DaveP043]

I'm none of those stereotypes either.  I'm the guy out there trying to groove a relaxed consistent swing, and probably chat with a few of my buddies while I'm there.  Short attention span, so I only practice for as long as it takes me to sip one beer.  40 or 50 balls, I don't count, at my club we have them in the HUGE baskets, just hit what you want.  After the beer is gone, 35 or 40 minutes, practice becomes exercise, and that's not what I'm there for.

[bubble]

I guess the Champion tour hopeful.

I do hit at lot on range and around practice greens. I do got up my bag skipping 1 club. I have a stick I use on the short game PG.

I'm not in the corner though.

[boogielicious]

@saevel25

I combined the threads.

[Duff McGee]

How on earth are some of you hitting 4 buckets?! I hope you mean small buckets. I'm pretty sweaty and tired by the end of a large bucket but I am fat I guess......