Best Ranges in Northeast - Northeast Golf magazine

[nevets88]

I don't know about areas outside NY and NJ, but Chelsea Piers' best aspect is its location. It's all mats, range ends at 200, crowded, loud, expensive, like Manhattan. Closter is all mats, the grass range is just a dirt patch, although kudos to them for not charging extra for it, 21 Golf is all mats too I think. Imho, you should not get a best range designation if you don't have real well manicured grass. While the top ranked range looks amazing, I don't trust this list.

[Valleygolfer]

Sagamore looked nice but I wasn't able to use it because it was closed for some reason. Hit clubs at the World cup golf center in the heated bay in the winter which was pretty nice but haven't used it in the summer. I see that Maine sux for golf as usual.

[mcanadiens]

No range can be all mats and be good, let alone the best.

Really, just give me some grass that is a reasonable approximation of the area fairways and some balls that aren't cracked half open. That will do.

[Hardspoon]

Neat - my range (Cool Springs) is #6.  They recently dumped a TON of money into the place, and everything is brand-new and top-notch.

 

#11 (Scally's) is where I went on one of the first dates ever with my now wife.  I remember it being kind of a dump, but it has a sort of cult following around the Pittsburgh area.

Edited August 23, 2018 by Hardspoon

[boogielicious]

I've been to Sun n Air and Paradise. You need to join Sun 'n Air as a member for the grass tees and bunkers. Paradise is OK, but not great. Campbell's Scottish Highlands has a decent range with bunkers in Salem, MA.

[jamo]

I used to go to Southborough, #20, all the time. If that's really the 20th best range in New England, that's kind of sad. It's very expensive, the season during which they allow you to use the grass is very short, the golf balls are quite old, and the grass tees slope pretty extremely down-range. The short game area looks nice, but it's members-only, so I haven't used it.

[nevets88]

If Closter made this list, how does Neshanic Valley not? It has a big grass range that's decently manicured. It has a short game area with bunkers and at least 70 yards of carry for wedges and another area for finesse wedges and chipping and a huge putting greens complex and 3 practice holes. 

Come on.

It's like these industry / magazine lists make it harder for folks to find a decent place to practice.

[Valleygolfer]

4 hours ago, nevets88 said:

If Closter made this list, how does Neshanic Valley not? It has a big grass range that's decently manicured. It has a short game area with bunkers and at least 70 yards of carry for wedges and another area for finesse wedges and chipping and a huge putting greens complex and 3 practice holes. 

Come on.

It's like these industry / magazine lists make it harder for folks to find a decent place to practice.

popularity contest is all most of these are and/or money paid for "advertising."

[billchao]

10 hours ago, nevets88 said:

If Closter made this list, how does Neshanic Valley not? It has a big grass range that's decently manicured. It has a short game area with bunkers and at least 70 yards of carry for wedges and another area for finesse wedges and chipping and a huge putting greens complex and 3 practice holes. 

It looks to me like the list is of places that operate solely as driving ranges and doesn't include practice facilities attached to golf courses.

[nevets88]

32 minutes ago, billchao said:

It looks to me like the list is of places that operate solely as driving ranges and doesn't include practice facilities attached to golf courses.

You're right. If a place is open to the public though, it shouldn't make a difference, should it? If a range is attached to a course, I guess there might some dress requirement restrictions.

[billchao]

24 minutes ago, nevets88 said:

You're right. If a place is open to the public though, it shouldn't make a difference, should it?

You'd have to ask the people who made the list. It's a bit limiting if you ask me, because there are some very good practice facilities attached to golf courses. Make a top 20 list specifically of driving ranges is a bit like making a list of top 20 restaurants found in mall food courts, if you get what I'm saying.

[xrayvizhen]

Here's my complete review of the northern and central NJ ranges that I'm most familiar with.

I have recently discovered and become a fan of the Neshanic Valley Learning Center. It's on the property of the golf course but set well away from it with a Callaway Performance Center and a separate parking lot as part of the complex. It has a very nice and very large grass hitting area and separate greens and traps for short game practice. When super wet, like has happened recently, they protect the grass driving range area by not allowing anyone on it, making you hit from the strip of mats they also have and so the grass area is usually in pretty good condition. They have daily passes with unlimited balls and season passes or you can just buy a bucket from the dispenser.

Black Bear GC,  in Sussex County, NJ has a couple of different kinds of monthly & season range plans that allow you an unlimited number of balls with access to their grass hitting area that's maintained in golf course condition. It's set on the opposite end of the regular range with the mats. You need to buy a plan to hit from that area (it also has traps and target greens for chipping and pitching), otherwise you can use the regular range that is only good for a quick warm-up before playing a round on the course.

Randolph, NJ is probably the only small town on the face of the earth with two driving ranges. Both are crap. The Mt. Freedom Range has mostly mats but it does have a very small grass area that's infested with weeds and is hardly mowed. It's only good if you want to learn to hit out of crappy lies. The other one, The Clubhouse Golf Center is just mats.

Finally, Newton Driving Range used to have a pristine grass hitting area but might have come under new ownership because it's becoming decrepit, or at least just not being kept up as nicely as it used to. I don't think the bucket of water used for wiping down the heads of your irons has ever been poured out and refilled with clean water. God knows what's growing in that thing.

I am not going to drive hours just to go to a range so I don't know anything about any of the places that the northeast.golf site listed but if a driving range doesn't have good quality fairway grass, to me it's not worth going to.

Edited August 24, 2018 by xrayvizhen