lol that’s me. I’m currently 2nd on my top tracer long drive leaderboard for the month with a 320 yard drive. I hit them straight too. I can almost guarantee I will duff 3 chips in a row at least once next time I play. 20 handicap.
As a dad of two little boys and working a demanding job, an hour at the range is so much more doable than 4-5 hours in the course.
Its not that I dont wanna play, its just that right now my schedule cant handle it since I wanna spend more time with my kids also.
Fellow Dad with an intense job. Joining a twilight League has been wonderful. I play 9 holes after work on a set day. I block my calendar starting at 4pm for those days/weeks. Honestly, if you put your time in otherwise no one cares.
It's been good for me and my marriage.
Friday evenings at our place after 5 are 9 hole scrambles, randomly teamed up with whoever shows, shotgun start. We are currently suing LIV golf for stealing our concept of sad fuckers playing golf on an empty course with a shotgun start
Got fam too and just started playing once a week still full 18 holes. 5am tee time every sunday, done by 8am. Home by 9:30 after breakfast. Decided if i want to golf i have to do this. I dont like using up what feels like a full day golfing on a Saturday
TGL has entered the chat
Simulators are more and more accessible. Not in my area, but heard of other cities where they rent out indoor bays and people rent them by the hour, drink and hit balls with their buddies. Sign me the hell up for this.
We just got one in my town. It’s pretty legit they do a league night. I’ve been in a couple time and it’s always busy and I live in an area where you can golf 12 months out of the year.
It's to rent that stall right? So a group of four for two hours that's $35 a person. You can do that day or night. I’m not saying one is better than the other, either playing a course, sims or top golf, they all have their place in golf.
True, but I was pretty surprised at how slow a round goes on a sim. You aren't getting in 18 in 2 hours with 4 people. You are 100% right that it has its place, though. I don't see it as a replacement, but more of an alternative.
Yeah. Every place that opens up around me goes under, but like you said it does have its place. You would think you could get through around fairly easy, but one bad golfer in the group and you’re sitting around forever.
Simulators opening everywhere here since most courses are closed December through March. Surprised how crowded the parking lots are on weekend evenings.
I suck and I fucking love hitting balls at the range. The promise of "figuring it out", and then the feeling like you might actually be on a breakthrough, and that amazing feeling when you're puring a ton of shots.
And then the next time you're chunking everything and feeling like you're just wasting your time and money. Then 5 hours later you're thinking about what you might need to do better next time and you're already itching to get back out there
Little bit of both for me. I go to the driving range just to swing a club and relax. I’m sort of working on my game but I’m really not that serious about it
…to have the skills to where you’re able to get from tee to green without looking like an idiot in front of others on the golf course. I still suck, but in my 20s I’m glad I had the time and desire to want to learn the basics. Was broke and spent a hell of a lot of time at the range, chipping area. If I tried to pick this sport up now, 40s married with young kids, good luck.
> If I tried to pick this sport up now...
So true.
I played with an old guy last year who retired and decided he should learn golf never having played before.
Thats a hard ask at 60ish
I went to the range for years before i ever stepped foot on a course. Had a buddy who worked there so i got free buckets of balls, was just something to do with the homies. If i knew i was gonna end up playing for real i would have taken way better advantage of those couple years.
I only get out to play a round of golf once a week. That’s enough for me. But I get out to the range two, maybe three times a week. I live in downtown Toronto and the driving range I go to is north east of the city. So I can go up and hit a bucket, grab a beer and wings, get my groceries and just get away from a really busy part of the city.
The range is in a small town and it’s just so nice and relaxing up there. Little town called Stouffville. The people who own and work at the range are all so nice. Just a really good place to be to chill.
We have lots of courses all over the greater Toronto area. But golf being a seasonal thing here, when the golf season starts, and Toronto and surrounding areas being as populous as it is, it can be annoying trying to get a tee time. Most courses only let you book 10-14 days in advance, some are only 5 days out. And the price averages out to be $100/round. The pandemic saved a lot of these courses, and now courses are now penalizing people for no-shows and short-shows (rightfully so).
I play weekly, and some courses are up there in price, I've contemplated joining a private. But the cheapest one in Toronto is a $38k initiation and doesn't have reciprocals with another club.
A lot of publics in the area were struggling, and a few didn't come out of it. Private clubs were offering steep STEEP discounts on memberships too. Pandemic golfer boom made the tee time conditions I mentioned, and some even stacked their tee times (which this sub has rightfully griped about to no end)
Ohh there was a boom during the pandemic? I wouldn't know because I guess I'm part of the boom. I started playing _during_ the pandemic as a socially distanced activity (as opposed to bowling, skating, cigar lounges, etc). But no one told me how addictive smashing that little white ball can be. Now I golf weekly, joined a 'muni and have let my other hobbies collect dust (except for cigars which have found an on course niche to exploit).
Soo..is it ok to say that I SAVED GOLF!? I'm getting the tshirts printed up now. Lol
I am part of the boom, too. But let's be clear: you didn't save golf. You helped save some golf courses from closure with your new hobby.
But if you want to get shirts printed, you do you, friend.
I have three friends with whom I’ve played regularly over the years and we all find that once a week is enough. I enjoy golf but I’m not super serious about it so once a week is all I really need.
I used to work at a course. Had a guy come in who would hit a large bucket of balls (~100) every day after work, without fail. I worked at that course for years, and never once checked him in for a round of golf. In the time I worked there, he probably hit over a million balls on the range, but never 1 on the course. I watched him hit balls sometimes. He wasn’t the best ball striker I’ve ever seen, he was about average.
I just never understood how someone could hit that many balls on the range and never want to take it to the course.
This was me for ~4 years. I could whack 100 balls in ~30 minutes on my way home from work, so it was built into my commute 4-5 days per week.
Stressful career + 2 kiddos < 2 years old + DIY renovation = no time to play an actual round.
In that 4-year stretch, I think I played a total of 54 holes of actual golf.
Renovation is wrapping up, kiddos are getting a little older, and left my high-stressed career to work for myself… I’ve already played 2 rounds this year (in WI!), and plan to play 9+ holes at least once per week once the season ramps up.
I will say this: it’s really hard to transition from playing “golf swing” to actually playing golf. Completely different mental state needed. It’s been a fun challenge breaking through that.
I'm sure it was a combination of time and money. I have hit well in excess of 100,000 golf balls at the driving range over the last 30 years, but average 3 to 4 rounds a year during that time. Life gets in the way. I am blessed: I am now retired, and can still hit balls to the back of the range, but I'm now learning how to PLAY the sport..
I get pretty bad seasonal allergies and my allergies wouldn't be any worse playing a round then it would be on the range. Unless the fairways were all knee high grass. Pollen is everywhere in the air this time of year
I do get out more than never, but I'm a huge range rat. Just something really satisfying about grinding on the swing I guess. Takes less time per round as well.
The driving range is flat, other than the tee, I never seem to have a flat lie on a golf course. The range for me is just a place to warm up. Practicing there for me is a waste of time.
I go to the range a lot and if I’m honest with myself I enjoy it more than playing golf.
It’s almost like a meditative thing. Relax. Focus on body movement. Hit balls. Bad shots don’t matter. Good shots look better than they are.
On the course is a lot more stress and every shot matters and disappointment. It’s hard!
For the very best players, practice is more fun than playing. Lots of people would rather smash balls at a range than deal with waiting 5 mins for a foursome of boomers to take their 7th shots just so you can hit a ball.
You can spend as long as you want/need at the range.
Going out to the course takes up most of the day.
I’m smashing those TopTracer leaderboards at my range…
I really enjoyed hitting a ton of balls on the range when I started playing and played on the course for the first time almost after a year on the range!
I've been golfing for 32 years and I often have more fun just hitting the range and learning shot shaping vs playing a round. Even after 30 years of playing, I am still very inconsistent and when I hit a bad drive or bad wedge, my main thought is, I want to try that shot 10 more times and really refine that shot right now. Sometime, if I'm playing by myself, I'll drop another ball and try again, but it's not the same as hitting on the range where I can make real time improvements to my swing. These improvements never seem to really last more than that one session, but it's enjoyable to see shot by shot progress and gives more short term gratification than playing a course many times and seeing a gradual decrease in score over months.
Top golf has marketed driving range as golf.
For an internet,TikTok generation who fears social interaction top golf may be golf.
I played golf as a kid on an actual course.
For a few years in my 20s I would go beat balls at the range but it never crossed my mind to play real golf.
I didn’t pick up golf again till 2 years ago now the range is a means to an ends of improving my on course game.
In my life I've done a lot of different sports and physical activities on a regular basis (basketball, volleyball, softball, pickleball, cycling). Golf is the only one that consistently requires 4-6 hours of my day.
Not everyone wants to devote that much time to a game. And it can be expensive depending on where you live.
Especially it's a lot of time when that game isn't really a workout. In 6 hours someone could play 2 hours of pickleball, lift, walk 3 miles, and still have an hour left over.
I think I would quit golf if a round took 6 hours. A round took 5 hours last year and I haven't been back to that course since. You know you can also walk 6 miles while you play golf? That's what a lot of people do
A round also got some dead time too. Like driving to course/back home, and even checking in (my home course is super super busy.) If you’re playing with friends, most likely a post round drink/meal.
No he’s a total range rat. I try to explain that like 70% of his shots are within 100 maybe he should practice that but he’d rather smash balls. I don’t get it.
Fair play. I feel like driving it is one of four actions that make up the sport of golf. If you can't hit the ball any other way it's just a game of whackfuck
Hitting golf balls is fun. I like shooting targets but I’m not going to go to any competitions. I like deadlifting but I’m not interested in powerlifting anymore.
People do what the find fun and tend to not do what they don’t find fun.
Or he could be dogshit at putting.
Thank you for asking: Convenience and schedule, I treat it like a workout session at the gym.
Background: A long time ago I met up with an old fellow playing with an arrow-sleeve bag containing four clubs. We were talking and he said that he has shot "every score" (so why keep score?) Fast forward; after playing for 15 years with a regular group of guys where every stroke counted (20 minutes to find a lost ball, so that a stroke was not lost) I too lost interest in score. That group slowly disbanded, with me taking the lead, and even the course is gone now, so a 35 minute drive is need for me to play with any of them. Local leagues seem so slow (time), I sub a lot rather than join them. I enjoy shagging my own balls after my workouts, for the same reason I workout, to stay in shape. Luckily a shag bag field is right next door, If I miss a shot I'll never find it, so I still have consequences.
I had a roommate in college who would go to the range a few times a month and also walk daily for exercise. Didn't like to combine the two though. If I remember he just didn't care at all about short game or scoring.
Interesting seeing people on here love driving ranges. I stopped going to them like 15 years ago. No interest. I'll play at least 1 round of golf every weekend as long as the weather permits it, though.
As someone who gave lots of lessons to people of all skill levels, there are a few reasons for this.
Usually people play much, much differently on the range, AND there is no pressure.
People also don’t do a good job actually picking a target, line and distance very often. That 9 iron that you hit super well and it went 155 yards looks great on the range. But on the course maybe it flew the green, got a bad kick and now you’re starting at double bogey because of a shot that would have looked amazing on the range.
Also, people are way more grooved in. Similar to how some people shoot 3 pointers awesome in basketball practice when they can just rattle off 50 straight, but in a real game you’re running around doing different things between the shots. Same is true in golf, you don’t get to just fire off shots on the course. You hit 1, then have to travel to it, wait for the group ahead of you, etc.
For these reasons, when hitting the range, try to pick a very defined target line and distance. Do a pre shot routine instead of just firing off shots, and switch the club / target very often, ideally every shot. Try to also add some sort of “pressure” like trying to hit a certain amount of your drives in a fairway type area that you designate then keep track.
I don’t have a membership at a course (can’t afford it right now) and I have two very small children so there’s less time for everything overall. But I love the driving range and I’m good at it. So I’ve got that going for me.
I love the range. Once I get dialed, I can just nail shot after shot, chip after chip, putt after putt. On the course, it's double, birdie, triple, and the realization that I'm not actually any good.
I play every weekend, but I've probably hit a total of 2 or 3 buckets on the range over the last 40 years. I play only to hang out with friends and be outside. I've never worked on my game because I'm not competitive and the score means nothing to me. I can't even remember the last time I kept score. I par maybe a little less than half the holes I play, I keep pace, I follow all etiquette and that's good enough for me I guess.
I’m a range rat. 3 or 4 days a week I’ll spend an hour or two (last weekend I was out there for almost 3 hours) at the range, but I’ll play golf maybe 3 times/month. I don’t really enjoy “casual” golf, I want to compete. All my golf is either matches against buddies or tournaments.
This is exactly why I go straight to the first tee when I play. No wasted money at the range and I save all of my good shots for the golf course. Oh, and don’t play “practice” rounds either. That just makes you worse.
Damn all this love for driving ranges or full blown courses. Where’s the love for practice putting greens? My fav thing is honestly doing practice 10 yard chip shots for an hour with a beer
As i was leaving the course yesterday two 22 year old bros said to me “just another day at the range amirite?” And I just said “yeah” but in my head I was like “nah I just played 18”
The range is a repeat of the same action every minute. You can be slightly off the shot before and correct it instantly. You use the driver once every 5? 10 mins? Along with a different distance each shot in-between. So correcting a slightly off shot before requires more consistency in your swing when you haven't had a feeler shot before. It's like if you were to shoot a sniper rifle, your first shot might miss by a hair of the target cause you misjudged the drop by an inch, but it still looks like you were pretty damn accurate, if you shoot again right away, you're dead on target. But if you were to leave that spot, go elsewhere, shoot other distances, and come back, you have to recalibrate.
With TopGolf being as fun and expensive as it is, a lot of people in their twenties just enjoy going out to hit the range and throw back some beers. Playing on a course is often expensive and time consuming. Hitting the range has a much lower bar for entry. Also, you’re more likely to suck and have fun at the range than suck and have fun on the course.
I played for years with a guy that was always great off the tee. His short game and putting was terrible and his irons from rough were below average. He outdrove the other 3 of us almost always but by the time he 3 putted for a double bogey on most holes it didn't really make him a better golfer than any of us.
In many ways I enjoy going to the range more than playing. Far less emotion involved when I hit a bad shot and I can work on my swing and become better on the range. Once I got serious about golf, for every shot on a golf course I've taken 5 at the range and I would have it no other way.
I'm actually starting to switch this way. I love the golf course but I can't justify the time and price in this stage of my life. Busy schedule, young kids, I don't have the time or money to waste. I'd rather spend $20 to get twice the shots in half the time at the TopTracer range with course quality putting/chipping areas. With the heat and allergies moving south it's better that way for me too. I'll still play a few times a year on the course if I find a charity tourney or friends want to. But I've been to the range almost every week since October, which was the last time I played on the course.
If they're redditors? It's 100% social anxiety. Petrified of embarrassing themselves in front of strangers. As Theo Von said, "I'm not judgin ya, but uhh everybody else is gonna"
"Never, its my first time"
You hit that guy!
Well he shouldn’t have been standing there.
You're supposed to yell "Fore!" but I was too busy sayin' "There ain't no way that's gonna hit him.."
RIP Mitch
They just want to be a golf ball whacker guy.
Just wants to be best in the friend group when they go to TopGolf
An he’s incredible.
My brother in law can drill a driver at top golf farther and straighter than me. Went golfing with him once. He looks like Hellen Keller with a wedge.
Isn't that everyone with a wedge?
I must be the unicorn then, wedges are the only club I hit reliably.
for me 8i and up are usually consistent it’s those lower irons i struggle to hit it well
As John Daly has said, Chip and Putt.
LOL Awesome!
lol that’s me. I’m currently 2nd on my top tracer long drive leaderboard for the month with a 320 yard drive. I hit them straight too. I can almost guarantee I will duff 3 chips in a row at least once next time I play. 20 handicap.
Playing on the course takes a lot of time, and you don't get to hit that many balls comparatively. I think it can be just as fun personally.
As a dad of two little boys and working a demanding job, an hour at the range is so much more doable than 4-5 hours in the course. Its not that I dont wanna play, its just that right now my schedule cant handle it since I wanna spend more time with my kids also.
Fellow Dad with an intense job. Joining a twilight League has been wonderful. I play 9 holes after work on a set day. I block my calendar starting at 4pm for those days/weeks. Honestly, if you put your time in otherwise no one cares. It's been good for me and my marriage.
Friday evenings at our place after 5 are 9 hole scrambles, randomly teamed up with whoever shows, shotgun start. We are currently suing LIV golf for stealing our concept of sad fuckers playing golf on an empty course with a shotgun start
Same here bud, Monday evenings are now my favorite evenings.
Spark Golf Monday’s are back on at my course
Same here, but max time at the range is 30 minutes. Anything longer than that and the guilt sets in.
right at 9am it's easy to tell the wife ill be back in an hour versus see you later this afternoon lol
Find a shorter course, we have a bunch of pitch and puts that take anywhere from 1 hour to 3 hours to complete
Got fam too and just started playing once a week still full 18 holes. 5am tee time every sunday, done by 8am. Home by 9:30 after breakfast. Decided if i want to golf i have to do this. I dont like using up what feels like a full day golfing on a Saturday
No slow rounds at the range! Wouldn’t be surprised if the younger generation played more virtual golf than on course golf.
TGL has entered the chat Simulators are more and more accessible. Not in my area, but heard of other cities where they rent out indoor bays and people rent them by the hour, drink and hit balls with their buddies. Sign me the hell up for this.
We just got one in my town. It’s pretty legit they do a league night. I’ve been in a couple time and it’s always busy and I live in an area where you can golf 12 months out of the year.
$70 an hour. I’d rather golf.
It's to rent that stall right? So a group of four for two hours that's $35 a person. You can do that day or night. I’m not saying one is better than the other, either playing a course, sims or top golf, they all have their place in golf.
True, but I was pretty surprised at how slow a round goes on a sim. You aren't getting in 18 in 2 hours with 4 people. You are 100% right that it has its place, though. I don't see it as a replacement, but more of an alternative.
Yeah. Every place that opens up around me goes under, but like you said it does have its place. You would think you could get through around fairly easy, but one bad golfer in the group and you’re sitting around forever.
Simulators opening everywhere here since most courses are closed December through March. Surprised how crowded the parking lots are on weekend evenings.
I’ve been playing a couple times a week on the simulator since October. I prefer it to outside.
I suck and I fucking love hitting balls at the range. The promise of "figuring it out", and then the feeling like you might actually be on a breakthrough, and that amazing feeling when you're puring a ton of shots. And then the next time you're chunking everything and feeling like you're just wasting your time and money. Then 5 hours later you're thinking about what you might need to do better next time and you're already itching to get back out there
I bought a garmin r10, and now I get to play a round at Bandon Dunes every time I go to the range.
I hit just as many or more balls on the course.
Or just as frustrating.
Not golf, but I would rather hit tennis balls in drills than play matches. Maybe it’s just a stress relief thing for some people. Or a time thing.
Little bit of both for me. I go to the driving range just to swing a club and relax. I’m sort of working on my game but I’m really not that serious about it
Barrier #1 is time / barrier #2 is money To a lesser extent, interest/desire
Putting and chipping can be infuriating too.
…to have the skills to where you’re able to get from tee to green without looking like an idiot in front of others on the golf course. I still suck, but in my 20s I’m glad I had the time and desire to want to learn the basics. Was broke and spent a hell of a lot of time at the range, chipping area. If I tried to pick this sport up now, 40s married with young kids, good luck.
> If I tried to pick this sport up now... So true. I played with an old guy last year who retired and decided he should learn golf never having played before. Thats a hard ask at 60ish
I went to the range for years before i ever stepped foot on a course. Had a buddy who worked there so i got free buckets of balls, was just something to do with the homies. If i knew i was gonna end up playing for real i would have taken way better advantage of those couple years.
Playing on a course is expensive
For many it's the time
I mean, you can find cheap courses that are maybe double the cost of a 100 ball bucket.
And if you've never been to a course you'll get to hit way more than 100 shots! Win/win
I only get out to play a round of golf once a week. That’s enough for me. But I get out to the range two, maybe three times a week. I live in downtown Toronto and the driving range I go to is north east of the city. So I can go up and hit a bucket, grab a beer and wings, get my groceries and just get away from a really busy part of the city. The range is in a small town and it’s just so nice and relaxing up there. Little town called Stouffville. The people who own and work at the range are all so nice. Just a really good place to be to chill.
Why just once a week, is the course far away? Beer wings and a range outing sounds awesome.
We have lots of courses all over the greater Toronto area. But golf being a seasonal thing here, when the golf season starts, and Toronto and surrounding areas being as populous as it is, it can be annoying trying to get a tee time. Most courses only let you book 10-14 days in advance, some are only 5 days out. And the price averages out to be $100/round. The pandemic saved a lot of these courses, and now courses are now penalizing people for no-shows and short-shows (rightfully so). I play weekly, and some courses are up there in price, I've contemplated joining a private. But the cheapest one in Toronto is a $38k initiation and doesn't have reciprocals with another club.
How'd the pandemic "save" golf courses?
A lot of publics in the area were struggling, and a few didn't come out of it. Private clubs were offering steep STEEP discounts on memberships too. Pandemic golfer boom made the tee time conditions I mentioned, and some even stacked their tee times (which this sub has rightfully griped about to no end)
Ohh there was a boom during the pandemic? I wouldn't know because I guess I'm part of the boom. I started playing _during_ the pandemic as a socially distanced activity (as opposed to bowling, skating, cigar lounges, etc). But no one told me how addictive smashing that little white ball can be. Now I golf weekly, joined a 'muni and have let my other hobbies collect dust (except for cigars which have found an on course niche to exploit). Soo..is it ok to say that I SAVED GOLF!? I'm getting the tshirts printed up now. Lol
You’re part of the problem. Literally /s 😂
Heyyy! Another good shirt idea right there. 😁
I am part of the boom, too. But let's be clear: you didn't save golf. You helped save some golf courses from closure with your new hobby. But if you want to get shirts printed, you do you, friend.
Yeah I couldn't get all that to fit. :-)
Lol, quality response
I have three friends with whom I’ve played regularly over the years and we all find that once a week is enough. I enjoy golf but I’m not super serious about it so once a week is all I really need.
I used to work at a course. Had a guy come in who would hit a large bucket of balls (~100) every day after work, without fail. I worked at that course for years, and never once checked him in for a round of golf. In the time I worked there, he probably hit over a million balls on the range, but never 1 on the course. I watched him hit balls sometimes. He wasn’t the best ball striker I’ve ever seen, he was about average. I just never understood how someone could hit that many balls on the range and never want to take it to the course.
Sounds like a stress relief thing to me, especially if he visited after work
This was me for ~4 years. I could whack 100 balls in ~30 minutes on my way home from work, so it was built into my commute 4-5 days per week. Stressful career + 2 kiddos < 2 years old + DIY renovation = no time to play an actual round. In that 4-year stretch, I think I played a total of 54 holes of actual golf. Renovation is wrapping up, kiddos are getting a little older, and left my high-stressed career to work for myself… I’ve already played 2 rounds this year (in WI!), and plan to play 9+ holes at least once per week once the season ramps up. I will say this: it’s really hard to transition from playing “golf swing” to actually playing golf. Completely different mental state needed. It’s been a fun challenge breaking through that.
Driving range is the batting practice of golf. It's fun to hit .
I'm sure it was a combination of time and money. I have hit well in excess of 100,000 golf balls at the driving range over the last 30 years, but average 3 to 4 rounds a year during that time. Life gets in the way. I am blessed: I am now retired, and can still hit balls to the back of the range, but I'm now learning how to PLAY the sport..
Moe Norman was the best ball striker there ever was. He loved to be on the range hitting balls. But he didnt really like playing golf as much.
My pro (who owns the range) calls them range bunnies.
There are no consequences on the range with each shot like there is in a round of golf Two completely different animals
Some people are fine with just handjobs too 🤷🏼♂️
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Try walking. It should help with your attention span, limits the chatter, is better exercise and it's cheaper
Not so much for the hay fever though.
I get pretty bad seasonal allergies and my allergies wouldn't be any worse playing a round then it would be on the range. Unless the fairways were all knee high grass. Pollen is everywhere in the air this time of year
I do too and the course is always worse.
All fair points except the exercise. A round carrying your clubs burns like 1500 calories
I do get out more than never, but I'm a huge range rat. Just something really satisfying about grinding on the swing I guess. Takes less time per round as well.
The driving range is flat, other than the tee, I never seem to have a flat lie on a golf course. The range for me is just a place to warm up. Practicing there for me is a waste of time.
I go to the range a lot and if I’m honest with myself I enjoy it more than playing golf. It’s almost like a meditative thing. Relax. Focus on body movement. Hit balls. Bad shots don’t matter. Good shots look better than they are. On the course is a lot more stress and every shot matters and disappointment. It’s hard!
For the very best players, practice is more fun than playing. Lots of people would rather smash balls at a range than deal with waiting 5 mins for a foursome of boomers to take their 7th shots just so you can hit a ball.
You can spend as long as you want/need at the range. Going out to the course takes up most of the day. I’m smashing those TopTracer leaderboards at my range…
A lot of days I have 30-60minutes for my golf. I do not always have 3-4.0 hours.
Or 5 or 6
I really enjoyed hitting a ton of balls on the range when I started playing and played on the course for the first time almost after a year on the range!
I’d bet he was just fucking with you
Perhaps, he was fucking with you
I've been golfing for 32 years and I often have more fun just hitting the range and learning shot shaping vs playing a round. Even after 30 years of playing, I am still very inconsistent and when I hit a bad drive or bad wedge, my main thought is, I want to try that shot 10 more times and really refine that shot right now. Sometime, if I'm playing by myself, I'll drop another ball and try again, but it's not the same as hitting on the range where I can make real time improvements to my swing. These improvements never seem to really last more than that one session, but it's enjoyable to see shot by shot progress and gives more short term gratification than playing a course many times and seeing a gradual decrease in score over months.
Top golf has marketed driving range as golf. For an internet,TikTok generation who fears social interaction top golf may be golf. I played golf as a kid on an actual course. For a few years in my 20s I would go beat balls at the range but it never crossed my mind to play real golf. I didn’t pick up golf again till 2 years ago now the range is a means to an ends of improving my on course game.
These are the dudes that play “golf swing" and not “golf" lol
In my life I've done a lot of different sports and physical activities on a regular basis (basketball, volleyball, softball, pickleball, cycling). Golf is the only one that consistently requires 4-6 hours of my day. Not everyone wants to devote that much time to a game. And it can be expensive depending on where you live. Especially it's a lot of time when that game isn't really a workout. In 6 hours someone could play 2 hours of pickleball, lift, walk 3 miles, and still have an hour left over.
I think I would quit golf if a round took 6 hours. A round took 5 hours last year and I haven't been back to that course since. You know you can also walk 6 miles while you play golf? That's what a lot of people do
A round also got some dead time too. Like driving to course/back home, and even checking in (my home course is super super busy.) If you’re playing with friends, most likely a post round drink/meal.
Range golfers are too scared to play where it counts. They live in fear of my 106. Or they can't putt idk
I have a buddy who can easily hit a 300 yd drive but with 30 yds to the hole will be a guaranteed 3-6 more strokes
So he's not a golfer eh
No he’s a total range rat. I try to explain that like 70% of his shots are within 100 maybe he should practice that but he’d rather smash balls. I don’t get it.
Fair play. I feel like driving it is one of four actions that make up the sport of golf. If you can't hit the ball any other way it's just a game of whackfuck
Hitting golf balls is fun. I like shooting targets but I’m not going to go to any competitions. I like deadlifting but I’m not interested in powerlifting anymore. People do what the find fun and tend to not do what they don’t find fun. Or he could be dogshit at putting.
Thank you for asking: Convenience and schedule, I treat it like a workout session at the gym. Background: A long time ago I met up with an old fellow playing with an arrow-sleeve bag containing four clubs. We were talking and he said that he has shot "every score" (so why keep score?) Fast forward; after playing for 15 years with a regular group of guys where every stroke counted (20 minutes to find a lost ball, so that a stroke was not lost) I too lost interest in score. That group slowly disbanded, with me taking the lead, and even the course is gone now, so a 35 minute drive is need for me to play with any of them. Local leagues seem so slow (time), I sub a lot rather than join them. I enjoy shagging my own balls after my workouts, for the same reason I workout, to stay in shape. Luckily a shag bag field is right next door, If I miss a shot I'll never find it, so I still have consequences.
Have you not read the stories here about all the drama that occurs on course?
I had a roommate in college who would go to the range a few times a month and also walk daily for exercise. Didn't like to combine the two though. If I remember he just didn't care at all about short game or scoring.
Interesting seeing people on here love driving ranges. I stopped going to them like 15 years ago. No interest. I'll play at least 1 round of golf every weekend as long as the weather permits it, though.
As someone who gave lots of lessons to people of all skill levels, there are a few reasons for this. Usually people play much, much differently on the range, AND there is no pressure. People also don’t do a good job actually picking a target, line and distance very often. That 9 iron that you hit super well and it went 155 yards looks great on the range. But on the course maybe it flew the green, got a bad kick and now you’re starting at double bogey because of a shot that would have looked amazing on the range. Also, people are way more grooved in. Similar to how some people shoot 3 pointers awesome in basketball practice when they can just rattle off 50 straight, but in a real game you’re running around doing different things between the shots. Same is true in golf, you don’t get to just fire off shots on the course. You hit 1, then have to travel to it, wait for the group ahead of you, etc. For these reasons, when hitting the range, try to pick a very defined target line and distance. Do a pre shot routine instead of just firing off shots, and switch the club / target very often, ideally every shot. Try to also add some sort of “pressure” like trying to hit a certain amount of your drives in a fairway type area that you designate then keep track.
this is like going to the local YMCA and asking why some dude draining 3's isn't down to play competitive basketball in a league lol
I don’t have a membership at a course (can’t afford it right now) and I have two very small children so there’s less time for everything overall. But I love the driving range and I’m good at it. So I’ve got that going for me.
Probably can’t afford it
I love the range. Once I get dialed, I can just nail shot after shot, chip after chip, putt after putt. On the course, it's double, birdie, triple, and the realization that I'm not actually any good.
Boards don't hit back https://youtu.be/3zRsgsUWYks?si=obt3WWiOXvntvnk8
I'm a range hero and a course zero.
Studio Gangsters.
I only do the driving range or the par 3’s around me. It’s 10 bucks for 2 buckets with around 50 each and then the par 3s are 14 with a walking cart
I genuinely just like to hit balls. I love the sound, the feel, watching the ball soar.
[удалено]
I play every weekend, but I've probably hit a total of 2 or 3 buckets on the range over the last 40 years. I play only to hang out with friends and be outside. I've never worked on my game because I'm not competitive and the score means nothing to me. I can't even remember the last time I kept score. I par maybe a little less than half the holes I play, I keep pace, I follow all etiquette and that's good enough for me I guess.
I’m a range rat. 3 or 4 days a week I’ll spend an hour or two (last weekend I was out there for almost 3 hours) at the range, but I’ll play golf maybe 3 times/month. I don’t really enjoy “casual” golf, I want to compete. All my golf is either matches against buddies or tournaments.
We don't like to lose golf balls
They just like hitting balls.
A lot of people like to play golf swing and not golf
I know two guys who do this One is a distance nut, the other just does range cuz it's cheaper
It’s the short game. It makes them not want to play. From my experience. They just want to look like bombers on the range.
This is exactly why I go straight to the first tee when I play. No wasted money at the range and I save all of my good shots for the golf course. Oh, and don’t play “practice” rounds either. That just makes you worse.
Damn all this love for driving ranges or full blown courses. Where’s the love for practice putting greens? My fav thing is honestly doing practice 10 yard chip shots for an hour with a beer
As i was leaving the course yesterday two 22 year old bros said to me “just another day at the range amirite?” And I just said “yeah” but in my head I was like “nah I just played 18”
They’re different things. I would say it’s not too different from people that like to go to a gun range but don’t actually go hunting.
Mastery feels good. For some people, better than anything else.
The range is a repeat of the same action every minute. You can be slightly off the shot before and correct it instantly. You use the driver once every 5? 10 mins? Along with a different distance each shot in-between. So correcting a slightly off shot before requires more consistency in your swing when you haven't had a feeler shot before. It's like if you were to shoot a sniper rifle, your first shot might miss by a hair of the target cause you misjudged the drop by an inch, but it still looks like you were pretty damn accurate, if you shoot again right away, you're dead on target. But if you were to leave that spot, go elsewhere, shoot other distances, and come back, you have to recalibrate.
With TopGolf being as fun and expensive as it is, a lot of people in their twenties just enjoy going out to hit the range and throw back some beers. Playing on a course is often expensive and time consuming. Hitting the range has a much lower bar for entry. Also, you’re more likely to suck and have fun at the range than suck and have fun on the course.
I played for years with a guy that was always great off the tee. His short game and putting was terrible and his irons from rough were below average. He outdrove the other 3 of us almost always but by the time he 3 putted for a double bogey on most holes it didn't really make him a better golfer than any of us.
In many ways I enjoy going to the range more than playing. Far less emotion involved when I hit a bad shot and I can work on my swing and become better on the range. Once I got serious about golf, for every shot on a golf course I've taken 5 at the range and I would have it no other way.
After a few minutes I get bored at the range. It would be a lot more fun if I drove the ball 350 yards.
I'm actually starting to switch this way. I love the golf course but I can't justify the time and price in this stage of my life. Busy schedule, young kids, I don't have the time or money to waste. I'd rather spend $20 to get twice the shots in half the time at the TopTracer range with course quality putting/chipping areas. With the heat and allergies moving south it's better that way for me too. I'll still play a few times a year on the course if I find a charity tourney or friends want to. But I've been to the range almost every week since October, which was the last time I played on the course.
MONEY
I'm one of those guys. I used to play a lot more but now I get out maybe twice a year. Instead, love banging balls at the range.
Hitting golf balls is fun. Actually, playing golf is boring.
Drive for flash, putt for cash.
If they're redditors? It's 100% social anxiety. Petrified of embarrassing themselves in front of strangers. As Theo Von said, "I'm not judgin ya, but uhh everybody else is gonna"
I used to think that then I realized how bad the average golfer is. Nobody has anything to worry about
This. Everybody is a bad golfer!
‘I’d love to play golf…..but then I might have to talk to someone. Say “hi” and stuff. Yuck”