Take Your Shot | Driving Range

Take Your Shot

Sep 18

Ready to take your shot and hit the driving range? I’ve got you covered with everything you’ll need to know before you go, including equipment needed, cost, and rating the experience!

Welcome to the Take Your Shot Series where I (Kyla!) face my fears and anxieties to try new sports and prove to myself (and you) that it’s never too late to learn. I’m sharing my experiences and helping you to prepare to take your shot along the way!

Do you want to me to come try your sport/activity or visit your organization/facility? Send me an email so we can make a game plan!

THE DRIVING RANGE

Would you rather get the details on the range in video format? Watch this episode of the Take Your Shot series on Instagram!

If you’re new to golf or want to get some practice in off the golf course, the driving range is the perfect place to go — it’s super accessible, requires minimal equipment, and you can go alone so there’s no need to find a partner or team to play with!

Some driving ranges also offer lessons if you want to learn the basics from someone experienced or elevate your golf game!

WHERE TO GO

Most golf courses will have their own driving range where you can go and hit balls — just make sure to check if the course you’re going to is public or private as the driving ranges at private courses are usually only for members and their guests. There are also a lot of stand-alone driving ranges that aren’t connected to golf courses and are open for anyone to use.

There’s also places like Top Golf and LaunchPad that are an elevated version of a driving range with ball tracking and different games you can play with friends.

The best way to find a driving range to hit is to Google “Driving ranges near me” and see what pops up!

EQUIPMENT NEEDED

A set of golf clubs (or at least one club you can practice with). If you don’t have your own clubs, I highly suggest checking out second hand options like Facebook Marketplace to find a cheap set to start out with!
Clothes you can easily move in. You don’t have to wear golf apparel to the driving range (unless you’re going to a fancy one)
Golf shoes or runners (I’ve also seen people wear flip flops—not recommended, but it’s an option haha)
A glove to help avoid blisters (not required, but suggested!)
A positive attitude because golf can make you want to cry sometimes :)

COST

The cost will vary depending on where you go, but it’s relatively cheap to buy a bucket of balls to hit. It was $12 for a large bucket of balls where I went and that’s the only cost involved! If you’re a member at a golf course, make sure you check if they offer deals on their driving range for members.

PRO TIP: If you’re going for a round of golf, check with the course you’re going to if that includes a free bucket of balls to hit at their range before your round (most places will offer this!)

DIFFICULTY RATING

5/10

Being at the driving range is much easier and less pressure than a round of golf, but golf is still a challenging sport as a whole. I took golf lessons as a kid and have golfed on and off over the years… and I still struggle! Golf is a really hard sport to learn, especially without taking lessons but at least the whole point of the driving range is to practice!

ACCESS RATING

9/10

As long as you have clubs, just show up to the driving range you want to go to, buy the bucket of balls and hit ‘em. Super simple! There are driving ranges all over the place — most golf courses will have their own driving range you can go to (without doing a round of golf) and there’s lots of designated driving ranges and places like Top Golf around.

FUN RATING

7/10

When you’re hitting well, it’s satisfying, but I wouldn’t say it’s nearly as fun compared to actually going for a round of golf.

(0/10 when you’re not hitting well haha!)

ANXIETY RATING

3/10

The most anxious part for me was figuring out how to get the balls (do I just get a bucket of them or do they give you the empty bucket to fill at one of those ball machines?!), so I made sure to know how this particular range worked ahead of time so I could be prepared.

I had some general anxiety about people watching me, but it wasn’t very busy so my anxiety was kept to a minimum!

OVERALL RATING

7/10

Going to the driving range isn’t nearly as fun as going for a round of golf BUT it’s nice to be able to work on new things at your own pace and see improvement over time without the pressure of being on the golf course. I also love that it’s a sport/activity you can go do on your own and don’t need to find a partner or team to do it with.

One thing to note is to check what type of driving range you’re going to. Some places have the fake grass mats with rubber tees you hit off of, while others are actual grass. I much prefer the grass driving ranges where you can use real tees and hit off real grass like you would during a round of golf.

Ready to take your shot at golf? Check out our women’s sports directory to find a place to learn or play near you!