Range Balls

[aligator]

I am an older(69) new golfer. I go to one range and hit off a mat and get 140-160 yards with my 7 iron(my good shots) I go to another range and hit off the grass and get about 130 with my 7 iron. Question--- are all range ball equal or are there limited distance golf balls. i asked but not sure I got the right answerd.

 

[Esher]

My guess would be that you are hitting them the same distance but that the distance markers are incorrect at one of the ranges. The yardage signs at my clubs range is about 10 yards off. They are renovating the range and haven't moved the signs yet.

 

[Massimo]

I have always had a problem hitting off of hard, old mats. If a range does not repair or replace the hitting mats, they tend to turn into a something that resembles hitting off Hard Pan or like a Cart Path -- in my opinion.

You may not be getting the distance due to divots. The hitting mats tend to keep you clubface even with the ball. Now, at a Grass driving range, the clubface will take some of the grass, just like taking divots in the fairway while playing a round. This can, of course, decrease distance, if the clubface is not perfect with the ball. Hence, who's Clubface really is.......

Both Types of Hitting Surfaces can help your game. The Range Balls should go the same distance wherever, but I have heard that the "Floating Balls" that they use on Water Driving Ranges may not go as Far......

 

[Playdead]

If I can't hit on grass at the range I don't go that place. I do have 4 golf ranges to chose from within a 15min drive. Mats just aren't what you'll be out really hiting on so why bother. The last time I carried a scorecard and hit on plastic grass I was only carrying my putter

I like the places that use the yellow range balls. I think you get much more consitant hits than at the places that use a hodge podge of regular balls with a red circle stamped around them. I hate cleaning that red mark of the club face after going to one of those places.

 

[longiron]

Most range balls are the bottom of the barrel. There is one course near me that uses Titleist balls but it cost $100 for a round so you pay for those balls.

 

[caddyshackgolf]

There is a couple of reason why your yardages are varying from one range to another.

1. On a mat you always have a "perfect" lie, and your not making a divot so the club face always is level with the ball.
2. The yard markers are different
3. Most range balls are crap unless you go to a place like what longiron just talked about

 

[warbirdlover]

I've found the range balls are really junk. They're round, white and look like golf balls but that's about as close as they get. They go about 20-30 yards shorter for me off my irons then good balls on the course so I never use a driving range to get my distance off the irons. All the other statements about the surfaces aggravate this.

 

[Slingblade61]

Amen.

No matter what, if you have a limited supply of balls as a range operator, say 15,000, it won't take very long for them to get beaten out of shape.

A pristine pro V will carry 160 or so with a 7 iron. The same Pro V, several hundred (or maybe even , dozen) shots later has lost it's shape and some degree of resiliency.

The range I go to most often replaces their balls every other year at a cost of $30,000 (.50 per ball) and they really suck after awhile.

 

[BentGrass]

Why is it so hard for ranges to mark their yardages accurately? I was at the range earlier today and the close pin was marked at 92. I was the only one there, so I paced it off and it came to 75.

Then the next flag was marked at 150. 7 iron for me. I couldn't hit it with a 6 iron.

 

[warbirdlover]

Gotta update my previous post. Whoever said it was the mats is dead on. I've always thought it was the balls. Went to the driving range and hit off the only grass area they have and got the same distance I get with good balls. The mats are the problem!

 

[obagain]

The mats give you a good shot every time. They let the club slide under the ball causing it to act like a crisp hit even though you may have hit 1/4 inch behind the ball.

They also will ruin your clubs, they actually melt the mat and that is why you see the green film on the bottom of your clubs, this will cause big scratches on the sole.

 

[Dave Ireland]

The mats give you a good shot every time. They let the club slide under the ball causing it to act like a crisp hit even though you may have hit 1/4 inch behind the ball.

They also will ruin your clubs, they actually melt the mat and that is why you see the green film on the bottom of your clubs, this will cause big scratches on the sole.

Good point OB, and just to take it a stage further, coz this was something I was thinking this morning - my iron play this year has been offish other than on links courses. The firmer fairways promote a more solid strike for me anyway.

On the issue of practice ranges - I would pay very little attention to the distances of irons - as most range balls are distance reduced, there's very few ranges here that have a 300 yard marker. Ranges are really in my opinion primarily to groove your swing and tempo - so it's more the direction/shape of shot that you would work on there

 

[golfstud4416]

are u elevated at the range??? that cud be why

 

[Lamma]

Why is it so hard for ranges to mark their yardages accurately? I was at the range earlier today and the close pin was marked at 92. I was the only one there, so I paced it off and it came to 75.

Then the next flag was marked at 150. 7 iron for me. I couldn't hit it with a 6 iron.

I know for that for the two grass ranges I go to (I will never hit off artificial mats again) they need to move the hitting area up and back from time to time because the grass gets so torn up. That may be the problem at your range.

As far as ball quality goes I once talked to a guy at a driving range about the difference between the good quality golf balls I use and the ones they had at this particular range. He told me that most people lose about 5 yards off iron shots but that for woods, particularly drivers, the distance lost can be as much as 40 yards if the ball is really old. He estimated that average distance lost for woods was around 20-25 yards.

Anyway, as others have said, I would do my best to avoid the artificial mats. I'm a pretty bad player, but put me on artificial mats and I'm a shot shaping, long hitting, super accurate with my wedges golf machine. My real ability comes out on real grass. That means that I learn a lot more and improve.

 

[JRoD]

The range I visit has a nice target setup, but terrible areas to hit off of. The balls they use are decent Pinnacle's.

If you use the mat, you burn the sole of the club, and get scratches. If you go to the grass, it is a thin layer of grass, and then a ton of sand underneath. Needless to say, your clubs get messed up regardless.

My driver sparks some times when I catch the ground on occasion.