Golf driving range basics for beginners

Take Your Shot

Sep 18

Ready to take your shot and hit the driving range? Whether you’ve never been to the driving range before or need a refresher, I’ve got you covered with everything you’ll need to know before you go, including the basics of the driving range, equipment needed, cost, and a rating of my 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!

DRIVING RANGE BASICS

Would you rather get the details on the driving 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!

PLAYERS NEEDED

The driving range is great to do solo or grab the girls and go hit some balls!

OBJECTIVE

Practice hitting with all of your clubs and work on your swing! Driving ranges have markers letting you know how many yards you’re hitting — you can use these to get an understanding of how far you’re hitting each club and practice your power and aiming. You can also pre-plan what you’ll work on and find some drills to try while you’re at the range so you’re working towards a goal each time you’re there to practice (there’s a ton of free drills and tips on Instagram and TikTok!). Most ranges will also have a putting green where you can practice your short game (chipping, putting, etc.).

RULES + ETIQUETTE:

Each range will have their own rules (look for a posted sign), but the basics are:

Only use balls supplied by the driving range (otherwise you won’t be able to get your balls back!). You’ll either purchase a pre-filled bucket of balls or use a machine that dispenses the balls.
Be aware of your surroundings and be safe when swinging your club and hitting the ball
Only hit from the designated tee area/mats
Don’t walk forward from the hitting area onto the range
If the range isn’t busy, don’t pick a spot right next to someone else — give others and yourself space
If you want to listen to music while hitting, use headphones so you don’t disturb others
If you’re going to a range at a golf course, check beforehand if you need to wear golf apparel
Don’t leave your empty ball basket and/or broken tees where you were hitting — take the bucket back to where you bought the balls.

WHERE TO PLAY

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). Check with the golf course/range to see if you can rent clubs! If you want to buy 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 one at a golf course that enforces a dress code)
Golf shoes or runners
A glove to help avoid blisters (not required, but suggested!)
If you’re going to a grass range, you’ll need your own tee
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.

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

6/10

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!