A golf driving range is a large open area such as a grass covered field, with a line of hitting platforms arranged along one edge of the field. These individual hitting platforms will often include a tee for hitting golf drives into the field.

The driving range is where you should be spending most of your time when just starting out with the game of golf. It offers you the opportunity to learn the distance at which each of your golf clubs can hit. It teaches you to focus on a target. It helps you to make contact with the ball every time you swing.

Practicing Your Short Game

Many golf ranges also offer an opportunity to improve your short game skills. Some of these facilities offer one or two green areas that are set aside for men and women to practice their shots which require shorter distances.

A big mistake is made by many beginner golfers. They spend an enormous amount of time hitting the long shots, yet never develop their short game skills.

An appropriate strategy would be to split your time, perhaps one day at the standard range and the next at the short game area.

The Hunt For Real Grass

Although hard to find in most locations, a driving range that offers real grass to practice on is invaluable. Most private clubs and high end golf courses offer access to a driving range that has natural grass. The reason why real grass is preferred over turf is simply because it mimics the exact conditions you will play in during a real game of golf at the local course

Be Considerate When Hitting Balls On Real Grass

While utilizing a driving range that offers real grass to hit the ball from is preferable, some beginners may not be ready to handle such a quality service due to their inability to control their swing.

It is good etiquette to take care of the grass as best possible. For example, when taking a nice shot with an iron, you will almost always create a divot, which is simply a large chunk of grass cut out from your swing.

Too many of these shots can ruin the turf temporarily, until the grounds keepers shut down the area and reseed with new grass. Try to hit every ball as close to where you hit the last ball. Doing so will reduce the areas of divots created to just one spot in particular.

It is inevitable that the grass to be damaged, and the facility management understands this, but your job is to minimize this damage as much as you can.