Golf courses are scary for beginners. According to Golf Sidekick, all that glamour, glitz, etiquette, and clothes may seem off-putting to amateurs who just want to get into the swing of things without the added pressure of trying to fit in. Thus the need for golf driving ranges. No pressure, no rules, no dress code, no expensive equipment – just the joy of learning how to hit a golf ball. And you can take all the time you need to swing without having to endure the piercing eyes of other golfers. You can repeat your swing as many times as you need without having to travel the length of a golf course. And it’s cheap! You can have a go at a bucket of golf balls for just a few bucks.
As expected, not all golf driving ranges are the same. You have the fancier ones, at high-profile resorts and private golf clubs, and your usual mom and pop ranges. All choices are great as long as you make sure they have the right golf driving range equipment. The golf industry is developing newer golf products to save on labor, make the game more efficient, and guarantee a flawless game. Here are some of the equipment and accessories golf driving ranges need for a prolific and fun golfing session:
Golf ball dispensers
Essential for any golf driving range, golf ball dispensers are available in various models. Golfers at driving ranges usually hit between 50-100 balls, so it obvious why a golf ball dispenser is a vital piece of equipment any golf driving range should have. They are usually stand-alone systems made of aluminum, but you can also find golf ball dispensers incorporated behind walls for a more elegant touch to the setting. Their capacity can vary from a few thousand balls to 100,000 golf balls or even more. Their ball delivery systems are based on various technologies that allow for different basket sizes. Customers can choose from basket sizes of 25, 50, 75, and 100 balls or anything in between depending on the programming. The ball count must be exact for customers to receive what they paid for. Golf ball dispensers may be equipped with various vending options that allow for payment with tokens, cash, member cards, or credit cards.
Golf ball pickers
Considering the number of balls getting hit at a golf driving range it is only natural for golf ball pickers to be an indispensable part of the establishment. Golf.com explains, a golf ball picker usually includes a drum section that allows for the drums to spin while catching the balls between two discs. Finally, the balls get ejected into the picker baskets. Of course, this is just a small part of the technology behind golf ball pickers. Currently, the standard has evolved and allows for more precision and faster collection. Some standard golf ball pickers can collect up to 15,000 balls per day, but the number varies depending on the manufacturer and the driving range’s needs. Golf ball pickers can collect anywhere from 100 to 100,000 balls a day and work fine on varied terrain, including grass or artificial turf.
Golf ball washers
Golf ball washers have been designed to keep range balls clean and safe for golfers. Regardless of the driving range you pick, you need to make sure they have a golf ball washer in place according to their size and volume. They can work independently or become a part of a complex ball management system. Either way, the modern golf ball washers are self-cleaning and jam-free, allowing the golf driving range to keep the ball baskets or pyramids, filled with clean range balls. As with any other golf range equipment, the golf ball washer is available in various sizes and models and has a wide range of capacities to serve driving ranges of all sizes. The best golf ball washers can clean up to 30,000 or more balls per hour and guarantee 100% brush efficiency. Some golf ball washers can be combined with golf ball pre-soakers for an extra level of cleaning.
Automatic tee-ups
Automatic tee-ups are not the standard equipment on a driving range, but an accessory reserved for ranges that want to pamper their customers, take the golf practice to the next level, and bring in more revenue. The automatic version of a golf ball dispenser, automatic tee-ups increase the play speed up to 25%, which means that now five golfers can play instead of four as it would have been possible with the standard ball dispenser. This might not seem much, but on busy ranges, it can surely make the difference by considerably reducing the wait time for golfers. So, if you’re planning to practice your game on a crowded range, you may want to keep an eye out for this type of equipment to speed up your game. Moreover, automatic tee-ups eliminate the need to constantly bend over to take the practice golf balls from baskets or pyramids, making them a great choice for seniors.
Golf ball pyramids
One of the trendiest accessories in the golf industry is the golf ball pyramid. Golf ball pyramids, like The Stacker, add elegance and sophistication to an already aristocratic game. You can easily see why many golf driving ranges benefit greatly from replacing unattractive plastic buckets with beautifully designed golf ball pyramids. However, The Stacker’s mission extends beyond its aesthetic role. Golf driving ranges benefit from the presence of golf ball pyramids on the terrain because they allow both them and their customers to keep count of the balls issued. They are available in set sizes and make it easy to notice when a pyramid is incomplete. The golfers, on the other hand, can take advantage of this accessory because it allows them to practice without having to keep count of their balls. The Fore-n-one can help them improve their practice by adding a regimen to the routine allowing them to allocate a number of balls for different types of clubs. If you give them a chance, they may become essential golf range accessories just as popular as…golf clubs or flag sticks.
