7 Fun Golf Range Games To Instantly Improve Your Skills

“The more I practice, the luckier I get” is the famous phrase coined by the legendary Gary Player and he’s right. Well, somewhat right because when it comes to golf what people deem as practice is often little more than mindlessly bashing 100 balls as quickly as they can at the golf range or counting the five practice shots in the net before hitting the course.

Compared with other sports, when it comes to practice the bar is set low for golf, as practice is often easier than the game itself and rarely involves any pressure like the real thing. This leads to another well-known phrase uttered by golfers along the lines of, “I can do it on the range”.

As a golf coach, that's when I often step in and remind them that golf on the course is not about hitting thirty 7-iron shots in a row with no set target or consequences. When it comes to efficient practice there is still the common misconception that the more buckets of balls you smash at the range the better, but that is simply not true, it’s all about practicing smart not more. Thanks to the rise of range technology, good quality practice has never been easier.

Golf range technologies such as Inrange, Trackman, and Toptracer offer real time ball flight data, and each system has created apps within each system that enable users to record their stats and scores, play games and take on challenges.

As a director of a venue that was an earlier adopter of Toptracer, it has been nothing short of a revelation for golfers and those new to the game. Eight years in with this technology, I all too often see players sticking with the basic Warm-Up screen and firm fan favourite Longest Drive in action when this technology is capable of providing so much more.

So, if you are guilty of not exploring the full range on offer or are new to the tech, here are my top 7 games to spice up your practice and help take your game to the next level!

Closest To The Pin

This is an absolute classic and a fun way to spend your practice time, it is so addictive!

Select a pin and a preferred yardage
Select a target to aim at on the range
Multi-player up to 4 is available, so if you want to get competitive this is a great choice
For those even more competitive you can download the free app, log in, and then see how your best measures up locally or even globally

To get the most out of this game, try to find a yardage that is the same as a par-3 on your home golf course, or one you regularly play, then you are practicing a real shot that you will have to play on the course. To make it more challenging, try choosing a yardage that requires you to use a club you find difficult.

My Practice

Select the club you are going to use from the club menu
Select a target to aim at on the range
Hit 5 shots, after which you will be given a consistency rating out of 100% for your dispersion rate
You will also get your averages for Flat Carry / Total / Ball Speed / Launch / Height / Hang Time / Landing / Curve / Offline

If you hit an absolute stinker of a shot, you can delete it, but try to keep things realistic. Working through your bag to get your yardages is a great way to spend a session, after all knowledge is power and this app offers a healthy dose of reality for how far you hit your clubs, rather than how far you think you hit them.

Living in the age surrounded by tech, it’s all too easy to forget that just 10 years ago you would have had to pay a lot of money to an expert to get this level of statistics for your golf, now it only costs you the time in your local driving range bay - what a time to be alive!

Approach Challenge

This is one of my favourites. We all know how fun it is to smash balls as hard and far as you can, but when it comes to practicing for improvement, practicing your approach shots is a great place to start.

Choose your approach yardage for 9 shots, which ranges from 50-210 yards, so there will be a distance to suit every golfer
Select a target to aim at on the range
Select the club

Your score is your accumulative distance away from each flag. For example, if you hit every shot to each of the 9 targets 10 feet away, your score would be 90. Multi-player option available

The reason I love this challenge is because it’s measurable, puts you under pressure and you only get one go at each shot. There is an undo shot button, but that’s not in the spirit of this challenge!

Driver Challenge

Like the Approach Challenge, in terms of having just 9 shots to put you under pressure, as the name suggests, this is all about using the big stick this time.

Select the course of drives you want to take on
Select a target to aim at on the range
Use the fly over button to view the fairway and landing area
If you need to, adjust your feet line on the screen if you need to
Multi-player option available

This game is a test of power and precision, points are awarded for not only the length but the accuracy and what type of shot you have left for your next shot. It’s a great test of nerve and great practice. For many golfers, how well they are hitting their drives radiates into their confidence for the rest of their game.

Long Drive

Select a target out on the range to aim at and go for it!

Multi-player available. This is the most self-explanatory app used on the Toptracer system and one of the most popular too, but I also love using this app to do the following exercise:

Ladder - start with a wedge and try to consistently land your balls within the same 10-yard zone. Work through the rest of your bag

It could be argued that this is what the My Practice app is used for, but there is something very pleasing about the visuals of the Long Drive graphics. This type of exercise really builds confidence and belief in your distance control.

TopTracer 30

This is like the Approach Challenge on steroids! The game consists of 30 shots ranging from wedges all the way up to the driver. The score will give you a snapshot of your current strengths and weaknesses along with insights into what you need to work on.

You can input your handicap to be accounted for
You will be given a brief before each shot
Select the club you need
Select a target to aim at on the range

The insights this app offers are simply incredible and ticks all the boxes as a practice tool for putting you under pressure along with measurable results. All too often, what we think we are doing compared to the reality are in stark contrast. This removes the ego from your golf and tells you exactly what you need to be focusing on to get better.

Virtual Golf

Now you can play some of the best golf courses in the world and you don’t even need your passport! It’s as close to real golf as it gets, you are hitting and watching your shots fly and being put through your paces on some of the toughest tracks. Sadly, there is no putting element to this, but your short game will get a work out as to hole out you need to accurately land your chip shots at a set target.

Input how many of you will be playing
Select the course you want to play
Input your handicap/s
Select what tees you want to play from
The rounds are fully customisable, for example, you might only want to play 2 holes or all the par-3s
Select a target to aim at on the range

Some people like to change their target on the range to match the yardage they have to hit to, while some like to keep the same, find out what works best for you

Not only is playing virtual golf fun it really does put you through your paces. Like real golf, you have to be able to switch clubs and need to think about and engage fully with the shot and task at hand. It makes for a great practice session.

Hopefully this has inspired you to find your nearest range with this type of technology. While there may be a slight learning curve as you explore all the features, mastering them will reward you with engaging and purposeful practice sessions that will lead to big results out on the course.