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The best and worse from far and wide
Sports Illustrated senior writer John Garrity was a 42-year-old eight handicapper when he suddenly lost his swing. Since December 1989 he has been looking for it -- a modern-day Odysseus adrift on the troubled waters of swing theory. As Garrity travels the world reporting on golf, he visits as many driving ranges as he can, avoiding the dreaded "mats only" ranges that prevent him from teeing it up. Monday, Jan. 15 WASHINGTON, D.C. -- I brought no clubs on this trip -- not even the four-club quiver I often carry through airports. That's because I'm in the Capitol for the oral arguments in Martin v. PGA Tour, and the last I heard there's no practice facility at the Supreme Court. (Though there should be. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor recently made a hole-in-one with a 7-wood on the 125-yard 8th hole at Paradise Valley Country Club in Arizona.) Fortunately, I got in four days of range work while I was in Florida, including a long-overdue lesson with Brian Mogg at the Leadbetter Academy's new facility at Champions Gate. Next week I'll tell you how Brian fixed my sand game in five minutes (and how I lost my confidence with long irons in two). For now, though, a final plunge into last year's mail: Tony Pico of Oradell, N.J., nominates a "half driving range/half nursery" in Manahawkin, N.J. as Worst Range of the Year. "It has no name," he writes, "not necessarily a bad thing. Instead of range balls they use salvaged balls, some of which look like they've spent the last 10 years under the ocean. Or in a fish. They are truly rock-hard. They hand-paint a stripe so they won't lose these precious stones, and the paint comes off on your clubs. The mats are worn down to the rubber, of course, and the range is only about 200 yards long. If you do get hold of a good one, your ball crashes int o the trees." Another Worst of Show comes from a fellow in Lincoln, Neb., who pleads, "Try not to use my real name. I'll probably be expelled if you do." The object of John Doe's disaffection is Hillcrest Country Club, where the grass hitting area is allegedly too small to maintain. "The golf course is rather nice," he writes, "old, traditional and well-groomed. But the range is the worst in the city, and that includes the local goat ranches. The mats are a real treat. Stretch an inner tube over a slightly warped piece of 4-foot-by-4-foot plywood and you have our mats. And the plastic tees are replaced once every 20 years, whether they need it or not. The really great news is you can hit balls as a non-member. It's only $4 for a drawstring bag the size of your fist." Another worst-range nomination is from Mark Weisbrod of Taipei, Taiwan, who headlines his entry, "Best Range -- Special Category." He writes: "Right in the jet wash of Chiang Kai-Shek International Airport is the G.9 Coffee and Pub Driving Range. This ragtag little jewel has survived earthquakes, plane crashes and floods. The most recent typhoon, Xin Sang, bent the stanchions to a 90-degree angle, but range operations never stopped. (It was a little unnerving to see the repair crews being peppered with mat-bounced, bladed 9-irons.) The G, as I lovingly call it, is regularly buffeted by 40-mph wind gusts, and the frequent rains usually drench the golfers horizontally. We happily hack on." For sustained sarcasm it's hard to beat this missive from Jim Miller of Granite Bay, Calif. "A recent trip to the Haggin Oaks Driving Range, outside Sacramento, was a real treat. The range is a mats-only facility, and the stalls have all the charm of a county-fair horse-track starting gate. The tee surface is some sort of green fuzz, and the landing zone is hardpan and dust with a sprinkling of mowed weeds. The noise of the ball strike is muffled by the sound of cars and trucks roaring by on Business 80 and punctuated by shotgun blasts from the adjacent skeet range." But Miller does have one good thing to say about the Haggin Oaks range: "It accurately prepares you for the Arcade Creek course at that facility." A more succinct e-mail -- practically a haiku -- comes from Ron Montesano of Buffalo, N.Y. "I wish," he writes, "to nominate Tee to Green Golf Park in Buffalo for the Best Range of the Year category." Consider it done, Ron -- but next time, spare us the effusive details. Moving on, Steve Sullivan of Los Gatos, Calif., claims that there isn't a decent practice facility in all of the South Bay Area. "All our ranges are HORRIBLE!" he shouts. "No grass, extra charges for chipping areas, and staffs that make the DMV look friendly." Sullivan concedes that he may be grumpy because he, too, has lost his game, ballooning from the mid-80s to triple digits. "A friend pointed out that I haven't played good golf since I got new clubs," he writes, "but I hate to blame the clubs -- especially since my wife bought them for me!" A few readers just want me to visit their local Eden or River Styx: "The best range in Nebraska is Pro's Choice," writes Richard Timmerman of Omaha, Neb. "It's not fancy, but it's a grass range, and the staff is friendly." "If you are truly looking for an adventure, try Wijaya Golf Center in Jakarta, Indonesia," offers Gary Peterson of Ciawi, Indonesia. "Then you could travel to Zhong Shan, China, and try the public facility there. Then you will appreciate ANY range." "If you are ever in Vermont, swing by J&C's Driving Range in Orange," writes Ed Twohig of Fairlee, Vt. "It's pretty and located up on a hill overlooking central Vermont. The view is really nice. It's a nice range, and nice folks run it." "Check out the range in El Paso if you are ever forced to lay over in this 'armpit' of Texas," writes the not-as-nice Eric Neal of Midland, Texas. "I don't recall the name, but I'm sure it has the word 'desert' in it. The tees are placed on the rim of a concrete runoff." He adds: "Nothing like practicing from an elevated tee to screw with your mind" -- proving, I guess, that Texans get vertigo on anything higher than deep-pile carpet. OK, one last pan: "Lakeshore Golf Course of Durham!" fumes Alan Arnold of Durham, N.C. "You buy tokens at the pro shop and trudge across the first fairway -- watch for players teeing off! -- to this vending machine. Each token gets you 30 'floater' balls, which you hit off mats into a lake. (I need to practice hitting into water?) These floaters take 20 or 30 yards off every club. For bonus irritation, there is no net around the range, so the 1st fairway is littered with slices and the 17th with hooked range balls." OK, OK. One positively last pan -- a repeat from last year. "John, I just finished reading your article, 'Home on the Range,' and I loved it," writes Max Hill of Baytown, Texas. "I only want to add one thing: The absolute worst driving range ever is still here in Baytown. There have been only two changes to it since I last wrote you: 1) The balls are a year older; and 2) The range now floods because of changes on the adjoining property. Fortunately, we do have another range in town, and it is acceptable (good grass, good balls), and we have two golf courses within five miles that have excellent practice facilities. But we still have the worst range in the world!" On that uplifting note I close the mailbag. To those of you whose e-mails I have not acknowledged, my apologies. I do read everything the webmaster forwards, and I will drop you a personal note as soon as I break 75. In the meantime, look for me at your local driving range. I've already called our travel department and asked the agent to book me on a trip through Omaha, Baytown, Durham, Orange, Buffalo, Jakarta, Zhong Shan, etc., etc.
Watch this space for another installment of Mats Only. To send John Garrity advice, share your experiences, or suggest a driving range, click here.
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