Perth’s best golf driving ranges
Golf… A harsh master who always takes more than it gives, but will always spare you just enough in the end to come back next week.
Either that or you’re a masochist, which to be fair is just about anyone who considers golf a “fun” hobby they like to do with “their friends”.
What is (somewhat) true about golf is the age old saying that practice makes perfect, and while you’ll only ever get marginally better the more you play golf, it’s important to remember that it’s not the destination, but the friends you make along the way. Though to be fair you probably won’t make many new friends playing golf, just have a bunch fo fellow regular suckers doing their best to get away from the day-to-day monotony of life by partaking in week-to-week monotony of hitting a small white ball around long stretches of manicured green lawns until you run out of them…or land on a barstool at the 19th.
Anyway if you think you’re going to get better at golf by practicing, hitting balls at a driving range is a good start – here’s some of the best spots to do that around Perth:
Wembley Golf Course
A behemoth in every sense of the word when it comes to golf in Perth, Wembley has 36 holes you can play, an epic mini golf course you can beat your girlfriend/boyfriend at, a massive pro shop, big bar and restaurant and a fantastic, 2-storey automated driving range to help you hone your game. It’s open til 8pm at night and will cost around $20 for 95 balls, although it gets a lot cheaper if you’re going regularly and invest in a Driving Range Membership.
200 The Boulevard, Wembley Downs
Whaleback Golf Course
A close second in the state-of-the-art driving range game is Whaleback’s 2-storey day/night driving range. 80 balls on the range will set you back $19, and you can also – at least try to – sharpen your game a little further with Whaleback’s Toptracer tech. The greens and practice bunker, along with the range, are all floodlit so you can get down after work, with lights off not until 8.30pm.
Whaleback Avenue, Parkwood
Collier Park Golf Course
Collier Park’s driving range is one of the biggest grass tee ranges in the state, with up to 20 bays available at any given time. It also has floodlights so you can get on for a hit a bit later if life dictates as such, or you want to try and iron out a few kinks after a shocker twilight round. Open until 8pm, 105 balls will set you back $20.
Hayman Road, Como
Melville Golf Centre
Along with a 9-hole par 3 golf course and Supa Golf course, Melville Golf Centre has a fully floodlit driving range along with chipping and putting areas. It’s also one of the cheapest places to play and practice south of the river, with 100 balls only setting you back $15, and a 9 hole game only costing $9 ($15 for 18).
18 Dimond Court, Leeming
Maylands Peninsula Golf Course
Along with being a pretty great public golf course in its own right, Maylands has a nice and spacious driving range that runs alongside the 10th hole and nearby practice bunker to help you get that short game in order. Open til 5.30pm, it’s cheap as chips as well with 160 balls only setting you back $22, followed by setting your back in for a couple of days rest following that many swings.
Swan Bank Road, Maylands
Perth Golf Centre
If all the fresh air, sunshine and tumbling green hills that normally come with a round of golf ain’t your bag (surely it’s not the actual golf part, right?), head to the Perth Golf Centre. The PGC is the place to go to really drill down on your weaknesses as a golfer (and ultimately, a human being) with on-site PGA professionals, club fitting and Trackman simulators in-house to give you even more to think about as you just try to get your next drive past the ladies tee. In all seriousness though, it’s an epic spot to help get that handicap down with people who actually know what they’re doing.
60 Hayes Avenue, Yokine
X-Golf
On a similar tip is X-Golf, which tries to up the entertainment level of indoor golf and make you forget how bad you are with a fully licensed bar, live sports on TV and games room complete with pool table and video games area. If you are keeping it golf focused though, X-Golf’s six simulators help you play some of the world’s best digital courses, and you can book in lessons with PGA professionals or join their X-League competition. Trying to make golf a fun and enjoyable experience? Crazy talk indeed.
U1/2 Ledgar Road, Balcatta
The Gateway Shopping Centre, 57 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup
Rockingham Shopping Centre, Shop T228 Syren Street, Rockingham
7-8/9 Sandridge Road, East Bunbury
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Carramar Golf
Carramar Golf Course claims to be the home of Perth’s biggest golf range, and who are we to argue? The all grass range is 150m wide, which means you should be able to squeeze in somewhere even during busy times. The driving range fairway also has a couple of target greens so you can pretend you’re working on your approaches, plus some practice greens for chipping and putting. It’s open at daylight and closes an hour before the club – just head down and grab your spot!
Golf Links Drive, Carramar
More golf:
Perth’s best public golf courses
Perth’s best mini golf courses
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Header Image courtesy of Universal Pictures