Busy people prefer driving ranges

Busy people prefer driving ranges

JAKARTA (JP): Business people with limited time to practice
their swing prefer to go to the city's driving ranges.

One can just stop by for one or two hours after work instead
of driving out of town to a golf course.

One of the most popular ranges is the Sasana Golf Wijaya, on
Jl. Wijaya, Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta.

Others are the Senayan driving range at the Senayan eastern
parking lot, and the Pringgondani at the Halim Perdanakusuma
complex, East Jakarta.

In South Jakarta, options include the Pondok Cabe course and
the Marinir driving range and golf course in Cilandak.

Sasana's director, Christian Hutapea, says driving ranges are
deliberately built close to office complexes.

"Golfers need to practice at least three times a week,"
Christian said.

The two-hectare range, founded in 1992, consists of one
driving range and an 18-hole chip and putt course, one of the few
in Asia.

Ideally, Christian said, a player should drive, or practice
swings, three times more than he plays a game.

Wijaya, which can accommodate 200 people, is open to the
public and does not offer memberships.

"Everybody can just come and pay. Each 100 balls cost Rp
10,000 in mornings during weekdays. At weekends or afternoons,
the price increases to Rp 18,000," Christian said.

But regretfully, he said, golf course managements wrongly
believe that driving ranges are their competitors.

Golf courses built their own driving ranges, which, he said,
drew few golfers. "People go to golf courses to play," he said.

Golf managements should instead work together with driving
range owners. They could advertise on their golf courses that:
"we have a city driving range," Christian suggested.

"All we do is provide warm ups and introductions for
beginners," he said.

Then the golf courses will profit when they get the new
players, he added.

The Matoa course in Ciganjur, South Jakarta, also has a
driving range which is quite cheap. Members only pay Rp 5,000 for
100 balls on weekdays while students only pay Rp 3,000 per 100
balls. (yan/rid)