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)