Bay Dividers
“Before you order anything, build one and toe a few balls off of the driver into it to see what happens.”
Solid constructions between golfers, or bay dividers, seem to be everywhere in the UK, nowhere in Europe and in existence scattered around the USA. The primary reason for bay dividers in the UK has been safety, often boxing in roof supports that may otherwise bounce balls back into the range and injure a golfer.
I have encountered dividers 7 feet high and 15 feet long, boxing the golfer into a very confining and dark space. I have seen them too small to really do anything. They can be made from wood, metal, mesh, netting and even fiber punched panels. Some of the subtleties around bay dividers I have encountered are as follows:
- Large solid dividers conceal the golfer and make policing ball theft harder, they also give the range a claustrophobic antisocial feel.
- Dividers will be hit very hard by the golf balls so make sure the material is up to it.
- Wooden box section dividers can make ahorrific sound as they resonate much like an acoustic guitar when hit.
- Metal can do the same and will also bend if made of insufficient thickness.
Look around and see what other people have done and before you order 60 of anything, build one and toe a few balls off of the driver into it to see what
happens.
The final point on bay dividers is that if you get balls exiting the range right or left, a good bay divider can help significantly. I met a potential Power Tee customer some 7 years ago and he mentioned that many balls madeade it into the pub car park on the far right corner of the range. We installed his 25 Power Tees such that the ball emerged within 14 inches of the divider and back into the bay around 12 inches behind its normal position. This stopped golfers from push/fading the ball and virtually eliminated balls in the car park without heavily confining the golfer.
Martin Wyeth, Power Tee CEO, has visited driving ranges the world over and is pleased to share his observations of how some range owners have successfully improved ball sales using Power Tee.
