Driving range, short course, full course — if you’re heading out to golf for the first time, a basic question quickly comes up:
Where can you actually practice, and what’s the difference between a driving range and a golf course?
Let’s break it down.
Think of a driving range as the training ground of a golf course. It’s all about practicing your swings. Players use it to refine their technique, test different clubs, and improve their shot distance and accuracy.
A driving range is usually a wide rectangular area with multiple tee-off spots. From here, golfers hit balls into an open field — no specific target required. You’re just practicing. Many ranges include distance markers, nets, or barrels to help you work on aim as well as power.
Some well-equipped driving ranges also offer putting greens and practice bunkers. Driving ranges are typically attached to real golf clubs or courses.
Key difference: A driving range is purely for training. You’ll use special range balls provided by the facility (usually for a small fee), and in germany you don’t need a golf license (“Platzreife”) to practice here. You can just show up, grab a bucket of balls, and start hitting.
A golf course is the real deal — the full playing field. While a driving range is all about practice, a golf course is where you put your skills to the test.
Courses usually feature 9 or 18 holes, each designed with strategic challenges like bunkers, greens, fairways, water hazards, and varying terrain. Expect to walk — a single hole can be up to 800 meters long! You must also adhere to the etiquette (possibly even the dress code) of the golf course and the official rules of golf.
And be quick so as not to get in the way of the other players. New players usually start on a course every 10 minutes. It is therefore important not only to hit well, but also to pay attention to your own tactics and ball control, as well as being able to adapt to different types of terrain.
In Germany, you are only allowed to play on a golf course if you have your “Platzreife”. You can think of it a bit like a driver’s license for golf. You also need to be an active member of a golf club.
A short course is the smaller sibling of a full golf course. It typically features up to 9 holes with much shorter distances, focusing more on precision than power. That makes short courses ideal for beginners who want to experience real golf play without the intensity (or pressure) of long-distance shots or a bigger course.
It’s a great middle ground — offering real gameplay experience without needing the full skill set required for a standard golf course.
TL;DR – What have we learned?
The driving range is the perfect place to gain your first experience of golf or to work on your technique. However, if you would rather experience the real game (and have a license to play), you are better off on a real golf course. A short course offers an ideal middle ground for beginners who want to test their skills in a real game situation.
