If you live and work in and around London, you’ll know only too well how difficult it can be to get out and smash that little white ball around, especially in the winter.
However, there are some terrific driving ranges dotted around the capital, where you can get that hour’s practice in to keep your game razor sharp.
Modern facilities have it all: bays, screens, data, teaching professionals, and, of course, food. Here’s a closer look at the best driving ranges in and around London.
1. Dukes Meadow, Chiswick, West London
Dukes Meadow has one of the best driving ranges in West London, with 60 floodlit bays looking out onto a wide, grass landscape. However, this venue is far more than a driving range. With tennis courts, indoor skiing and numerous other activities on-site, including a café, bar, retail shop and injury clinic, it’s fully equipped for whatever your needs.
There’s more on offer for golfers, too, with an immensely popular nine-hole course, five-hole academy teaching course, specialised short game area, and a practice putting green. In addition, a large team of experienced PGA pros are on hand to give lessons, with access to all the latest technology to help you improve your game.
2. World Of Golf, New Malden, Surrey
As driving ranges go, they don’t get much better than World Of Golf. Its 60 bays, bookable online, get plenty of use, not just because of its location – between Wimbledon and Kingston-upon-Thames – but for the overall quality of the set-up.
Toptracer technology is installed on 32-inch television screens on each individual bay across the whole range. Meanwhile, there are ten dedicated teaching professionals helping those of all levels, from beginners to serious players. On-site, you also have one of American Golf’s largest UK superstores, a café, a physiotherapist and… dinosaurs. That’s right, Jurassic Adventure Mini Golf is something for the whole family to enjoy.
3. Metro Golf Centre, Hendon, North West London
This 48-bay two-tiered driving range provides a relaxed environment in which to practice. It’s popular with beginners, too, and those who enjoy the occasional knock, with an enjoyable nine-hole course – plus there’s Adventure Golf (however, check the website for details of when it reopens after maintenance has been completed).
After you’ve had a swing, why not grab a bite in the Metro Italia – not your average on-site driving range café – or stock up on golfing essentials in American Golf.
4. N1GOLF, Greenwich
Founded in 2007 by PGA professional Declan Malone, Number One Golf (N1GOLF) started as a golf academy business and now has several locations across the UK. ‘Golf for everyone’ is one of its core values, so there are plenty of activities to get involved in when you visit, which can certainly be said of its Greenwich venue.
This riverside range sits on the bank of the Thames near North Greenwich tube station on the Greenwich Peninsula. Booking a bay online is easy – so too is getting a lesson in the diary with one of the PGA professionals.
With each bay kitted out with its own sofa and table, this is a venue where you can spend a couple of serious hours on your game but also relax with friends, have a drink, and enjoy a bite to eat.
5. Chingford Golf Range, Essex
Situated close to Chingford Golf Club, this facility has been open for nearly 50 years – and it knows how to look after its customers. The range features 24 bays and an outfield measuring 300 yards long by 200 yards wide. There are numerous targets and distance boards helping you to practice with purpose, while a friendly professional team is always ready to step in and help if you’re looking for one-on-one lessons.
6. The Shire London, Barnet
Now we’re talking. The Seve Ballesteros-designed Shire London is one very fine course, so it’s no great surprise that it boasts such a terrific driving range facility.
Describing itself as a ‘social hub’ and located right by the clubhouse and the putting green, it’s a super place to warm up or work on your game. The open-air bays look out onto a large grass ‘fairway’, which slopes gently downhill, with the woods helping to frame the flight of your ball. Given its attachment to the golf club, it’s perhaps one for the more serious golfer.
7. Urban Golf London, Farringdon
OK, not strictly a driving range, but you need to head out of central London for grassy, outdoor ranges. Urban Golf, which opened in 2004, is London’s original indoor golf simulator venue, with its 11 simulators offering a truly authentic experience.
While serious golfers can put in some pretty long hours here if they want to, it’s also a place where you can try different versions of the game and test your skills in the longest drive and nearest the pin challenges. You don’t get to see your ball fizz off into the distance, of course, but there are 60 plus championship courses to work through, and between shots, you can always watch some live sport and grab a bite to eat.
8. BigShots Golf, Northwick Park, North London
Though the more serious golfer would probably prefer to work on their game somewhere quieter, this is a fantastic facility for the whole family to enjoy. Whether you’re a golf fanatic or a complete beginner, there are various games to enjoy – and they get quite addictive, too! Book a bay, order some food and drinks, and let the fun and games begin.
