A driving range is a place where you get better at golf. It’s where you work on your game, have lessons from a professional coach, and dial in your club yardages. It’s also a place where most amateur golfers don’t really spend enough time when they play golf.
If you’re just starting out, you might be wondering “Which golf club to use for driving range?”. With so many to choose from, you might not always want to bring your whole golf set, or you might not even have a complete set to take.
In this article, we’ll have a look at which are the best golf clubs for driving range when you’re working on your game.
Best Club For Driving Range
If you’re looking to get better at golf, the driving range is one of the places you’ll have to get acquainted with.
It’s the place where golfers go to work on their swings and practice things they’ve learned in a lesson so that it becomes ingrained in them.
Without practice on the driving range, it’s unlikely that a golfer will get any better.
Of course, hitting golf balls on the range isn’t everything you need to improve at golf, but it’s certainly part of what’s needed.
Now the problem with a lot of new golfers is they turn up to the driving range and start off by trying to hit the driver as hard as they possibly can.
We all want to hit the golf ball like Bryson DeChambeau, and it’s much more fun to try to at the range.
However, this is not the correct way to practice your golf game at the driving range.
There’s other clubs that are far better to take with you when you’re just starting out at the driving range.
Best Clubs For Driving Range
The best golf clubs for the driving range are a pitching wedge, 7 iron, 5 iron, fairway wood, and driver.
This selection of driving range clubs gives a great variety of which you can practice and will give you a wide range of shots to work on.
You certainly don’t need an entire bag, but you also don’t want to stand there and hit the same club for 100 balls.
For most golfers, this choice of five clubs will give you everything you need to make improvements.
Here’s a quick look at what clubs to bring to driving range.
Pitching Wedge
The pitching wedge is one of, if not the most important golf clubs to take with you to the driving range.
Firstly, it’s great for warming up. Starting with a few easy swings or half swings with a pitching wedge, gap wedge, or sand wedge will help loosen up your body and get it ready for a session of hitting balls.
A pitching wedge is one of the easiest golf irons to hit because it has the most loft, so will fly high and is the shortest in the set of irons.
This can help to build confidence early on in practice sessions, as you can start by hitting the pitching wedge well and then building up to longer clubs.
It’s also a really great club for scoring whilst out on the golf course. Inside 150 yards on the golf course is known as the ‘scoring distance’, especially by professional golfers.
It’s the yardage where the top players pick up most of their birdies, so it’s definitely worth practising.
Of course, you’re not playing on the PGA Tour, however, if you can get good from inside this yardage, it’s very likely you’re going to improve.
A pitching wedge will fall somewhere within this distance, but you can also use it to hit many other shorter distances such as 50 and 75 yards.
Learning to control the lengths of swing to hit the golf ball a certain distance is a great skill to have as a golfer, so it’s valuable to work on at the range with your pitching wedge.
7 Iron
Next up is the trusty 7 iron, probably the best golf club to practice with at the driving range.
It’s one of the most commonly used clubs in the golf bag which will be used multiple times when you play golf.
The 7 iron is essentially the middle club in your set. It’s neither long nor short, the ball flight will fly mid-height and it will travel mid-range.
A 7 iron is probably the best club to practice with if you’re looking to make an improvement or any changes to your golf swing. It’s easier to hit than a long iron but has a more meaningful distance than a short iron or wedge.
On the golf course, you’re likely to use a 7 iron fairly often, whether that’s for approach shots. to the green or on shorter par 3s.
Therefore it makes sense to work on that yardage on the range.
5 Iron
As we get towards the longer irons in the bag, a 5 iron is a great choice for a lot of players to use on golf club ranges.
For a lot of golfers, a 5 iron is the longest iron they have in the bag.
Some more experienced players might have a 4, 3 or 2 iron in the bag, but these are harder to hit consistently well.
Nonetheless, a 5 iron is still not an easy club to hit, hence to get good at hitting it, you’ll need to practice with it on the range.
Moving from shorter irons into longer irons such as a 5 iron is a difficult transition for a lot of golfers. As the irons get longer, the loft also decreases and the margin for error also increases.
Learning the basics involved in hitting long irons is vitally important such as moving ball position forward. Then working on those fundamentals on the range will hugely benefit your golf game.
A longer iron such as a 5iron is also great o the range as it can be used to hit more types of shots.
Whether that’s a draw or a fade, a low stinger or a high floater, a 5 iron gives you more opportunity to play a different type of shot shape on the golf course, so it’s certainly worth practising with on the range.
Fairway Wood
For most golfers, hitting a fairway wood well off the floor can be challenging. There’s something rather intimidating about looking down at a club with 15 degrees of loft and then trying to get the ball off the ground.
That’s why it’s hugely important for you to use these types of golf clubs when at the driving range.
Of course, using the wood from a tee is just as important as hitting it from the floor. So be sure to practice both.
To hit a fairway wood well requires a certain type of setup and this needs to be harnessed on the range. It’s one of the hardest clubs in the entire bag to hit well and consistently, so a few good sessions on the range can make all the difference.
Driver
And finally, one of the best golf clubs to take with you to the driving range is the driver.
It’s the one club that most golfers think about when they go to the range to hit balls. However, it’s important to build yourself up for hitting the driver.
It might feel like more fun to just spend an hour smashing the driver and seeing how far you can hit it, but this is not the best way to practice.
Having warmed up properly, building yourself up through the bag, then it’s time to start working on your driver. It is one of the most important clubs in your bag after all.
The best way to practice with your driver is to hit shots in spells. Hit 5 drivers, then take a break and hit another club.
It’s very easy to forget about the practice session and get stuck hitting driver the whole time, which can be detrimental to your game.
Focus on accuracy over distance with the driver. Hitting the fairway consistently is much better than gaining an extra 5 or 10 yards off the tee.
More distance is something that can come later on, once the correct technique has been developed.
Final Thoughts
That’s it for our look at what club to use at driving range. Choosing which golf clubs you take to the driving range is important if you want to get better at golf.
Developing a practice routine, using different clubs and useful range tips is great for practising different types of shots as well as working on important fundamentals.
If you’re off to the driving range, be sure to take a wedge and a 7 iron at the very least. Some driving ranges won’t be long enough to accommodate distance clubs, so mid-irons might be all you can use. But if you can, try also bringing the 5 iron, fairway wood and driver.
If you’re struggling with your game, don’t just buy new golf clubs. Get advice from qualified professional golfers, who’ll be able to give you the best advice.
Also, find out what you should be wearing to the driving range.
Golf Club Driving Range FAQs
What golf club should I use at the driving range?
A 7 iron is a good golf club to start off with at the driving range. An iron is generally easier to hit than a fairway wood as it’s got more loft and is shorter in length. A driver is also one of the best clubs to practice with at driving range, as it’s great for long tee shots and has the biggest club head.
What is the best club to use at the driving range?
The best club to use at the driving range is a 7 iron as it’s easier to hit than longer clubs such as a driver or long iron, but it also means you can work on your swing with full swing shots at the driving range.
What’s the best club for driving range beginner?
The best club for a beginner at the driving range is a 7 iron. This club is one of the easier clubs to hit in the bag and a good place for a new golfer to get into the game and learn the golf swing.
Can you use top golf as a driving range?
Topgolf is a great driving range to work on your game. Although it is actually meant for a bit of fun with your friends, Topgolf features many different targets which all demand accurate shots hit.
What is the best golf iron to practice with?
A 7 iron is usually the best iron for driving range practice because it sits in the middle of the set and is generally easier to hit than a long iron. Working on yardages 150 yards is a great way to improve your game for the golf course, so a 7 iron is a great choice to use on the range.
Should you use a tee at the driving range?
You should use a tee when hitting a driver at the range. You can also use a tee if you’re hitting other fairway woods or irons, but make sure that they’re not too high. The ball should sit just off the ground as if it was a nice lie on the fairway.
Can you hit irons at a driving range?
You can hit any club you wish to hit at the driving range. The best clubs to use on the driving range are either a pitching wedge, 7 iron or a driver.
What club to warm up with at driving range?
Whether you’re about to play or you’re having a practice session, you should always warm up with a few easy wedge shots to help get your body into the motion of swinging a golf club. Ease yourself into some longer clubs gradually once your body has loosened up.
Is a mat or grass better for driving range?
If you can, you’re always far better off hitting from a grass driving range, rather than the artificial turf. You need to practice as you’d play, so hitting from grass is the most realistic setup you’ll get when practising on a range that’s similar to the golf course.
How often should a beginner go to the driving range?
If you’re looking to improve at golf, you need to practice often on the driving range before going onto the golf course. At least once a week, with professional lessons, is required to get better at golf. The more you go the range and practice, the quicker you’ll get better.
What club do you use at the driving range?
You can use a few different clubs to use at driving range, but often the best choice is an iron and a wood. This is usually something like a 9 iron or a 7 iron, and then a fairway wood or a driver.
What club to start with at driving range?
The best club to start with at the driving range is a wedge, such as an approach wedge or a pitching wedge. These clubs are the shortest in the bag and allow a golfer to warm up properly and build up to longer clubs in the bag.
Founder, Editor
Ed is the founder and editor at EEE Golf. He’s been playing golf for over 20 years, competing in many top amateur events. He’s played courses all over the world and played with some of the best players in the game. His aim is to help educate people about the game of golf and give insights into the sport he loves most.