A driving range runs on a simple loop: golfers get balls from a dispenser, hit them from a mat or grass tee, and the balls are picked, washed and returned. Every piece of driving range equipment serves that loop, and getting it sized correctly is what keeps a range profitable on a busy evening. This checklist is written for golf course owners adding or upgrading a practice facility, independent range operators and anyone planning a new range in the United States or Canada. Compare suppliers in our driving range equipment section.
Prices mentioned below are the ones suppliers published on their own websites in October 2026. They change often, so use them to frame quotes rather than as a budget.
Start with the ball cycle
Before you ask anyone for a quote, write down the number of hitting stations, your expected opening hours, whether you will open after dark, and whether you plan to add ball tracking. Those four facts decide how many balls you need in circulation, how fast the picker and washer must work, and how big the dispenser should be. A 40-station range open until 10pm in summer needs a very different setup from a 12-station practice tee used mainly for lessons.
Several North American suppliers sell the whole loop and can size it for you: Range Servant America in Georgia, Wittek Golf Supply in Illinois and Easy Picker in Florida all list dispensers, pickers and washers. In Canada, GolfStar Canada supplies range and course products to the trade.
| Area | What to decide | Where to compare suppliers |
|---|---|---|
| Range balls | New or used balls, limited-flight or full-flight, quantity in circulation, logo | Range balls |
| Dispensing and payment | Through-the-wall or stand-alone dispenser, tokens, cards, app or tee sheet payments | Ball dispensers and vending |
| Collection | Gang picker on a utility vehicle, manual collector or robotic picker | Ball collectors and pickers |
| Washing | Washer type and throughput matched to ball volume | Ball washers |
| Hitting surface | Mat type, tee line system, grass tee rotation | Range mats and tee lines |
| Containment | Netting height and length, poles, engineering, maintenance | Netting and ball-stop fencing |
| Stations and comfort | Dividers, covered stations, heaters | Bays, canopies and heaters |
| Lighting | Fixtures for evening play, local lighting rules | Range lighting |
| Targets and technology | Greens, flags, yardage signs, ball tracking | Targets and ball tracking |
Range balls and dispensers
Range balls are your main consumable. Limited-flight balls help on shorter sites, and used balls can stretch a budget: Second Chance and US recyclers sell bulk range and used balls, and Canadian supplier Driving Range Supply lists commercial range balls and mats online. Ask how many balls a supplier recommends for your station count and opening hours, and how quickly they can restock in peak season.
Most current dispensers accept cards and app payments as well as tokens. Range Servant America lists dispenser payment systems and tee-box dispensers that deliver balls directly to a station. If you already run tee sheet or point of sale software, check whether the dispenser can connect to it before you buy, because it saves reconciling two systems every day.
Mats, tee lines and grass tees
Mats take more punishment than anything else on site, so the decision is about durability and how the surface feels under a full swing. Calgary-based Fiberbuilt Golf makes complete tee line systems and says its products are used at more than 5,000 ranges and practice facilities. Driving Range Supply listed a dual-fiber fairway mat at C$394.99 in October 2026, which gives a sense of the cost of a single commercial mat before frames and installation. If you want golfers on grass in summer, plan the grass tee area and its rotation alongside the mat line.
Power Tee sells automatic teeing systems that place a new ball after each shot, which some ranges use to speed up play and add a premium station type.
Netting and ball-stop systems
Netting protects neighbors, roads and buildings, and it is often the most engineered item on the project. Poles, cables and foundations need proper design for wind loads, so use a specialist. North American installers include Golf Range Netting in Florida, Gorilla Netting, Ace Netting in Houston, and netting manufacturers West Coast Netting in Arizona and US Netting in Pennsylvania.
Ask for the mesh size and twine strength, the pole and cable design, who carries the engineering responsibility, and how damaged sections are repaired. Netting height is usually a zoning question too, so speak to your local planning department early.
Picking and washing
Pickers range from gang units towed behind a utility vehicle to robotic pickers that work the outfield on their own. OnPar Automation in Colorado installs and supports robotic range pickers for US facilities and publishes a cost calculator. Wittek, Range Servant and Easy Picker all list towed pickers and spare parts.
The washer must keep pace with the picker. Ask for throughput in balls per hour, and for how the washer feeds the dispenser or ball elevator, because every extra time a bucket is carried by hand adds labor cost.
Lighting, comfort and technology
Lights extend opening hours, but they bring neighbor and permitting questions. DarkSky International’s five principles for responsible outdoor lighting are a useful checklist when you brief a lighting designer: light only what is needed, shield fixtures, and control when lights are on. Heated, covered stations keep winter revenue coming in colder states and in Canada.
Ball tracking is the biggest technology decision. Toptracer says more than 1,200 facilities use its range technology, Trackman offers Trackman Range, and OnPar installs Inrange in the US. Compare them in our targets and ball tracking section.
| Equipment area | Suppliers |
|---|---|
| Dispensers, pickers and washers | Range Servant America, Wittek Golf Supply, Easy Picker |
| Robotic picking and automation | OnPar Automation |
| Mats and tee lines | Fiberbuilt Golf, Power Tee |
| Netting | Golf Range Netting, Gorilla Netting, Ace Netting, West Coast Netting, US Netting |
| Ball tracking | Toptracer, Trackman, OnPar Automation (Inrange) |
| Range design and construction | Golf Design Unlimited, MGC Developers |
Questions to ask before you order
- Will you survey the site and size the ball cycle for my station count and hours?
- What are the lead times for dispensers, washers and netting, and who installs them?
- Which parts wear fastest, and are spares stocked in the US or Canada?
- Can the dispenser take card and app payments and link to my tee sheet or POS?
- Is equipment available to lease or finance as well as buy?
- Can I visit a range of similar size that uses this equipment?
Compare suppliers side by side in driving range equipment, and see the golf trade show calendar: the PGA Show in Orlando is the easiest place to see dispensers, pickers and range technology working on one trip.
Sources
- Supplier products and prices from their own websites, checked October 26, 2026: rangeservant.us, wittekgolf.com, easypicker.com, drivingrangesupply.com, fiberbuiltgolf.com, powertee.com, onparautomation.com, golfrangenetting.com, gorillanetting.com, acenettingllc.com, westcoastnetting.com, usnetting.com.
- Toptracer facility count: toptracer.com.
- Lighting: DarkSky International, Five Principles for Responsible Outdoor Lighting.