Hear ye golfers! Looking for a favorable place to practice your skills? Then pack your sticks and…read morehead for the First Tee golfing facility on Mulberry, found on the edge of Brackenridge Park. First Tee is a non profit, committed to the development of golfing skills for youth, with the intention of fostering sportsmanship and integrity through its programs. Necessarily, the non profit owns and maintains driving ranges across the country, these facilities also available for the use of the golfing public.
This facility boasts a contemporary design pro shop, fronting a driving range that accommodates some 30 golfers, hitting on mats, rotating on grass depending on the condition of the turf. Right of the pro ship is a separate area always open to golfers that choose to practice on natural turf; the day of my visit the turf in this area was quite thin, some areas of hard pan. The target area fronting the pro shop is wide open and spacious. Striped, colored poles mark yardage, however the perennial grass area right of the pro shop does NOT have yardage markers, so if distance practice is the desire, an optical range finder may be helpful in this regard.
Of interest is that the range balls are not practice balls usually found on most ranges, but rather name brand balls that one might golf with...some are rather quality balls...Pro V, Callaway, Bridgestone, Slazenger etc. I am unsure how the range came to provide these balls, though I surmise they may have been donated to the non profit. I find this a definite positive, as my experience is that "practice" balls just don't react like balls that I use on the course...just my humble opinion.
One feature that I found very desirable is the short game practice area. The putting area is expansive, with multiple holes, undulations throughout, and of moderate speed. There is a separate chipping area, again generous in size, allowing facile chipping to near and farther flags. Fronting the chipping area is found a sand trap, but one issue I found is that the sand was somewhat packed, not deep sand, definitely not "sugary" as is found on some courses.
The pro shop proper is smallish in size, offering beverages in a single cooler. There is no grill/sandwich area, no indoor seating. One does find tables facing the driving range, canopied with patio umbrellas.
The location of the facility may be a bit distant for the golfer living on the fringes of our city, but if golfing at Brackenridge, the range is a very convenient drive away. In truth, I am fond of the facility, given the excellent putting and chipping areas. So, for me, the drive is about 20 minutes from my home, and well worth the drive. I now plan to visit at least once a week. So would I recommend the range to the golfing Yelpers? Definitely. So give the range a visit. Your golfing skills will benefit, and our golfing youth will definitely benefit from the efforts of the First Tee Non Profit! Hit 'em straight!!