Welcome to the May 2026 issue of Golf Range Magazine, brought to you by the Golf Range Association of America (GRAA). In this publication, we offer stories and expertise that address the various pillars of the GRAA, everything that’s important on a driving range and practice facility, whether public, private or stand alone.
We highlight GRAA Growth of the Game Teaching Professionals and shine a spotlight on our award-winning facilities. We speak with PGA of America Golf Professionals, leading coaches and teachers, driving range owners and administrators and other experts in the industry.
This month’s publication represents the inaugural Golf Range Magazine issue created on the innovative Nxtbook platform. With Nxtbook, our Golf Range Magazine digital publication will be 100% mobile responsive for viewing on the go. It’s easy to navigate and provides a great user experience through its interactive pages. You’ll be able to view videos within stories and can share via email or social media platforms, search, download PDFs and print.
For your reference, all past Golf Range Magazine issues and GRAA Best Practices are available on the GRAA website (www.golfrange.org)
In this month’s issue, we offer:
Featured Story - Programs for women golfers and juniors are increasing engagement, generating revenue and creating golfers at facilities from coast to coast.
Engagement - Heather Angell, PGA, tells us about a golf ball fitting experience she created for her members.
Teaching and Coaching - We meet Darren Falk, PGA, a 2025 GRAA Growth of the Game Teaching Professional Award winner.
Club Fitting - Celebrating the newest GRAA award category, we get to know Johnathan Wong, PGA, an inaugural GRAA Top 50 Club Fitter.
Operations and Technology - Brian Jacobs, PGA, a GRAA Elite Growth of the Game Teaching Professional, tells us how he got into the golf industry and shares what he’s doing to grow the business of golf.
Player Development - Casey Cline, PGA, a 2025 GRAA Growth of the Game Teaching Professional, shares his player development programming ideas and philosophies.
Growth of the Facility - Tom Farris, PGA, introduces us to Anchorage (AK) Golf Course and tells us about a very successful driving range event he hosts weekly.
Women Leading on the Range - We speak with Mary Hafeman, PGA, a true legend in golf and the quintessential woman leading the growth of the game on the range.
Practice - We visit True Blue Golf Club, in Pawley’s Island, South Carolina, a Mike Strantz design and GRAA Top 50 Public Facility.
Video Best Practices - We hear from Mike Woods, the PGA of America Director of Golf and a partner at Haggin Oaks Golf Complex in Sacramento, California.
We thank this group of PGA of America Golf Professionals for sharing stories from their driving ranges and golf facilities. We also thank our partner in this endeavor – Bioesque Solutions, Coastal Netting, Cover the Tees, Golf Web Design, PGA of America, PLAE, SELECTpi, Sterling Cut Glass, Synthetic Turf, Tex-Net and Wittek – for their continued support.
I hope you enjoy this issue.
Rick SummersCEO & Publisher, Golf Range Association of America