The quick version
Choose three clearly outlined target greens and label them A, B and C from shortest to longest. Take five attempts each at A, five at B and five at C, rotating one attempt per person. A ball's first ground contact inside or on the chosen green's edge earns 1 point; anything else earns 0. After 15 attempts each, the highest total wins. Equal highest totals share the win.
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Choose the range, targets and clubs
This guide uses a 15-attempt STUDplay house challenge for two, three or four friends at an outdoor range. It works by watching landings, with paper scoring. Confirm the range permits your group to share a hitting station and has a safe waiting area for everyone; reserve separate space if required. Check opening arrangements, ball purchase, rental-club availability, clothing rules and any session limit before going.
Choose three existing target greens with distinct visible edges, safely in front of your station. Label them A, B and C from nearest to farthest. All three must be within everyone's comfortable reach with an iron or wedge, and everyone must be able to see where shots first land. A shorter range target is more useful than a distant flag nobody can judge. Ask staff which targets are suitable. If there are no clearly bounded targets, choose another range or enjoy unscored practice; a yardage sign alone does not define a scoring area. Never walk onto the range to place markers.
Bring or arrange suitable right- or left-handed irons or wedges for each player. Clubs may be shared if the fit, handedness and venue rules allow; a full bag and a driver are unnecessary. Buy venue-approved range balls and reserve at least 15 per player for the scored game, plus extra balls for warming up. Bring one paper scorecard and pencil. Gloves, a phone and a launch monitor are optional. Take water and clothing suited to the weather.
Put everyone's name on the card with A, B and C columns, each containing five boxes. Agree a repeating player order. Only the active hitter occupies the hitting area; friends and spare equipment wait behind the venue's safety line, outside the complete swing arc. Begin with comfortable unscored short shots. Check that everybody can make contact, follow the ball and reach the selected targets. Agree to compete, or choose the cooperative variation if that would be more enjoyable.
Rotate shots and mark every attempt
Begin at target A
The first player names A and puts one range ball on the permitted hitting surface. Check that the station and target direction are clear, then make one attempt with a suitable iron or wedge. Everybody else watches from the safe waiting area. Keep the club still while people change places.
Score the first landing
Award 1 point if this ball's first ground contact is inside target A's visible green, including its edge. Award 0 if it first lands elsewhere, even if it later bounces or rolls into A. Landing in another target earns 0. Do not measure distance to the flag or compare balls already lying on the range. The green's outline defines the score.
Hand over after one attempt
A deliberate swing intended to strike the ball uses an attempt, even if it misses the ball or the ball barely moves. A rehearsal swing away from the ball does not. A miss scores 0; do not give a free retry. Mark 1 or 0 in the player's next A box, then the next player takes the station. Players may choose different permitted irons or wedges and change clubs between turns.
Move targets together
Repeat the order until everyone has five marked attempts at A. Move the whole group to B for five attempts each, then to C for five each. Stay at the same approved hitting station; do not move forward to shorten a target. No player gets extra shots because someone else scored or missed.
Finish and add the totals
After each player has 15 scored attempts, add their three round totals. The maximum is 15; the highest total wins. Equal highest totals share the win, including an all-zero game. There is no extra tie-break bucket. Return baskets and rented equipment, clear the station, and agree together before buying balls for another game.
A shot first hits the rough beside A, then rolls onto A: 0. The next shot first hits A's edge and rolls away: 1. Record each shot immediately so nobody mistakes an older ball for the current shot.
Keep calls clear and resolve interruptions
Name one watching friend as the caller for each shot; rotate that role, and let the hitter confirm the mark. A point needs a clearly seen first landing. If the caller cannot see it or the group disagrees, record 0 and move on. Do not take a replay, assume the ball closest to the flag is yours, or leave the station to inspect it. If a target repeatedly cannot be judged, pause before the next attempt and choose an easier-to-see replacement. Discard that target's incomplete round for everyone and restart its five attempts only if enough balls and permitted time remain; otherwise finish as an incomplete session.
Pause before hitting when staff, vehicles, weather or a venue instruction make the target unavailable. Never aim at a collector, person or vehicle. If play resumes safely, continue from the scorecard. If the session must end early, finish with no overall winner; you may compare completed round scores as practice results. A player who stops is not given invented scores for remaining attempts.
Make it enjoyable for the whole group
Keep conversation soft and give the hitter room to concentrate. Offer swing advice only when invited. New golfers may prefer help from the range professional before a scored session; reaching the nearest target need not be tonight's goal. Use the cooperative option or unscored short practice if points stop being enjoyable.
Stay within the range's permitted hitting direction and club limits. Never collect balls from the outfield. A comfortable target set and equal attempts make this a manageable social challenge, but different experience levels still affect scores. Keep the challenge about the targets you chose rather than a test of who can hit hardest.
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Ideas & Twists
Choose a variation together before you start.
Driving-range target challenge · See main rules
House suggestionCooperative target total
Replace individual winners with one shared total. Before play, agree a reachable whole-number group goal between 1 and the maximum: 30 for two players, 45 for three, or 60 for four. Use your warm-up to choose it. Keep all three rounds, five attempts per person per target and 1-or-0 first-landing scoring. Add everyone's points after all attempts. Reaching or exceeding the goal completes the challenge; otherwise record the total and choose a new goal together for a later game. If the session ends early, it is incomplete.
Driving-range target challenge · See main rules
House suggestion for mixed experiencePersonal target sets
Before the first scored shot, each player chooses their own three clearly outlined, safely directed target greens, all comfortably reachable. Record each person's A, B and C on the scorecard and keep them fixed. Call the player's named target before each shot. Everyone still takes five attempts at each of their targets and uses the same first-landing rule. Highest total wins and ties share the win, but the result compares chosen challenges rather than equal distances or an official handicap. If that comparison feels unhelpful, combine this with the cooperative total.
Driving-range target challenge · See main rules
House suggestionChange target every turn
Replace the three blocks with five cycles of A, B, C. In each cycle everyone takes one attempt at A in the agreed player order, then everyone takes one at B, then everyone takes one at C. Start the next cycle only after all three targets. Each person still has 15 attempts, with five at each target. Call the target every time, choose a suitable iron or wedge, score first landing as usual, and mark the correct target's next box. Highest total wins after five complete cycles; ties share the win.
About this guide
The target count, five-attempt rounds, first-landing points, missed-swing handling, unclear-call rule, shared ties and three variations are STUDplay house suggestions. Primary range sources support using targets and preparing for a range visit; they do not establish a universal range-game rulebook. The venue's instructions control equipment, space, targets and pauses. This guide uses ordinary outdoor range play, not a branded screen game's scoring.
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