What Time Does the Driving Range Open and Close?

Hours at a driving range are not one number. There is the hour the gate opens, the hour the counter is staffed, the hour the last bucket goes out, and the point after dark when a range without lights becomes useless. Golf Center of Arlington, at 1301 NE Green Oaks Blvd, Arlington, TX 76006, has clear answers to all four, and this page lays them out in the order you will actually hit them during a visit.

What are the driving range hours?

The same hours apply to the whole property: the 18 covered bays, the 28 natural-grass hitting areas, the free short game practice area and both 18-hole mini golf courses. The range is open day and night, rain or shine, twelve months a year. If you are coming from Dallas, Fort Worth, Irving or Grand Prairie, the range is in the heart of DFW, about two miles north of the Arlington Entertainment District, so an evening session after a game or a workday is realistic rather than a stretch.

What happens between 8 and 9 AM?

The first hour of every day is the Early Bird window. The clubhouse counter is not selling balls yet, so the range runs on self-service. You buy balls directly from the ball dispenser, carry your bucket to a bay or a grass tee, and hit. Everyone pays member pricing during this hour: $15 for a medium bucket (60 balls), $20 for a large (90) and $25 for an extra large (120), against regular prices of $21, $28 and $35.

1. Arrive after 8 AM. Park, walk to the ball dispenser near the bays.
2. Buy at the dispenser. Pick a size; you pay the member price whether or not you are a member.
3. Pick any open bay or grass tee. Toptracer screens are on at every station; the covered bays have Power Tee automatic teeing.
4. Use the short game area. Putting green, chipping green, bunkers and uneven-lie stations are included with your bucket.
5. Need anything from the counter? Staffed service, the 30% off special and the bar start at 9 AM.

For golfers who like an empty range and a cheap bucket, this is the best hour of the day. It is also the one hour when you cannot ask about club options at the counter, so bring your own clubs if you plan to come at 8.

When is the last bucket sold?

One hour before closing, every day. That cutoff exists so that everyone who buys a bucket has time to hit it before the lights go off. In practice it means the closing time on the sign is not your arrival deadline; your deadline is an hour earlier, and a realistic "I want a full session" arrival is 90 minutes to two hours before close.

Can you hit balls at night?

Yes, until the posted close, under the lights

The covered bays and the range are lit for night play, and the bays are heated when it turns cold, so evening hours at Golf Center of Arlington are real, usable hours rather than a technicality. Toptracer tracks the ball in the dark the same way it does at noon, and the 12 color-coded target greens stay visible under the lights. For DFW golfers whose only free time is after work, this is the difference between practicing three times a week and not at all. One thing to note: after 6 PM the daytime 30% off special ends, so non-members pay the regular bucket price in the evening while members pay the member price. Our page on hitting golf balls at night in Arlington covers what the range looks and feels like after dark.

Which specials run at which hours?

Price at Golf Center of Arlington changes with the clock, and knowing the windows can save you real money. All of these are published, none need a coupon.

Full bucket sizes and the per-ball math are on the bucket prices page. If you find yourself here after 6 PM more than a couple of times a month, the membership break-even math is worth five minutes.

When is the range least crowded?

No reservations are needed and bays are first come, first served, so timing is how you avoid a wait. We do not publish crowd statistics, but the pattern any regular will tell you is straightforward.

• The Early Bird hour is reliably the quietest, and the cheapest for non-members.
• Weekday mornings and early afternoons are calm and fall inside the 30% off window.
• Weekday evenings after work are the busiest stretch; arrive on the early side or plan on a short wait for a covered bay. The 28 grass tees usually have room.
• Weekend afternoons are busy, especially on nice days and on game days in the Entertainment District two miles south.
• Rainy or cold days are quieter than you would expect. The bays are covered and heated, and most people don't know that.

Groups of about eight or more should call 817-469-9005 ahead so staff can put you in neighboring bays; groups of 15 or more should reserve. Everyone else can walk in. If a covered bay is taken when you arrive, a grass tee is not a consolation prize: all 28 natural-grass areas have a Toptracer screen too, and many golfers prefer hitting off real turf. Bring a bucket to the free short game practice area while you wait for a bay to open if you are set on cover.

What about holidays and weather?

Holiday hours can differ from the posted schedule. Before you drive over on a holiday, call 817-469-9005 or check the site; do not rely on a third-party listing, which may be out of date. Weather does not close the range in the ordinary sense. The 18 bays are covered and heated, so rain and cold are hitting conditions, not closures; see is the driving range open when it rains for how a wet day actually works. Severe weather is the exception, and staff will tell you if that is the case when you call.

Once you know when you are coming, everything else, including bucket prices, membership, what to bring and the policy on outside food and coolers, is on our complete guide to planning your visit to Golf Center of Arlington. If you plan to bring a picnic, read the outside food policy first: food is welcome, coolers and outside drinks are not.