Why We Stand By Our Pay-to-Play Policy at Mulligan’s Driving Range
At Mulligan’s Driving Range, we take great pride in offering a clean, well-maintained, and safe space for all guests to enjoy—from golf and volleyball to relaxing with food and drinks. We’ve worked hard to create an environment that’s accessible, family-friendly, and professionally run.
That’s why we want to take a moment to address a pattern we’ve noticed in some of our online reviews—specifically, the 1-star reviews that appear after we’ve enforced one of our core policies: every guest who uses the facility must pay to play.
Why This Policy Exists
Our pay-to-play model is not new, and it’s clearly posted on signage around our facility and on our website. It exists for very good reasons:
Fairness to Paying Guests: It wouldn’t be fair for one person to buy a bucket of balls while a group of 8–12 people take up the tee box area. That reduces availability for others and affects the experience for everyone.
Maintenance Costs: Our greens, range, courts, and equipment don’t maintain themselves. When people use the facility without contributing, it undermines the quality we work hard to deliver.
Safety and Liability: We must know who is actively using the facilities for insurance, safety, and staffing purposes. Allowing people to play freely without checking in creates unnecessary risk.
Some Recent Reviews
In the past week, we’ve received several 1-star Google reviews with vague criticisms such as:
“Worst customer service!!!”
“Terrible experience… the owner was very rude.”
“Absolutely unacceptable experience… Truly disappointing.”
“Poorly Maintained, Poorly Managed – A Frustrating Round…”
“Very bad customer service… the range picker was yelling without any reason.”
What none of these reviews mention is that the guests had been politely reminded of our pay-to-play policy and asked to comply. In each case, the frustration appears to have come not from poor service—but from being told that rules apply equally to everyone.
We’re Not a Public Park
We are a private facility—not a public park. Bringing your own volleyball or golf balls doesn’t grant free access to our grounds, just as bringing your own skates wouldn’t let you onto a paid rink. This is a business, and our policies are in place so that we can keep providing a great experience for all.
Respect Goes Both Ways
Our team works hard. That includes the servers, staff behind the counter, range attendants, and yes—even the “old man” or “range picker” as some reviews call him. He’s not being rude—he’s simply asking guests to follow the rules that everyone else is expected to follow. Respecting those rules shows respect to all the other guests who do the same.
In Closing
We welcome feedback, and we’re always striving to improve. But we won’t apologize for holding guests accountable to basic, clearly stated policies. If you’re looking for a free park, we understand we might not be the right place for you. But if you’re looking for a facility that’s well-managed, fairly operated, and fun for everyone—we’d love to have you.
Thanks for supporting Mulligan’s.