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Golf Club At Chelsea Piers
Rating Details »
Categories: Golf, Venues & Event Spaces
Neighborhood: Chelsea59 Chelsea Piers
New York, NY 10011
(212) 336-6400
Junior Golf Holiday Camps
Let us teach your kids the game of golf while school's…
Announced 5 days agoMore »
- Hours:
Mon-Sun. 6:30 a.m. - 12:00 a.m.
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
26 reviews for Golf Club At Chelsea Piers
I came to the Golf Club for a yelp event with some friends and it's a great set-up. I think the Golf Club hosts similar events (non-yelp related) throughout the year that give people an open bar and open driving range for a few hours at a good price.
I'm not a golfer at all, but the instructors on hand were very helpful and friendly. Josh was encouraging, and even though I might have had one good swing out of the 40 I tried, at least he was supportive! Even the bartender inside handling the open bar was friendly and social. Overall the staff is pretty top-shelf.
The place has a great view since it's on the water - it's nice to get away from the city-scene without having to really leave the city.
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To the other golfers to the left, right, and behind me: I'm SORRY. Look, it was a shock to me too - you know, the EPIC POWER and BRUTE FORCE of my swing - but I've been kinda working out and doing these special hand exercises...? Anyway, as soon as I master swinging INTO the range instead what you saw--the ricochet fiasco of 3 balls trapped in Brickbreaker Level 12--I think I will be fairly awesome.
By the way, my golf instructor was incredibly patient and encouraging. Thanks Yelp for the unlimited balls.
ps. Golf. Is. Expensive. Thankfully, there's Ladies Night on Mondays 20% off...
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I hadn't been to the driving range at Chelsea Piers in years, but Yelp made me an offer I couldn't refuse. Open bar beer and wine, plus unlimited balls for 2 hours. Then as a cherry on top, there would be golf pros available to give instruction. I needs me some of that instruction, so I couldn't pass up this amazing offer.
Got there. Got a beer. Found a booth and waited a few minutes to take some swings.
Got another beer and found Josh to give me some pointers on my swing. Great! Was starting to look like I was actually trying to get the ball in a reasonably straight direction. Kept at this for the evening. Beer. Swings. Beer. Swings. Beer. Then I realize that the time is almost up. I had to choose between beer or go looking for the other golf pro.
Good golf pro is much more expensive than a beer. Plus my swing needed more help than I needed a beer. So I find Marjorie, and ask if she could help me with my swing.
We go to an open booth and she watches me take a swing or two. I see what you're doing... You're problem is .... Do this... Practice this...
After 2 or 3 minutes with Marg, I was swinging for the nets. Was it the beers or was it Marg? Definitely Marg. Better yet, in spite of the beers, Marg had me swinging away like a wannabe pro.
I was impressed, as were the young ladies who allowed us to take over their booth for a moment. They smiled. So did I.
Reinforced my belief that woman are taking over the world.
Girls do better in school. They attend college and graduate at higher rates than boys. They go to graduate school more often than boys, including most medical and law schools. Not only are women shattering the glass ceiling, soon we'll need to look at improving education for boys who are falling behind in every metric available.
Don't let gender fool you. The women instructors can help your golf game as well as the men. I might even say that some may even be better than the men.
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Great for hitting mid to short irons and not so good for hitting the long irons/woods/driver.
Although slightly overpriced compared against typical driving ranges but well worth the money for the location and facility. It gets a little crowded during peak hours but it's very well maintained and the staffs are very friendly
Came back for an Yelp golfing event, and it was the best deal ever!
Open bar with beer wine and cheese, live instructors that gave me some really good pointers and trying indoor virtual golf for the very first time ( let's just say the experience in general was a lot more memorable than my terrible score) but thanks Yelp for putting this lovely event together it was awesome. definitely want to come back in future !!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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4/25/2009
is this the only driving range in manhattan?
for 30 bucks you get about 113 balls. It's pretty cool… Read more »
Love the scenery.. not big fan of driving range.. just being supportive to friends.. but hey great place to go if you don't car to get your outside of the city.. they have a bar area where you can wait..( typically there is a wait) or you can just sit outside enjoy the scenery..
Great place to meet interesting people too =)
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The golf balls come from underground!!!!!!!!!
I've only seen that in movies, hehehehhee.
It was awesome cuz you get a beautiful view of the water & it was amazing during sunset. It would be a even more awesome place if it wasn't 20 degrees =P
Find out when non-peak hours is because you'd get a lot more balls :)
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If John Cusak is involved, I'll give it a shot. Don't care if it is a movie, book or pie shop. After watching Serendipity (what, I'm in touch with my feminine side) I was amazed that this place actually existed. You see, us Left Coasters are used to constant sunshine and suitable golf courses to play on year round. So when given a chance to stop by here and hit golf balls seemingly off the pier, I couldn't resist.
I really wish I had remembered my camera, cause hitting balls at sunset from the the fourth tier was great on a warm July night. Very cool place and a fun experience overall. When I go back, I'm likely to head back over here. Another thing of interest to me was that many of the local businessman came to the club not with a full bag of clubs, but with what is typically referred to as a Sunday bag, which is simply a small canvas bag that holds a few clubs, glove, tees and a ball or two.
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I understand that there are certain limitations with golfing in a metropolis like NYC, but I grew up learning to golf in open spaces, and the confines of Chelsea Pier golf was almost too much to handle. But first things first, $25 for 90 balls?? That is crazy expensive; it's more that double the usual going rate. Then, I was in store for another surprise. A take-a-number-wait-until-you're-called line to get on the range. Seriously?
Now, because the range is in the city, I expected there to be mats and I was not disappointed. What was new was the golf ball dispensing machine. The tee automatically brought a ball up from beneath the floor. Interesting, quirky, necessary all rolled into one. I did not like it, but I cannot fault them for what really is a pragmatic approach to efficiently servicing golfers.
The view is inarguable gorgeous. The range is a pier overlooking Hudson bay. I golfed in the late afternoon as the sun was beginning it's initial descent. The cotton clouds in the sky, the blue ocean water, and the salt breeze makes the Golf club at Chelsea Pier quite the enviable looker.
As a golfing center, you probably can't find a better one in the City, but if you have the means, venture outside the City. You'll have a cheaper, more real and down-to-earth experience.
I'm upping it to 4 stars because of a certain... incident. (no questions asked..)
review 7/31/2008
I.M.Y.
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What a gouge this place is. It probably comes out to about a buck a ball. And the matts are terrible. Randall's Island and Edgewater are much better nearby options.
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3.5 stars..one of a kind experience but not something I'll be doing again. This place is just too insanely expensive for a driving range. It's awesome that the balls automatically come up from the ground and that you can control the height of the tee from a computer at your station. They have 3 or 4 levels of stations but it's a different judge of distance when you hit 100 yards from ground level or 100yards from 3 stories up so I'm not sure how accurate that is. The pier is overlooking the water which is nice but it's also easy to loose your ball in mid-air. The nice thing though is that the driving range isn't covered (the side walls are high enough) so you don't have to worry about your drive hitting a roof. If this place wasn't expensive enough, they have peak and non-peak prices and even if you come here an hour before peak and you go into peak time you loose an amount of balls anyway.
I went here on a weekend and waited about 30 minutes to play. Great view and very relaxing..love it a lot. But $30 for about 130 ish balls...I think I'll pass. Brooklyn's Marine Park has a golf range there where you pay $11 for about 110 balls. So I guess what you're really paying for is the nice view and also the ball automatically comes up instead of you having to bend down to put one in.
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Yes, the automatic ball-tee-replacer-thingy is pretty cool (you don't have to bend over and put another ball on your tee). Yes, the view is pretty sweet (if only I was better I could clear the net and nail some dude on a yacht!). Yes, it's nice to have a bar right downstairs.
But...it's pretty expensive, a long hike with your sticks unless you live close, and like many things in New York you are crammed in on top of each other in order to maximise profits.
Chelsea Piers, at least from a golf range standpoint, is a cool novelty and I'm sure it's a great place to take a lesson (re: beer on premesis), but the Randall's Island Golf Center is far better and cheaper. I, however, am biased because I live much much closer to Randall's Island and go there often to work on my game.
I'm glad I visited Chelsea once, to say I tried it...and to say I was able to slice a few 6 irons over the net and onto the roof of some rich guys yacht. Beyond that, it's too much like a tourist trap.
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damn expensive, but hey, its the only driving range in manhattan so it can charge whatever it wants. plus, i love how the balls come from the ground and are automatically teed up for you.
I've never had a problem with capacity. It's two stories, right on the Hudson river. Beautiful place to hit. It also has heat lamps on during the colder nights.
There's also a free putting green out front. Go there at off peak hrs to extend your $!
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Balls.
Lots and lots of balls.
Me likes balls.
Lots and lots of balls.
But holy tea(baggin') time Batman. Deez balls are expensive!
But this is the only driving range in Manhattan. It's not that easy to get to by subway. Bus would be easier. But if you are lugging around clubs, or an entire golf bag, just take a cab. Work up a sweat and then walk over to 10th or 9th Ave and eat at one of the many Chelsea eateries. Totally worth it.
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I am Tiger Woods.
Okay, not really, but I do try. And when I try and yet am unable to leave Manhattan, this isnt a bad spot to go. Yes, as everyone else has mentioned, the balls are expensive at $0.25 each, but lets face it, we're a captive audience.
The facilities are pretty nice, it's multi-deck, but of course no serious golfer would hit off anything other than the lower level. It's also heated, and heated well I might add, so before that winter golf trip to Florida this is a good place to get rust off the swing.
I have just 2 knocks on the place. 1) The driving range is only 200 yards long, so you cant hit driver. You can of course, but then you have no idea how far you're hitting. The sign says that if you drill one into the net they estimate it at 250 yards, which is one of the most ridiculous and dumb things I've ever heard in my life, but whatever. 2) I dont like to hit off rubber tees (does anyone?). They do keep the astroturf in tip-top shape though for your wedge+irons+hybrid shots. It looks like it gets replaced often. Oh yean....they also have a putting green that you can put or chip from.
As for the restaurant next door, it's nautical themed in a "Hello, Captain Stubing, permission to come on board" sortof way. I've never eaten the food, but it looks like a great place to enjoy a sunset on the water and it's safe to say it's a true "hidden" or "secret" spot, because it's never packed. I'm going to have to eat there and review it, beause it looks REALLY nice.
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I love this place. I hate this place. I love this place. I hate this place.
I love this place:
1. The only driving range in Manhattan (other than the roof of my building).
2. Free putting green.
I hate this place:
1. Super-expensive congestion pricing. During "peak" hours (before 9 pm on weekdays), $25 only gets you 100 balls. rip-off. After peak hours, you get 118 balls.
2. Automatic tees. Moments after you hit your ball, a new one rises out of the ground like an accelerated version of Christ. Some people like this feature, but I have a pavlovian response to seeing a golf ball in front of me (must hit ball...) and this causes me to go through 100 balls in like, 4 minutes.
3. Driving range faces the setting sun. What's more important- watching the flight of your ball after you hit it or developing cataracts on your retina? hmm. Definitely need to wear sunglasses.
I hate this place.
I love this place.
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I love taking my golf lessons here!
Though eventually I'll need to get out on a real golf course, this is a great place to learn your swing and practice driving the ball. The instructors are very good at explaining the game and techniques, but what I like most of all is the environment there. Laid-back and fun, I can ask any silly question or miss my swing 10 times and it's all good. So far I've only done group lessons, but once I've got the basics I'll consider doing private lessons to actually get good at it.
Will it cost you? Yes, but not more than going out to a real course and getting lessons there. And unlike courses such as Randall's Island, you don't have to coordinate a group if you want group lessons. You just sign up.
For more seasoned golfers who just want to hit some balls, I think think this place is still worth a lot for its location. I agree $0.25 a ball during peak hours sounds like a rip-off, but where else can you stroll in after work and just hit a few for half an hour?
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Expensive but 4 stars for convenience if you're living in mid-downtown Manhattan.
The balls are dispensed automatically at the stalls so no hassle with the carrying of heavy baskets of golf balls.
A quarter a ball at peak hours so it's super expensive. Sometimes the ball dispenser is not loaded properly so you might sacrifice a few ball values when that happens.
A few tips to save money. Take advantage of the off-peak time, it's cheaper and less crowded anyway. Another tip is that I think they still have a "lady's special" on Wednesdays so as long as you're a lady (or you can ask your lady friend to help you) you can buy the ball cards at a 25% discount (limited to 1 ball card per purchase but who's to say how much you want to spend on that 1 ball card?), which is a great value as the ball cards have no expiration date (some of my cards I've used over a couple years so I can vouch).
There are I think 4-5 levels of stalls but beware as this place often hosts company events in the warmer months where an entire floor(s) may be booked out. It gets super crowded as well when the weather is nice, but I find that it tends to slow down around 5-6pm and of course during the wee hours of the morning and late at night just before they close as well.
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Before last week, I hadn't been to a driving range since 1997, when I was a 16 year-old exchange student in Sakai City, Osaka. As a student in the Golf Academy's Golf 101 course on Sunday morning, I hit what, in the normal world of driving ranges (i.e. no automatic tee system), would have amounted to a few buckets of balls. After spending 45 minutes of classroom time learning the fundamentals-- course etiquette, equipment, entertaining anecdotes-- from patient and encouraging instructor, Tim, my classmates and I headed up to the D level of the range, where were each given a 5 or 7 or 9 iron to befriend. It was dreamy, gripping the club too tight and blasting balls toward the Hudson. I'm looking forward to doing it again and again-- properly; the Club offers a range of short- and long-term classes for everyone from the novice to the experienced player. Fast-Track School, here I come.
Tigress Woods, out.
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Ok this place is outrageously priced. But come on, it's one of the only golf places in New York, what do you expect?
That being said, if you're in the mood to hit a few balls, the driving range here is the place to do so. It's year-round, it's outdoors, and the view is gorgeous - it's right on the Hudson, and if you go in the early evenings, you can even catch a nice sunset.
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Expensive? Of course! Expensive relative to driving out to a range in Queens/LI/NJ? Not necessarily! Seriously - If your negative is that it is expensive - reflect on the fact that you are:
1) Hitting balls on a Hudson river pier.
2) At the swankiest driving range I've been to that isn't part of a course.
3) Delivered balls via the auto tee system, which is pretty sweet.
4) ...Dude they have an auto tee system - how cool is that!
The pricing is goofy until you factor in the tolls and mileage to LI or NJ to go to a crappy range that still charges $12 a bucket. Go after 9pm and the price is right.
I was pretty impressed and wish I had gone sooner - my game might not have deteriorated to the sorry state that it is in at the moment.
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This is a great place to kill a few hours during the day with friends.
Swing the wrenches and pelt a tiny white ball against a gigantic friggen net.
The ultimate in lazy-mans golfing, automatic tees, require absolutely no bending.
To quote "Tin Cup", "Grip it and rip it!"
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Expensive?...yes. Great place to blow off some steam & pretend you're in suburbia?....yes. Off-peak hours are great--better deals on balls & fewer "golfers up in your business."
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Although, it is $25 for a bucket of 100 balls, I would much rather have the option than not. For the price you do get a the balls tee'd up for you. Great way to work on your game without treking it out of the city.
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Great and unique New York experience to stop by here (and I do at least twice a year) rent a club, pick up a bucket of golf balls and head to the top floor. Great views, good times.
