Back Nine Driving Range Opens Sept. 12 In Lawton With Shaded Bays

As a golfer in Lawton, there's no shortage of opportunities to practice at the driving range. However, if you're looking for something like Topgolf, then you'd have to make the trip to Oklahoma City, until now. Over the weekend, my dad and I had the opportunity to test out Lawton's newest driving range, The Back Nine, during its soft opening at 9001 SE Lee in Lawton.

Located just a few miles east of Lawton at the corner of HWY 7 and 90th Street sits The Back Nine. The driving range features 20 shaded bays with turf driving mats, fans, seating, and all the golf balls you can hit. Ten of the bays feature Toptracer, which is a ball tracking technology, the exact tech used at Topgolf. The other 10 bays act as a traditional driving range, however, The Back Nine currently offers Lawton's only shaded traditional driving range.

Lawton's The Back Nine will host its grand opening on Saturday, Sept. 12.

Over the weekend, The Back Nine hosted a soft opening before its official grand opening on Saturday, Sept. 12. My dad and I are both avid golfers and have played multiple courses and practiced on various driving ranges across Oklahoma. We've also used local golf simulators and Topgolf to study our swings by analyzing our club distance, club and ball speed, etc.

So when we heard about The Back Nine opening in Lawton, we were excited for two reasons: one, we wouldn't have to drive to Oklahoma City anymore to utilize Toptracer technology, and two, a shaded driving range with fans. Before visiting The Back Nine, we weren't sure what to expect, but when we drove up Sunday morning, we were pleasantly surprised by a beautiful awning with spacious bays.

Kaley Patterson

READ MORE: Exploring The Best Golf Experiences In Lawton, Oklahoma

The Back Nine offers practice programs and games with Toptracer.

Owner of The Back Nine, Darrin Swenson, and his team, were helpful and attentive during our entire hour of play. Swenson got us set up with Toptracer before we began by giving us a brief tutorial of the system and calibrating the system for the position of our bay. Swenson also showed us how the system works by pointing out the cameras at the top of the bay.

My dad and I started out with 100 balls to hit and we started out with a bit of practice, and referred to Toptracer for data on our swings. My dad has recently picked his clubs back up after 20 years, and I've been an on and off golfer since playing on my state high school team. After we warmed up, we decided to play a couple of games. We played closest to the pin at Pebble Beach, and we used our swings to launch Angry Birds.

Kaley Patterson

READ MORE: Marlow's Small Town Golf Course Is a Hidden Gem In Oklahoma

The Back Nine will be open seven days a week starting Sept. 4.

After The Back Nine officially opens on Saturday, Sept. 4 and will host its grand opening on Saturday, Sept. 12. After Sept. 4, the driving range will be open seven days a week. Once open, visitors will be able to reserve bays online and through the Toptracer app. The Back Nine will also have clubs available for rent at $10, including clubs for adults and children.

Below will be the hours and costs for Toptracer bays at The Back Nine starting Sept. 4.

• 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Thursday: $30 an hour per bay
• 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Thursday: $40 an hour per bay
• 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday-Sunday: $40 an hour per bay
• 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday-Sunday: $50 an hour per bay

For those who want to use the regular driving range without Toptracer, The Back Nine will only charge for balls, which will be $12 for 50 balls and $20 for 100 balls.

Kaley Patterson

The Back Nine will also offer party rentals and local contests.

As we wrapped up, dad and I talked about how nice it is to now have The Back Nine in Lawton. We talked about how it would be a great place for us to come together or alone, and how we could potentially have a birthday party at The Back Nine with friends and family. Swenson confirmed that once opened, The Back Nine will also offer opportunities for part rentals.

As for food and drinks, The Back Nine currently offers snacks, sodas, and water. Soon, The Back Nine will offer alcoholic beverages. Until the range gets its license, Swenson said visitors can bring their own alcohol. He also said visitors are welcome to bring pizza and the like for larger groups.

Swenson also said after opening, The Back Nine is planning to hosts local contests and special events, like closest to the pin and ladies only hours. For more information about The Back Nine, follow the driving range on Facebook.

Kaley Patterson