I shall begin with a disclaimer: I am not a golfer. The only golf I regularly enjoy playing…read moreinvolves little windmills and fibreglass tiger obstacles. That said, I've been to Solihull Driving Range on a few occasions and really enjoyed it. I've tended to visit on Sunday mornings, following a hung over breakfast at the very nearby Beckett's Farm. There is something quite satisfying about thwacking some balls off the upper level and watching them soar into the air. OK, that is quite rare for me, considering the standard of my golfing prowess. But the view is still quite pretty. I liked the fact that the staff didn't patronise or judge me and they were quite happy to let me bumble about in a distinctly amateur manner. For those who know their stuff, there is a Direct Golf store, a putting green and simulator. They also offer lessons with PGA accredited trainers.

I've had two good experiences using Waterstock Golf Course as a driving range. My little brother…read more(11) and I decided to learn Golf, so booked a driving range lesson with Paul Bryant. Arriving at the course was a doddle - it's just off the M40 after the Wheatley turning (when heading east), and there's loads of free parking. The guys at the club house were very friendly, and had obviously catered for children before. Handing us our 6 irons, and tokens for the ball machine, we headed over to the driving range building. It was raining, so we got a bit damp walking over, but the range itself was covered so this wasn't a problem. Paul was a superb teacher - very knowledgable, and a cheerful enthusiastic manner. I would strongly recommend asking for him if booking a first lesson. My brother and I learned a huge amount in the 30 minutes we were with him, managing to smack the balls up to 150 yards (having never hit a golf ball before)!! We then had plenty of free time after the lesson to hit more balls on our own. The only critism I have is that I've since seen machines that put the balls on the tees for you - at Waterstock I was always bending over to put the next ball on the tee, which got a bit tiring and hampered my learning to swing the club. The lesson cost around £30 for both of us. The balls cost £3 for 50, £5 for 100, or £14 for 300 (which we did), and the range wasn't crowded at all. We had a drink in the clubhouse bar afterwards - not too pricey or busy. All in all a rewarding, convenient and inexpensive morning's entertainment.