Marti Golf Center — Attraction in Houston

I've been going to Marti Golf Center for a few years and aside from some occasional pettiness from staff never had any complaints. It's convenient, cheap, and open late. That's probably why it has so many customers. But they lost my business tonight and I hope they lose yours too.

I took my 7-year old out for an evening at the driving range. The owner, Chad Marti, refused us service for wearing masks in the shop to buy a bucket of balls. That's not a typo - refused service FOR wearing a mask during a pandemic and during a time where local cases are rising. Obviously there are no decent reasons for objecting to someone else's personal choice and freedom to choose to wear a mask. But Chad Marti thinks it's okay even to refuse service. It literally has zero impact on him aside from the reason that he gave of being tired of picking up dropped masks. What's more, he had the audacity to tell my kid that the mask won't do anything to keep him safe. He's 7. He's unvaccinated. I'm making an appropriate choice to keep him safe but Chad thinks his stand is worth ruining his night over.

Chad's taking a business gamble that he can take his political stand and people will keep on buying buckets of balls from him. Maybe he's right. But I'm tired of this pandemic and the small-minded thinking that perpetuates it. I won't give another dime to his business. There are better alternatives around a few minutes further. I'll be taking my business elsewhere. Chad is confident enough that you'll ignore your values in exchange for convenience and cheap range balls. He's confident that he can have customer interactions like the one tonight where he undermined my guidance to my son and it won't cost him. Maybe he's right. I hope he changes his policy or goes out...

It's one of the few places in West Houston you can hit off grass. Decent grass, at that. Yeah, Memorial has shade to hit under, and that's great this time of year. Hitting off good turf is still much closer to the lies you get on a course.

Distances are listed daily on the wall of the shop, as the hitting line moves back and forth. Looking at it in Google Earth, they're pretty comparable.

Haven't tried the chipping area or the instruction. I need to.

As for the masks...this range was one of the first businesses I saw in Houston to not require them. I think it's great. If you don't, there's no shortage of other places to go in Houston.

Edit: I've tried the practice facilities. They're quite good. Usually have the chipping green to yourself, and there's nearly always a bunch of range balls for you to practice with. Very deep bunker for sand work. As for putting...it's a bit bumpy and rough. Save that phase of practice for when you visit Memorial or another course.

I still need to get lessons. From what I've overheard from them while I was hitting, both Mr. Dill and Mr. Marti will give you their full attention while working with you, plus they'll recognize you during subsequent non-lesson visits and ask how that thing they taught is working out for you. They seem conscientious, and looking around, their rates are reasonable.

Still 5 stars, still a great place to work...

So if you come to the Houston area, be prepared for a lot of driving ranges that you only get to hit off of mats. Marti Golf Center has a combination of both mats and grass. It is a VERY big driving range as far as the amount of people they can fit on as well as how deep it is. Over 300 yards to the trees in the back so plenty of room to take out the big stick ! They even have a short game area that has a big bunker as well as plenty of area to hit your pitch shots onto the green. The quality of the the grass to hit off of on the driving range was more than sufficient. The areas around the pitching green needs a little TLC, but you can still get your work in. I’m a single digit handicap and I was more than pleased to find this driving range. One last little note, Johnny Dill is one of the instructors there. He was behind the counter when I got there. Couldn’t have been nicer. I’m sure he would be a lot of fun to take lessons with. I do lessons for a living in Music so I can tell when somebody has the personality for it. He even was so kind that he moved the rope in the middle of the driving range session for everybody so there was more grass to hit off of. In all my life I have never seen someone do that before. Usually, you’re just stuck withwhatever there is at the end of the day. Oh, and by the way, it’s lighted at night. Way to go Marti Golf...