At the driving range, in the driving rain

What is the point of the driving range?

That's not a rhetorical question: I went to a range earlier this week and did the obligatory practice putting, practice chipping and practice swinging the club. All I learned is that I am as wildly inconsistent when the ball is sitting on a rubber tee with nowhere to go as when I'm on an actual course trying to put the tiny sphere into a cup.

You might argue that the driving range is where you're supposed to figure out your swing, work out the kinks, etc. It doesn't help. All I do is hit bad shots (and bad putts and bad chips) over and over again, with the occasional -- and unreproducible -- sweet swing.

I can do that on an actual golf course, and get some exercise in, to boot.

My experience on the driving range this week wasn't a total loss. Thanks to the range markers, I did learn that I can hit the ball consistently, no matter what the club, about 100 yards. That's with a 4-iron, 5-iron, 7-iron, 5-wood or driver. Good to know.

Now back to the course.