Golf Driving Range Lighting: Long-Throw Design

Lighting a driving range is a long-throw, vertical-illuminance problem. The player needs to track a ball flying and landing hundreds of feet away, so the design relies on narrow long-reach optics, high vertical light, and careful glare control back toward the tees — not a uniform horizontal carpet across the whole range. This guide covers the two zones, optics and pole placement, and glare control.

The unusual challenge

Unlike a contained court or field, a range sends the ball 200+ yards. What matters is seeing it in the air and where it lands, which makes vertical illuminance and beam reach more important than a high horizontal footcandle number everywhere.

The two zones

Optics and pole placement

Narrow, long-throw optics project light far downrange from poles placed along (and sometimes down) the tee line and range edges. Pole height and aiming push light to the landing zone while keeping fixtures out of players' downrange sightlines.

Glare control

Because players look downrange — and ranges often abut roads or homes — full-cutoff optics, shielding, and aiming discipline contain glare back at the tees and spill toward neighbors. Duvon designs long-throw range and golf-practice layouts.

Frequently asked questions

What footcandles does a range need?

~30–50 fc at the tee line; aimed long-throw coverage down the landing zone.

Why is it different?

It's about vertical illuminance and beam reach, not uniform horizontal light.

Where do poles go?

Along the tee line and range edges, aimed downrange.

How do you control glare?

Full-cutoff optics, shielding, and disciplined aiming.

Request a free driving range layout at duvonlighting.com/free-quote.