Finchley Golf Range

Video from British Pathe archive

This clip shows the golf range and crazy golf course which operated during the 1960s in Finchley, North London.

Supposedly Britain’s first ‘automated’ driving range that was open ‘day and night’. It had two tiers, the upper being open air, and was floodlit for use at night. There was also a crazy golf course next to the range. In the clip, men wearing helmets collect the balls and feed them back into a machine which washes and fills new buckets of balls. Glad to see the Wimpy concession next to the driving range kiosk. Nice touch.

A photo of Finchley Driving Range also features in Alliss, P. (ed) (1987) Golf – A Way of Life: An illustrated history of golf. Cresset Press: London, p.102.