Closest to the Pin is the game to play with mates on a Friday night, and Go Fish runs it surprisingly close. Both keep everyone involved on every shot, which is the real test of a good range game. Our 26-bay Toptracer range in Elstree is floodlit and open until 10pm, so there is plenty of time to settle the argument properly. Here is our full ranking, from the game you will abandon after ten minutes to the one that ends friendships.
By The Hertsmere team4 min read
5. Longest Drive: brilliant for five minutes
Every group starts here, and every group should. Longest Drive is exactly what it sounds like: swing as hard as you like and let Toptracer settle whose ball actually went furthest, rather than whose story sounded best. The problem is that it rewards one shot and one shot only, so the fastest swinger in the group wins early and keeps winning. Open with it to loosen up, enjoy the carnage, then move on before anyone pulls something.
4. Points Game: the quiet grinder
Points Game gives you targets at different distances and scores you on accuracy, with more points for tighter shots. It is the fairest game on this list, because a steady player with a smooth wedge can beat a big hitter comfortably. The catch on a Friday night is that fair is not always fun. It is a better game for two people having a serious practice session than for four people who have mostly come for the chat.
3. Virtual Golf: play a famous course from the bay
Virtual Golf lets you play simulated holes from your bay, with Toptracer mapping each shot onto the virtual course. It is the most impressive party trick on the range and a genuinely good way to feel like you are playing golf rather than just hitting balls. It only loses marks because holes take a while when four of you are sharing a bay, and Friday night groups tend to drift off topic somewhere around the third fairway. Fewer players, higher ranking.
2. Go Fish: chaos, in a good way
Go Fish scatters targets across the range and asks you to collect them, with a card-game twist that means your mate can nick the target you were about to claim. It is fast, it is spiteful, and nobody is ever safely in the lead, which is exactly what you want from a group game. If your lot enjoy winding each other up, and most do, this might quietly be your number one.
1. Closest to the Pin: the Friday night champion
Simple rules, instant drama, zero admin. Everyone fires at the same target, Toptracer measures each shot to the foot, and the leaderboard does the arguing for you. It works with two players or six, it works for mates off single figures and mates who have never held a club, and one lucky wedge can topple the best golfer in the group on the final ball. That last part is what makes it the winner. To get the most out of it, a bit of light structure helps:
- Pick one target distance per round so every shot is comparable
- Play five balls each, nearest shot counts, loser buys the next round
- Rotate the target after each round so nobody grooves one club all night
- Keep a running tally across the evening for an overall champion
Whichever game wins your vote, the setup here makes it easy. We are in Elstree, about 20 minutes from London and inside the M25, with over 250 free parking spaces, so nobody is circling the streets before a 7pm tee-off at bay twelve. And when the leaderboard is settled, Script Restaurant and Bar is right here for food and a debrief, with a balcony looking over the course if the evening is behaving.
Make Friday night a fixture
The Toptracer range at The Hertsmere has 26 floodlit bays and stays open until 10pm, so there is room for your group even after work. Find out everything you need to know before your first session.
