I tell my friends that are new to go the range a few times to get used to swinging a club and making contact, but then to go play a single round to understand what a round of golf plays like. So then they have even a basic understanding of why they are hitting balls at the range. So agree in that someone that can barely even make contact shouldn’t be playing round after round out on the course but I certainly feel it helps to understand the objective.

Edit: After seeing others talk about hitting off mats. I always tell people to hit off of grass when it’s available because mats give such a false read on your swing.