Tiger Woods pulled up to the driving range and hit balls for the first time since striking a plea deal in his DUI case earlier this month … and the golf world smells a comeback!

The 50-year-old golf legend was at the Liberty National Golf Club in New Jersey on Tuesday … the course where Tiger is hosting his Nexus Cup charity event this week.

It’s the first time Woods has been seen swinging a club since rolling over his Range Rover and getting arrested in March.

The 15x major champion — who was charged with driving under the influence — struck a deal with prosecutors on September 2, pleading no contest to reckless driving.

The judge suspended Tiger’s license for five years and ordered him to pay around $1,000 in fines.

Bottom line — Woods can’t drive himself to the course, but he’s free to play.

The question is … is he healthy?

At the time of his arrest, Tiger was dealing with several injuries, and his return to the course was murky at best.

In fact, Woods told cops at the accident scene he hoped to play, but wasn’t sure he’d make it to Augusta for the Masters (after the arrest, he sat out the tourney).

But that was about five and a half months ago, and with no known physical setbacks, the legal case settled, and a stint in rehab under his belt, golf fans believe he could make his return at an upcoming event.