We've launched the new forums! Read more here

Where/How do you practice your short game?

soxngolf

soxngolf

back to the season
Joined
Jan 28, 2009
Messages
1,076
Reaction score
20
Location
Boston
The short game is by far the weakest part of my game. It is usually where all my strokes come from. I find it difficult to practice my short game however. I usually hit the range a few times a week before work and at that time they don't have the very limited chipping/putting green open. I have done a few par 3/chip and putt type courses when they aren't very crowded and tried to get in as many shots as I can, but I seem to do well there (slow greens) and then it isn't necessarily transferring to the course. I would like to get more practice/drills in, but not sure where to do this. Same thing with out of the sand. Where do you practice your short game?
 
Our home golf course has a putting green and a chipping green as well as a practice bunker. We try to get out there a few times a week to practice.
 
My back yard, and the practice area at my home course. I spend more time on the short game practice area than I do on the driving range. Even when I am on the driving range, I spend more time 100-150 yards markers than any thing else.
 
My course has a putting and 2 chipping greens. Only bad thing is the chipping greens are by no. 16, a longway from the clubhouse.
 
I need to find a better chipping green in my area. I feel the problem with a lot of them is the area is so small. It is tough to find an area or the chips are all the same distance because there just isn't room. I need a backyard so that I can make my own chipping green!
 
soxngolf said:
I need to find a better chipping green in my area. I feel the problem with a lot of them is the area is so small. It is tough to find an area or the chips are all the same distance because there just isn't room. I need a backyard so that I can make my own chipping green!
Click to expand...

Move in with Prov then... problem solved! :banana::alien2:
 
The range I go to has a nice chipping green. Elevated on one side and protected by a bunker, good rough from the other and fairway on other other sides. Its right behind the range so I usually follow up a range session with some chipping using some real balls. Perfect for getting the Niblick dialed in. Its never crowded either- everyone is out there either putting or bombing drivers.

During the season I try to get there at least once a week- but I know I should be working on it a lot more.
 
I have a good sized backyard & utilize it a lot for chipping.
 
Not but 10 minutes down the road from my office is a great public course with an excellent chipping and putting area. I spend quite a few lunch hours and time after work there working my short game. Plus my backyard is large enough to do some work in it as well.
 
I have the same problem soxy. The short game area, if any, of the courses around me are atrocious. I think public courses intentionally avoid building short game areas because they take up room that could be dedicated to revenue generating structures such as a pro shop, driving range, or snack bar.

It's hard to blame them when any Joe (or Jane) Schmo can bring his (or her) own shag bag and practice for hours without giving a dime to the facility. Still, it sucks. I would be willing to pony up a little cash for a decent short game facility. The problem I see is that the courses are already overcharging for range balls and it's hard to imagine a short game area would be either affordable or properly maintained.

I have encountered nicer courses, like the one I play when I'm visiting my parents, have an all inclusive practice area with (grass) range, huge chipping green with many different lie and room enough for many golfers, and a real (and also giant) practice green with a variety of putts (uphill, downhill, sidehill, run completely off the green if you don't hole it, etc.). But it has been my experience that practice areas like that are usually reserved for private courses or high-end public courses where the golfer expects it because of the premium on green fees. In fact, the driving range(and thereby, practice area) is usually thrown in with the green fee at courses like that.
 
Our private course has one of those not-so-secret holes for short game practice.

Except--how dumb is this. I'm never sure if I should walk to it or use a cart, and I don't want to look like a dope and ask. So I haven't used it yet. I shall this season--the gal who runs the pro shop is a sweetie & she'll tell me.
 
This is possibly the one and only big benefit of coming from a small town/market. Some of these goat tracks around here are empty during the week, so thats where I go to practice. I can spend hours on # 8 or #17 as long as I keep my eye's open and hit shot after shot out of the bunker, or from different yardages. Last year I spent an hour + working on a Southeast cross wind from 140 yards simply because I wanted to learn how to hold the ball up into the wind. Good luck!
 
ClairefromClare said:
Our private course has one of those not-so-secret holes for short game practice.

Except--how dumb is this. I'm never sure if I should walk to it or use a cart, and I don't want to look like a dope and ask. So I haven't used it yet. I shall this season--the gal who runs the pro shop is a sweetie & she'll tell me.
Click to expand...

Is there a cart path to it? If so, use the cart.

My course has the driving range and chipping green with two big sand traps to practice. The range and chipping area are between the 18th hole and the clubhouse, so not only does the cart path go by it, it also veers off and up the small hill to the driving range. Between the range and the clubhouse is a street and parking lot. So most people use a cart. They can also hop into their vehicle and park out on the street that is between the driving range and 10th hole.

b24f229f.jpg
 
thedue said:
This is possibly the one and only big benefit of coming from a small town/market. Some of these goat tracks around here are empty during the week, so thats where I go to practice. I can spend hours on # 8 or #17 as long as I keep my eye's open and hit shot after shot out of the bunker, or from different yardages. Last year I spent an hour + working on a Southeast cross wind from 140 yards simply because I wanted to learn how to hold the ball up into the wind. Good luck!
Click to expand...

Well??? Did you learn how to hold the ball up into the wind???

Goats in Nebraska??? never knew!!
 
A few of the courses around here have chipping greens and putting greens, but normally we'll play a Par 3 course and that helps us practice our short game!
 
Fortunately, most of the city courses have good short game areas available. I keep a shagbag in my vehicle all the time. Whenever I get an opportunity, I will skip lunch and go to the one close to my office and hit a shagbag full of balls.
 
There is an 18 hole 3-par course near where I live called Hartwell that is a true test of the short game.The local range is adding a chipping/sand area which will be very nice too.
 
I practice my short game at home in the back yard. I use my gas trimmer to cut area's really short, small circles, at different yardages like, 20, 30, 50, 70 etc. and hit wedges into the circles.
I start at the nearest one, hitting ten/fifteen balls and work up to the faraway one and then work back to the nearest.
 
At the local range. Great short game area with bunkers, different sets of pins and greens, etc.
 
provisional said:
My back yard, and the practice area at my home course. I spend more time on the short game practice area than I do on the driving range. Even when I am on the driving range, I spend more time 100-150 yards markers than any thing else.
Click to expand...

Provisional, what do you use in your background.....I have an awfully big back yard as well but don't want to tear up my grass with chipping....do you use a turf mat or something like that, and do you use a chipping net to chip into? Thanks for any help provisional......
 
There are a couple fields near my house that can be used for chipping and pitching. The course nearest to me doesn't have a chipping green, so if I want to officially practice my short game I just drive to a course were I can do that. At my old apartment I used to practice chipping and pitching in the yard. No yard at my current place so I chip/pitch from the living room in to the bedroom and try to land the pitch shots on the bed. Got to be careful not to blade pitch shots :D
 
the course 2 blocks from my house has the best practice area... everything else sucks... but the practice area has an elevated turtleshell green with a bunker on one side... a pretty good sized putting/chipping green... and a pitching area... and a pure putting area where no chipping is allowed...
if you can get in between lessons its great... and free!
 
I use a turf mat some times. That said I made myself a 6'X6' turf area out of sod. Once it gets tore up too much, I pull all the junk out and replace it with new sod. I use the turf mat when the sod is out of season. I also have a home made putting green that I chip on to . For longer stuff I have a big net I pitch, and full swing into. sometimes I will lay a ladder down, and chip to the spaces between the rungs. When chipping, pitching, and full swings it's more about practicing alignment, ball contact, and hitting a landing area.
clg82 said:
Provisional, what do you use in your background.....I have an awfully big back yard as well but don't want to tear up my grass with chipping....do you use a turf mat or something like that, and do you use a chipping net to chip into? Thanks for any help provisional......
Click to expand...
 
Re: Where/How do you practice your short game?

provisional said:
I use a turf mat some times. That said I made myself a 6'X6' turf area out of sod. Once it gets tore up too much, I pull all the junk out and replace it with new sod. I use the turf mat when the sod is out of season. I also have a home made putting green that I chip on to . For longer stuff I have a big net I pitch, and full swing into. sometimes I will lay a ladder down, and chip to the spaces between the rungs. When chipping, pitching, and full swings it's more about practicing alignment, ball contact, and hitting a landing area.
Click to expand...
I just purchased a turf mat from eBay. Now all I need is a chipping net. Hopefully I can find one at the la golf show. Do they actually see stuff there or is it just to view I wonder?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I practice chipping and pitching in my back yard.
Also, quite a few of the courses I go to have a practice green and a lot of times I will go there and practice for a while either before my round or after work.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top