Anyone else have a little short game practice area in their backyard? I made an area for my 6 year old son last summer to try to get him interested in golf - I put the mower on the lowest setting, made a little green. My son and I made a flagstick together out of a a tomato stake and some plastic which we made into a flag. In the fall, I moved my kids' sandbox to that area so I could teach my son how to hit sand shots - as soon as it dries out (it's been a really wet spring here), we can start trying those. I should add that we are lucky in that we live in a rural area on an acre or so with wooded areas, so there is no chance of a skulled shot hitting a car or someone's house, etc. Anyway, it has worked....I get home from work some days and my son is down there happily playing pitch and chip shots. He can hit a 3/4 wedge shot from the furthest point, probably around 30 yards or so. It may not rival Tiger's new Jupiter digs, but it certainly has been fun to take turns hitting pitches with my son - he gets a real kick when he sticks one in there close to the "pin"! It's funny though - even just this one little area has piqued my interest regarding turf conditions, watering, etc. Who knew!