Best use of small area for high end practice ?

[archie_struthers]

 


Trying to come up wit a design for a short game area with limited space available. Ideas ? Pictures?

[Jaeger Kovich]

how small? what shape?

[David Wuthrich]

They just did a nice one here in Houston.  Just need to know the specs and I can see if I can put you in touch with the correct people.

[Matt_Cohn]

Trying to come up wit a design for a short game area with limited space available. Ideas ? Pictures?

It seems like the starting point is whether you want a central green and players hitting in from all sides, or players hitting from the middle towards a number of greens out on the edges.


Winged foot has the latter, which I suppose requires a little more room than the former:



Particularly if there's only one green, I think the real trick is ensuring that you have 360° of shots that are actually appealing to practice. It's hard to design a green that plays differently, but equally interestingly, from 360° around it. If you design a normal green oriented towards the "front", then you'll have a lot of unappealing shots from over the "back" of the green. Not that many golfers want to simulate playing from over a green. If you have a setup like Winged Foot's, it's easier to design "normal" greens with a more defined front and back.


The short game practice area at my college was not especially well designed, so I have some experience with this. The "front" of the green (the low point, basically) was backed up against the edge of the property, so most of the available shots were from the sides and what felt like "over the back". It wasn't good. The two greens on opposite sides of the property sloped east and west but had entrances from the south — again, it just didn't leave many opportunities to replicate normal golf shots you'd actually face a lot on the course.

[Joe Hellrung]

I enjoyed the practice facility at the Standard Club.  Pretty small footprint, but lots of shot angles and right off the clubhouse:

<iframe src="https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m14!1m12!1m3!1d616.0227692694357!2d-84.17881236360307!3d34.05755208292281!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!5e1!3m2!1sen!2sus!4v1485286293046" width="600" height="450" frameborder="0" style="border:0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

https://goo.gl/maps/YM1JjN6HM4J2

The green closest to the building is the putting green.  You can also see the driving range off to the right. 

[Lyndell Young]

Joe I agree about Standard Club,we got to spend at least an hour chipping before Dixie Cup and you could vary between 50 yds  and down as well as bunker practice.

[Mike_Trenham]

Caledonia has a nice small short game area which is the only practice area at that course.

[Ian Andrew]

We have begun to use this style of netting station (110x110') when space is limited and desires exceed the acreage available. It allows all clubs and provides enough distance to understand the ball flight.

I went to try the practice net, so I could discuss/dismiss the idea and found I liked the alternative. I've recommended it ever since when clubs have little space. It's not cheap, but does make the most of a small space.

This is Ashburn in Halifax, net station, new putting green, three green chipping centre, using a couple of acres in total.

[Ian Andrew]

My suggestion on chipping facilities is don't overdesign or overshape. The vast majority will go find a flat or uphill lie, so keep it as simple as possible and all short turf. This facility has a series of greens (a few bunkers) and a massive central fairway. Doubles as a kids course or gambler's paradise. The more short turf, the more people it can handle (wear or teaching sessions).

Middle green in picture is a bunkerless punchbowl to help beginners with confidence. That's what was there (rock underneath) and they're damn fun to chip to.

[Thomas Dai]

A Himalayas putting green like replica with some bunkering would be a great short game practice area. It wouldn't  even have to be same size to provide a suitably interesting and challenging facility.
Atb

[Randy Thompson]

 

For an individual or high play?

Trying to come up wit a design for a short game area with limited space available. Ideas ? Pictures?

[Jason Topp]

My suggestion on chipping facilities is don't overdesign or overshape. The vast majority will go find a flat or uphill lie, so keep it as simple as possible and all short turf.

I agree with this.  Humps and bumps are fun on a golf course but not all that useful if one is trying to iron out his putts, chips or pitches. 

[Dan Kelly]

I like the new chipping, putting, and short-pitching area at Minnesota Valley CC (Bloomington, Minnesota). Don't have any pictures of it; sorry.

[archie_struthers]

 




Thanks to all !


 Ian gives excellent advice that would work well for us with limited space. Anyone who's been to Pine Valleys' range knows you could spend hours just chipping to some simplistic greens that flank the practice field.  If someone could post google earth of their range it wold show this clearly.  Simple design leads to simple maintenance , another plus.


We have a couple areas that are away from the hub / clubhouse but my concern is that we have to spend extra time and buy more equipment to now cut and maintain multiple areas. Also you need to think of security in areas far from the easily monitored spots in a facility like ours . Thanks so much everyone , good stuff.

[JMEvensky]

Thanks to all !


 Ian gives excellent advice that would work well for us with limited space. Anyone who's been to Pine Valleys' range knows you could spend hours just chipping to some simplistic greens that flank the practice field.  If someone could post google earth of their range it wold show this clearly.  Simple design leads to simple maintenance , another plus.


We have a couple areas that are away from the hub / clubhouse but my concern is that we have to spend extra time and buy more equipment to now cut and maintain multiple areas. Also you need to think of security in areas far from the easily monitored spots in a facility like ours . Thanks so much everyone , good stuff.

Based upon admittedly limited experience, it's better to go smaller practice area/closer to the clubhouse rather than the opposite. My place went the opposite and it was a mistake. The old chipping green/practice bunker steps from the locker room gets much more use than the new practice area.


At least in our case, location mattered more than anything.