History of Golf Practice Areas

[Bill Healy]

During the last 125 areas, golf practice areas have evolved from small practice fields adjacent to the golf course, to hitting balls off a teeing ground on the course to a shag caddie, to the fantastic practice facilities at Grove XXIII in Florida, Pine Valley in NJ, and Cape Cod National in Massachusetts.


Donald Ross is credited with an indoor practice facility at Oakley in winter 1899-1900, and Ross' Maniac Hill at Pinehurst (1913) has been called the first great golf practice area.


Where can I learn more about the history of golf practice areas?


Thanks,  Bill Healy

[Joe_Tucholski]

We talking about practice...not a game, not a game, not a game...we talking about practice.


Sorry couldn't help myself.


Allen Iverson We Talkin About Practice - YouTube

[Andrew Carr]

Clearly as time becomes more of an obstacle, golfers that don't have time for 18, may be spending more time practicing.  Also, I think of the people that are playing are wanting to improve and there has never been a better time to try to get better with FlightScope Mevo +, Arccos, etc.


It stands to reason that clubs and public facilities want to make a better practice experience to at least get golfers on property.


Now that the first wave of historic renovations and the like are in process, the next area for capital improvement is in the practice areas.


It would be great to see a history of clubs adding practice facilities.

To Joe's quote...take a peak at my practice wedge.   


https://photos.app.goo.gl/RiPMpcQQSeZMFH397

We talking about practice...not a game, not a game, not a game...we talking about practice.


Sorry couldn't help myself.


Allen Iverson We Talkin About Practice - YouTube

[Tim Martin]

No surprise that the great golf practice areas skew heavily toward the private club model as evidenced by the three courses referenced in the original poster’s opening paragraph.