Practice Facilities

[Jeff Mingay]

Sadly, I've never practiced much. And my game proves it  

Consequently, I've never thought much about the architecture of practice facilities. I'm wondering what golfers ideally like to have available to them at a practice facility?

Besides the usual grass tee range with target greens, a practice putting green and chipping and pitching green with, maybe, a practice bunker, what other features and facilities make for the ideal practice area?  

[Peter Galea]

Good golf balls that are clean and dry.
Distance markers or some kind of target at 50, 75 and 100.

[Jeff Mingay]

Interesting point, Pete. Now that you mention it, many ranges lack the 50 and 75 yard type of targets, don't they. Considering most golfers would benefit from practicing shots of this length, target greens between the 50 and 75 yard range would seem to be important to include.

Thanks.

[ed_getka]

I think Bandon Dunes has the perfect practice facility. They have the standard set up for banging balls. Then they have some greens set up to practice short iron approaches in. They have two greens about 80 yards apart for working on chipping, pitching, and sand shots. Finally they have a football size field at fairway height with lots of undulation where shots can be played into the short iron greens so one can work on sidehill, downhill, uphill lies. And a huge putting green that has oversize holes for chipping into (I guess to inspire confidence). Of course this all takes a lot of space, but it is a phenomenal practice set up.

[Matt_Cohn]

Endless possibilities for fun and wild chips and putts. I've never been to Augusta or St. Andrews, but I'd love to have #14 green at Augusta or the Himalayas at St. Andrews for my chipping and putting green. (We can put the practice bunker somewhere else!)

Once you have to start practicing the same short game shots everyday, you're no longer practicing with imagination, which is a major part of the whole thing.

[Bob_Huntley]

The Olympic G.G. has a superb practice facility.

[Bob_Huntley]

The Olympic G.G. has a superb practice facility.

[RJ_Daley]

Out on the edge of our village, there is a daily fee course that is maintained on the cheap, and is a hidden gem of a shortish track about 6400 yards from the tips.  It is generally occupied by the tank-top and beer swilling crowd of perennial hacks.  It has a 9 hole par three adjacent to the 18 hole layout attracting many ladies and junior 7-16year olds.  And most importantly, it has a really decent practice range, adequate putting green, and two chipping greens.  The range often carries the operation.  In a year like we are having, the course is often empty or under-utilized (unhappily,  at the worst times of weekends when it always seems to be raining all year to-date).   But, there always seems to be folks using the practice range between downpours and miserable weather.  ONe can always hit a bucket in less than an hour to get their swing in shape or their golf 'jones' satisfied to some extent.  This range gets open in spring ahead of the course when there is still snow on some of the low spots of the range. Then they force folks to hit off mats.  Yet, the yearly ritual attracts winter starved golf bugs in droves.  A good range is a savior in these parts, pardner...

I love my Wild Horse too, because they have a good range, and great putting oval and secondary chipping and bunker practice facility.  I wouldn't have a golf course without this ammenity, and would always have it in the best possible shape and well equipped.  

And, finally as most supers know, it is a good place to calibrate the sprayers and try certain new stuff...

[brad_miller]

PV has a great one, as does that new C&C track out on LI, both also have par 3 courses.

[Mike Nuzzo]

It would be nice to have the short game area mimic all of the green complex shots that are on the course, at least some of the more challenging ones.
Theoretically, like the short course at PV is supposed to,
or the short game area at Chicago GC.

The putting course at World Woods looked good too, although I never took the time, I was too busy getting in some holes on the short course before sunset.

[Dave_Miller]

Some of the courses I have played that have excellent practice facilities are:

Olympic - San Francisco
Aronimink - Newtown Square, Pa.
Ibis - West Palm Beach Florida Area.
Sea Island Georgia

Why is it that many of the great courses have very small practice areas.  Winged Foot is one that comes to mind.  
Is it because Ben Hogan created the art of practice and players truly did not practice in the days when these courses were built.  
Many of the good courses around Boston have small practice areas, such as Winchester, Brae Burn, etc.
It just seems puzzling.

Fairways and Greens
Dave

[John_D._Bernhardt]

I agree that Bandon Dunes has a good a practice area as I have seen on earth. I would love to see one better. The only thing missing is the new Titlists I found at Muirfield Villlage.