Best short game practice areas

[Tim Gerrish]

Love to hear some opinions on the best private course short game practice areas.  I'm in the middle of designing two more.  If someone says Bandon, perfect as I'll be there in a few weeks.   

[BCowan]

Battle Creek CC (Battle Creek, MI)-  The beauty is this is walking distance to the first tee and closer to the 1st tee then the driving range.  An important thing IMO that is greatly overlooked.  Elegant and simple= perfect

[Joel_Stewart]

  If someone says Bandon, perfect as I'll be there in a few weeks.

I don't think Bandon has a short game practice area?


Dallas National and Friars Head come to mind as great short game areas.  Shadow Creek just added one during the latest renovation.

[Criss Titschinger]

Around me, Maketewah in Cincinnati added a fantastic short game area, complete with four target greens, an indoor chipping/putting green and indoor hitting bays. Part of that was their partnership with Xavier University, which has their locker room there and gets exclusive use of the facilities during certain hours.

[Ryan Coles]

Cumberwell Park or Woburn the best I've seen in England.

[John Foley]

The short game green at Old Sandwich is off the charts. Atunyote @ the Turningstone resort is very well done also.

[Rob Marshall]

Atunyote at Turning Stone. I could spend all day there.

[Jimmy Muratt]

The short game area at Kinloch is fantastic.  Multiple greens and you can practice any shot needed from tightly mown areas or rough and from uphill, downhill or side hill lies.  There is also an additional green at the back of the range with stone markers at every 10 yard interval so you can dial in your wedge distances.


Staying in Virginia, the new practice facility that Coore & Crenshaw are building at Farmington will be fantastic.  Again, multiple greens, varied terrain and lies.  It will be open for use next spring (along with their new 10 hole East course).

[Tim Martin]

The short game green at Old Sandwich is off the charts. Atunyote @ the Turningstone resort is very well done also.

Agreed on Old Sandwich and would add TPC River Highlands.

[Keith Phillips]

Good topic - I'm interested in 'good short game areas in small spaces' - there are some great short game areas where space is no issue, but which clubs have done a good job with a space 'say' 200' x 200', especially play/traffic on all four sides?

[Rob Marshall]

Aronimimk has a great one also built in the last few years

[Wade Whitehead]

Augusta
Kinloch

WW

[Tommy Williamsen]

I've seen dozens and dozens of great short game areas. I agree with Jimmy Murrat that Kinloch has a splendid one. Nevertheless, I think the beat one I've ever seen is Musgrove Mill's. It has two greens. One is smallish, about 40 by 20. Another green is boomeranged shaped. Each wing is about forty yards long. There are green areas, bunkers, and Sandy waste areas. You can hit anything from sand wedge to three wood out of the bunkers or waste areas. A half dozen guys can use the area at once and not bother each other. I can Stan in one place and hit flop shots to one flag and a full wedge to another. When I am there I were the area out.

[Pete_Pittock]

Leland Stanford Junior University

[Pat Burke]

Ok pictures should be required!😄

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

Dallas National superb

[Chris Wirthwein]

World Woods is best I've seen. Fantastic driving range with massive teeing area that encircles the landing area. Plus huge practice chipping/putting green complex. There is a warm up course you can practice on or loosen up on before your round. (it's been a few years, but I believe the practice course is four holes.). Too bad World Woods is so out of the way. Two terrific golf course as well.

[David Stamm]

Big Horn has a great one.

[Mark Johnson]

Best I've seen


Dallas National
Windsong Farm
Kinloch

[Jason Topp]

Marriott Shadow Ridge (Palm Desert?) has the best public practice area I have run into although it uses a lot of space.  The most unique feature is a wedge area set like a driving range to a green shaped like an upside down V with a bunch of distance options.  It also has two greens about 125 yards apart with a fairway in between with all sorts of humps so you can practice from any lie.  Finally, its putting green has both sloped and relatively flat areas. 

[Tim Gerrish]

Thanks Chris...  I'm very familiar with Makettewah.  I may have to dig up the old plans!

Around me, Maketewah in Cincinnati added a fantastic short game area, complete with four target greens, an indoor chipping/putting green and indoor hitting bays. Part of that was their partnership with Xavier University, which has their locker room there and gets exclusive use of the facilities during certain hours.

[Trey Kemp]

Dallas National

[Tim Gerrish]

I 100% agree Ben for non resort courses.  I push to have it either as part of the practice facility or as close to the 1st tee/clubhouse area as possible. 

Battle Creek CC (Battle Creek, MI)-  The beauty is this is walking distance to the first tee and closer to the 1st tee then the driving range.  An important thing IMO that is greatly overlooked.  Elegant and simple= perfect

[Tim Gerrish]

Spot on Keith.  Several I've done are in leftover space.  But that is the magic of short game areas as long as they are located in a visible location.  One I'm looking at will have road and golf on three sides.  But if it is really a short game area (40 yds and less) wayward shots are much less of an issue.  Of course, if someone was on the opposite side of a green with me in the facing bunker, I'd be wary!

Good topic - I'm interested in 'good short game areas in small spaces' - there are some great short game areas where space is no issue, but which clubs have done a good job with a space 'say' 200' x 200', especially play/traffic on all four sides?

[Thomas Dai]

From a purely golfing aspect, rather than as a cash earner, I'd personally rather have a really, really top quality short game practice area located near the clubhouse/1st tee than a driving range.


I appreciate that driving ranges attached to clubs are a cash earner and are good for coaching etc and that there are some folks who are 'range-rats' and love to hit balls. However, if space is an issue, as it often is, give me a quality short game practice area every time.


Atb