Practice Facilities

Practice areas are playing an increasingly important role at most golf courses. This article looks at how practice facilities have evolved over time and provides design, maintenance, and management strategies that will help courses deliver the best practice experience possible.

A grass practice tee is a great asset for any golf course to have, but most are undersized and struggle to handle the amount of play they receive. In this article, we look at how patterns of use, the agronomic program, grass selection and various setup strategies can help you get the best results – no matter how big your grass practice tee is.

Golfers are spending more time than ever working on their game, which means practice areas experience a lot of wear and tear. There are some basic things every golfer can do to help take care of the practice area and keep it in the best shape possible.

Practice areas are under a lot of pressure with all the use they get. Golfers can do a few simple things that will go a long way toward keeping practice areas in good shape.

Using artificial mats might not be a golfer’s preferred way to practice, but mats are an essential part of operating a well-functioning range at most courses.

Practice tees require a unique management program because of heavy divoting and use throughout the season.

Grass selection plays an important role in practice facility success. If your practice tee struggles in summer, you’ll want to see the results of our divot recovery study on creeping bentgrass and hybrid bermudagrass practice tees at a Pennsylvania course.

The pattern in which golfers take divots while practicing has a big impact on how much turf area is disturbed and how quickly the divots heal. This infographic shows the preferred method and some patterns to avoid.

How courses set up and manage the use of their grass practice tee plays a key role in how well it performs throughout the season.

Robot range pickers offer a number of advantages over traditional range carts and it may not be long before you see one working at a practice facility near you.

Being mindful of how we use the practice facility and following any rules and restrictions will help the practice facility stay in great shape for everyone to enjoy.

Practice tees can get worn out quickly during winter in the Southwest, and trying to repair them with seed and sand may not keep up with use. Installing sod may be a better approach for some courses.

Using a simple graph of warm-season turfgrass growth potential can help southern courses decide when to use artificial turf hitting stations on the practice tee in the fall.

Synthetic turf can improve the appearance and functionality of target greens, practice bunker banks, and other practice facility features that are challenging to maintain.

Offering range balls in smaller quantities can help limit wear and tear on grass practice tees.