Course practice facilites

[snell]

This thread is hilarious.....not entirely sure it's meant to be, but hey ho!

For what it's worth i love courses that have good practice facilities....I'd Base my choice of course on this massively.

This year I have practiced the most since I started playing and I've subsequently came down 5 shots.

 

[3565]

i couldn't disagree more. practice for most people takes repetition. thats not possible on the course. I've recently been practicing high soft bunker shots. its not really practical to ask your pp' s to wait whilst you hit a few.

i think good practice areas are hugely important to improving.

totally agree with this. Some people enjoy practising, enjoy playing different shots on the ground and around the greens which can then be transposed onto the course, that what practise is about. Just to practise on the course is a dopey suggestion as the anti slow brigade will be banging their heads.

 

[snell]

totally agree with this. Some people enjoy practising, enjoy playing different shots on the ground and around the greens which can then be transposed onto the course, that what practise is about. Just to practise on the course is a dopey suggestion as the anti slow brigade will be banging their heads.

Sometimes I just enjoy mindlessly beating away at golf balls after a hard day at work too

 

[3565]

This thread is hilarious.....not entirely sure it's meant to be, but hey ho!

For what it's worth i love courses that have good practice facilities....I'd Base my choice of course on this massively.

This year I have practiced the most since I started playing and I've subsequently came down 5 shots.

I've just read the whole thread and 99% of the comments on this thread are of a similar nature except that 1% who just likes to think the way he plays golf is the way it should be done. Some players enjoy the mental fortitude it takes to practise a technique over and over and to then succeed in that gives them pleasure to which it can be then replicated on the course when that situation arises. Just might be that some don't have that mental fortitude it takes.

 

[snell]

I've just read the whole thread and 99% of the comments on this thread are of a similar nature except that 1% who just likes to think the way he plays golf is the way it should be done. Some players enjoy the mental fortitude it takes to practise a technique over and over and to then succeed in that gives them pleasure to which it can be then replicated on the course when that situation arises. Just might be that some don't have that mental fortitude it takes.

Oh yeah agree with this....it's just sometimes the 1% that let this forum down at times and make things laughable.

 

[3565]

Oh yeah agree with this....it's just sometimes the 1% that let this forum down at times and make things laughable.

Infact let's do away with putting greens as well, why bother putting before going out and practise nets to get the swing going, just rack up, tee it up and find your swing and green speed somewhere on the front 9. Laughable, more like ludicrous.

 

[NWJocko]

Ironic really as I rarely practice but like the fact we have the facilities and would possibly sway me about joining somewhere......

Our range is pretty good and we get free balls which is a good thing. Putting green is OK if a little small. Chipping green has a couple of bunkers that are similar to on the course but we could really do with it being bigger and more space around it. Not an obvious place to move it to I don't think but I'd support the club if they were going to invest money to improve the facilities. SAOL has an absolutely superb chipping green and area, could happily spend an hour or 2 if we had something like that.

Interestingly, I do notice the really low handicappers at our place use the practice facilities a lot....... If I nip out for a few holes in the evening there'll be one or two of them on the range or putting green. Probably a lesson to be learned for me there :rofl:

 

[richart]

When I first started playing at Reading golf club, the practice ground was tiny. Played my best golf there, got to a decent handicap, and can't ever remember practicing, even when I first started playing. All I wanted to do was play. Same goes for tennis, badminton, football, cricket and all the other sports I played.

Practice grounds are wasted on me, as I don't want to practice, I just want to play. Not all golfers are the same, or play for the same reasons. The quality of the course, the clubhouse facilities and the friendliness of the members and staff are what matters to me.

Good job everyone doesn't have the same views, otherwise we would spend all day agreeing with each other.

 

[Slab]

I think there will be very few people for whom practice on course is practical

Not sure I even buy the 'lack of money' excuse for poor practice facilities (the club is basically saying we have funds to maintain 18 holes but not 19!) After all the practice facilities are basically just the components of an extra hole

A good practice area is not only good to use, and an entirely suitable environment as opposed to the course, but really sets the tone (standards) for what you might expect the course to be like

There will be courses that are under-used by members or lack the correct facilities that means on-course practice is possible but the ability to practice on course (and the time it takes if folks regularly did it) might suggest a bigger problem with low capacity and if those tee-times were filled it would surely help clubs who believe they cant afford to cut an extra fairway/green etc

Anyway even bounce friendly/games have money at stake and while I'll concede a few short putts there's no way I'm letting another player 'practice' their bunker shots or try a different clubs off the tee on extra balls to gauge carry etc etc etc

 

[Deleted member 15344]

When I first started playing at Reading golf club, the practice ground was tiny. Played my best golf there, got to a decent handicap, and can't ever remember practicing, even when I first started playing. All I wanted to do was play. Same goes for tennis, badminton, football, cricket and all the other sports I played.

Practice grounds are wasted on me, as I don't want to practice, I just want to play. Not all golfers are the same, or play for the same reasons. The quality of the course, the clubhouse facilities and the friendliness of the members and staff are what matters to me.

Good job everyone doesn't have the same views, otherwise we would spend all day agreeing with each other.

Spot on Rich - summed it up in one.

I joined a golf club to play golf on the course not to hit a ball into a net or at an imaginary target- thats just hitting a golf ball not playing golf IMO and for me getting better at golf started when i got out on the course more and then once thats done its into the bar for a chat and a bit of food.

None of us on here are Professional Golfers - its not our living , there is nothing wrong with people arriving at the course , going straight to the tee and then hitting the ball - i do it every single time i play the game - im not sure why people feel the need to post derogatory comments because people see the game differently -

1% letting the forum down ?!?!
Lacking mental fortitude ?!!

All because someone plays and sees the game differently. Playing the way i do doesnt seem to have done me any harm - maybe some should give it a try

 

[Imurg]

You practice a shot so you can play it on the course.
The range is where you learn to hit the ball, the course is where you learn to play golf
Unless you're playing solo you don't have the opportunity to replay shots for practice - you just don't....and to suggest otherwise is staggering.
Practice is playing the same or similar shots multiple times in order to ingrain the techniques required to play that shot(s) on the course.
Playing a shot on the course and then thinking "Mmm..that wasn't good, next time I must do X rather than Y" is....well, words fail me on that one.

You need a balance of both range/practice and course to become a reasonable player - sure there are exceptions but they're rare.
Mr Player said " the more I practice, the luckier I get"
All Pros practice on the range as well as the course ( practice rounds) so they know how to play the shot they're faced with.
How can you play shot X without having practiced it..?

I wonder what TimGolfy is playing off now.............

 

[Deleted member 15717]

Anywhooooo

Back on topic.

Large practice area and a very good seperate short game area with 4 greens and 3 bunkers.

Also have a chipping green, and 2 putting greens as well

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Some people will never practice and that's fine. However just because someone would rather practice on the course and it has worked for them they try and force a huge majority to accept their approach is wrong so it ties in with the minority's own argument and point of view which then has to be seen at right without any chance of seeing that for most the need to practice is necessary, and actually enjoyed. No ground given. It's DelC and a larger hole to speed golf up all over again

 

[snell]

Anywhooooo

Back on topic.

Large practice area and a very good seperate short game area with 4 greens and 3 bunkers.

Also have a chipping green, and 2 putting greens as well

That's the one thing that let's our place down I'd say, we have no chipping green

You could use the greens on the practice area but they aren't the best.....and they're miles away if you just fancy 5 minutes chipping

 

[richy]

Spot on Rich - summed it up in one.

I joined a golf club to play golf on the course not to hit a ball into a net or at an imaginary target- thats just hitting a golf ball not playing golf IMO and for me getting better at golf started when i got out on the course more and then once thats done its into the bar for a chat and a bit of food.

None of us on here are Professional Golfers - its not our living , there is nothing wrong with people arriving at the course , going straight to the tee and then hitting the ball - i do it every single time i play the game - im not sure why people feel the need to post derogatory comments because people see the game differently -

1% letting the forum down ?!?!
Lacking mental fortitude ?!!

All because someone plays and sees the game differently. Playing the way i do doesnt seem to have done me any harm - maybe some should give it a try

Stop being so precious. No one has said there is anything wrong with just turning up and going straight to the tee. It you have a spare hour some would benefit from say 20 mins hitting balls, 20 mins chipping and 20 mins putting than say playing 4 holes hoping there's no one behind you so you can try a chip a few times.

 

[Deleted member 1147]

a bunker with wheelchair access? if so, ive never seen wheelchair golf. genuinely, are they about?

Yes, although I've never seen it used as such.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Stop being so precious. No one has said there is anything wrong with just turning up and going straight to the tee. It you have a spare hour some would benefit from say 20 mins hitting balls, 20 mins chipping and 20 mins putting than say playing 4 holes hoping there's no one behind you so you can try a chip a few times.

why bother putting before going out and practise nets to get the swing going, just rack up, tee it up and find your swing and green speed somewhere on the front 9. Laughable, more like ludicrous.

Post 66

 

[richy]

why bother putting before going out and practise nets to get the swing going, just rack up, tee it up and find your swing and green speed somewhere on the front 9. Laughable, more like ludicrous.

Post 66

I must've missed that, apologies.

Personally I'd use the practice facilities on a day I wasn't playing rather than before I went out.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

I must've missed that, apologies.

Personally I'd use the practice facilities on a day I wasn't playing rather than before I went out.

And I have no problems with that - some will no doubt enjoy that but for me it's all about on the course - my game improved so quickly when I moved away from ranges or practise areas and went onto the course instead - finish work at 5 in the summer then up to the course for a quick 12 holes - found it far more productive for me. I really think if people just got onto the course more and just play the game you will learn so much more. If people don't want to do that then fine but if the game has stagnated or going backwards what harm is there. You read about it on here many times about how people can't transfer range to course or HC going up despite countless hours on the range or practise area - try something different

 

[3565]

I must've missed that, apologies.

Personally I'd use the practice facilities on a day I wasn't playing rather than before I went out.

No need to apologise, if you go read the posts before that and the one line that he has omitted from that post 66 to back his point of view, you'll find that there is a sarcastic overtone to it that he has failed to notice. In short, if his way was the only way to go practise on the course, then there would be no NEED for driving range, short game area or putting green at golf clubs.