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Whether it’s at the practice tee, putting green or short-game area, golfers are spending more time honing their games than ever before. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated that trend and practice facilities of all kinds have been packed for the past couple of years. While this enthusiasm is good news for golf, it has been tough on turf. More use and less recovery time is always a recipe for increased wear and tear. Fortunately, there are things golfers can do to help their favorite practice area endure the busy season ahead.
Line up your divots
When using a grass range tee, it’s better to take divots in a linear pattern rather than scattering them or creating one large bare area (see infographic). Hitting each shot from immediately behind the previous divot minimizes the total area of damaged turf. Spacing the lines of divots a few inches apart also makes it easier for grass to fill in from the sides, which leads to faster recovery.
Hit from designated areas
It’s always important to stay within assigned areas when practicing. Hitting zones are rotated on grass practice tees and short-game areas to spread out wear and allow time for recovery. Even though there might be a tempting patch of perfect turf outside the designated area, it’s important to respect the rules so that area of healthy grass is ready when the time is right. Many courses also prefer that you don’t practice chipping around the putting green to minimize damage in this high-traffic area.
Learn to love the mats
Grass practice tees require a lot of space and maintenance, and it’s almost impossible to build one large enough to handle constant use. As a result, artificial mats play a key role at almost every practice range. Many courses rely exclusively on mats because they don’t have the space or maintenance resources needed for a grass tee. Courses that do have a grass practice tee will typically also have mats so that the grass area can be closed during periods of slow growth or bad weather, or to allow time for recovery.
Have mercy on the putting green
Some methods of putting practice place more stress on the grass than others. Staying in the same spot and putting for an extended period of time can leave indentations and damage that last long after your practice session is over. Moving around a little makes a big difference.
Clean up what you can
The maintenance team works hard to keep practice areas tidy and ready for play, but golfers can also help with the cleanup effort. Raking practice bunkers, repairing our divots around the chipping green, or picking up a few broken tees on the range are some good ways to pitch in.
With practice areas under more pressure than ever, it’s important to do everything we can to keep them in good condition. Respecting the rules and trying to minimize our impact goes a long way.