Chipping off the practice green!

[tjhayko]

Today, while warming up at Royal Ashburn, on the large practice green near the range, there was a guy hitting chips off the middle of the practice green. He was actually pretty good at, and he wasn't taking any divots at all, but I still thought it was a little weird. If he missed, there would be a nice big chunk of the practice green flying through the air.

Very strange, and little bit inconsiderate, I thought.

[Grass Roots Tour]

In a tournament I've had to chip from on the green once this year due to being on the wrong side of a "U" shaped green. My chip was .. shall we say, unsuccessful. I was very tentitive trying my best to NOT take any turf. Due to MY lack of practice chipping from ON the green, I made bogie.

[tjhayko]

In a tournament I've had to chip from on the green once this year due to being on the wrong side of a "U" shaped green. My chip was .. shall we say, unsuccessful. I was very tentitive trying my best to NOT take any turf. Due to MY lack of practice chipping from ON the green, I made bogie.

Well, I think it's a bit different to end on on a wrong side of a tough green than to do this a practice green. I would think, though, that any green that you might actually be in a position to chip from would have seen some chipping more than once before.

I doubt I'd be successful in chipping from on the green either, but I wouldn't go around doing it a practice green for fear to taking some turf.

[Big Shooter]

Yes, I agree that seems like a STRANGE place to do that...but...it also begs the question (which I might defer to GRT)...Can or can't you take a divot on a green? I don't see why not!:confused:

[Grass Roots Tour]

I would tend to expect to see the occasional divot in a tough green with something in the middle of it as an obstruction.
The question is ... where do you practice such shots?

If you hit chips off one of those green driving range mats, its just WAY too easy and not really similar to real turf conditions.

[Big Shooter]

I would tend to expect to see the occasional divot in a tough green with something in the middle of it as an obstruction.
The question is ... where do you practice such shots?

If you hit chips off one of those green driving range mats, its just WAY too easy and not really similar to real turf conditions.
Maybe those courses that have "greens that are not in use", liek the alternate greens at Lakeview #17 or Glen Cedars #16?

Or how about those patches of grass that some courses have that are used(?) to repair greens?

Or how about the 'other' practice green that's CLOSED?!

Or, there are some really nice homes on The Bridle Path here in Toronto that have really nice front lawns that don't look like they get a lot of use in the summer...and the homeowners are either at the cottage or playing golf @ The Country Club!?:D

[tjhayko]

I would tend to expect to see the occasional divot in a tough green with something in the middle of it as an obstruction.
The question is ... where do you practice such shots?

If you hit chips off one of those green driving range mats, its just WAY too easy and not really similar to real turf conditions.

This is one of the reasons that I think those types of greens are stupid. I don't mind one every now and then (especially if I hit the correct side of the green ;) ) , but I really like to have a chance to practice the shots I'm going to end up hitting before I have to play them.