​When I was younger and had a lot more time to practice, my favorite area to work on was the short game. I suspect many readers feel the same way. Even today, with a far tighter schedule, the short-game area remains my first choice. The body can only endure so many full-swing sessions at the range, and the short-game and chipping zones are far more conducive to turning practice into a game. While the range tends to present the same questions again and again, the short-game area offers a variety of challenges, such as: How many balls can I land within a five-foot circle? Should I practice higher-risk flop shots even though their success rate is low? If the area is quiet, can I transform it into a mini par-3 course?
Of course, venues vary, and someone else is often nearby. Even at the most private clubs, players gravitate toward the greens. Public courses with chipping areas are typically busy as well, which makes short-game area etiquette crucial. A reader once emailed to point out that not everyone understands the unwritten rules of S-G A E (short-game area etiquette). He said, and I quote: “Hi Chris, I’m not a big whiner (says all whiners), but I do have a pet peeve. When someone arrives at the chipping green with a bucket of practice range balls and dominates the space by spraying all thirty of them around, then leaves them there. It’s not a big deal if the area is empty or if only one other golfer is present, but when three or four players are trying to sharpen a skill set and someone takes over the green, it’s selfish. If people could be advised to take out only a handful of balls—those they actually intend to play—when the space is crowded, it would benefit all of us.” Cheers, Rick.
I’m grateful to Rick for the short-game area email submission, which highlights one of the most common issues we encounter when using these spaces. At the course I joined last year, the short-game area sits just to the right of the range and has no netting; simply getting out of there unscathed feels like an achievement. To Rick’s point, though, the ideal short-game area should be positioned away from the bustle and serve as a stress-free refuge for everyone who uses it, even if the space is busy with multiple players. But as Rick notes (and I’m echoing his sentiment, not his exact words), not everyone respects the short-game area and the people who will use it after them, and that creates a real problem.
If you ever find yourself alone, feel free to let loose. Try every flag, practice bunker shots, flop shots, and even run-throughs that mimic chunk-and-runs. I’ve even brought my putter to practice getting up and down from around 40 yards. When I knew I’d have the area to myself for an extended stretch, I’d choose three spots, use all three flags, and treat each as a par-2 challenge, aiming to complete the sequence in six or seven strokes. The key is to keep the space welcoming and useful for everyone who uses it, maintaining courtesy and organization so that the short-game area can continue to be a productive, low-stress training ground for all players.