Short but sweet

Short courses and short-game areas are continuing to spring up at golf clubs, offering practice opportunities, the ability to play a round quickly and a pathway for beginners before moving on to the clubs’ main courses.

More golf clubs have opened a short game area in recent months.

Chart Hills Golf Club in Kent has completed the Sir Nick Faldo designed six-hole ‘The Loop’ par-three course and a new 668 square metre putting green, for example.

“We’re proud to have unveiled The Loop (pictured). It’s the result of a period of intense work from the team. The fact that it’s already been so well received is gratifying,” said general manager, Anthony Tarchetti.

With holes ranging from 50 to 100 yards, The Loop is a six-hole par three course situated opposite the driving range, providing golfers with a unique and challenging experience, perfect for honing their short game skills and enjoyable before or after a round of golf.

Adjacent to the first tee, this putting surface draws inspiration from the sites of Sir Nick Faldo’s favourite greens, including its very own ‘Valley of Sin’, as well as taking inspiration from Muirfield and Augusta.

Meanwhile, Effingham Golf Club in Surrey has cut the ribbon on its new short-game facility.

Situated between the classic Georgian clubhouse and first tee, the area was opened to members and guests at an exclusive launch event, with two-time DP World Tour winner and 2008 Ryder Cup player Oliver Wilson (pictured) in attendance to impart his chipping and putting knowledge.

The practice area is divided into 12 zones for golfers to sharpen every aspect of their close-range play – including a 450 square metre putting green and two bunkers.

The area – which employs an array of elevation changes to prepare players for the dynamic landscape of the club’s Harry Colt course – has undergone a ‘growing-in period’ of more than a year.

The area includes two new practice net bays and an integrated shoe and trolley cleaning station. Its prime location opposite the main entrance gate means that it will be the first thing guests see upon arrival for years to come.

Jonathan Kaltner, general manager of Effingham Golf Club, said: “We are always asking our members about the improvements they would like to see around the club to make their experience even better, and for many years, a new short-game practice area was one of the most requested additions.

“In response, we’re delighted to open what we feel is one of the best facilities of its kind in the country. We envision this being not only an area where players can sharpen up before using the course, but also something that our members can come and enjoy for hours on end even if they aren’t playing a round.”

Later this year Apes Hill Barbados will open ‘Little Apes’ (pictured), its eagerly anticipated par-three course.

Holes will range from as little as 70 yards to a maximum of just 154, meaning even the most inexperienced players can ease around the course with just a wedge and a putter.

With an estimated playing time of just one hour for a fourball, experienced golfers can also take to the new course to hone their short game before a round on Ron Kirby’s flagship 18-hole layout.

Jody Addison, director of Golf at Apes Hill Barbados, said: “From the outset, the vision at Apes Hill has always been to create an enjoyable and memorable golfing experience where you can feel at home no matter your skill level, age or how long you have been playing the game.

“Ron Kirby embodied that philosophy with his redesign of our championship course and it is an ethos that we have carried into Little Apes, which we believe will provide endless fun for young children and the whole family in equal measure.

“In many ways it is like a bite-sized version of our 18-hole course, and we can’t wait to see everyone enjoying it from December.”