is this a good idea for practicing pitching from the rough?

[Twan013]

hey guys, i came up with an idea the other day, and i tried it out last night; i just don't really know if its a good idea or if it will end up ruining a game...

say you have problems with using your pitching wedge, more specifically, hitting from the rough onto the green... well, what i did was put a dog bowl (my original idea was to use a small bucket or something) in my back yard, and toss out some balls in random spots, and tried to pitch them into the bowl... or at least find out how close i can get... obviously its not the perfect plan, because all of the grass in my yard is rough, and if you try this on an actual green, the ball will roll off the other side... unless you can get the backspin down pat.... basically this is just target practice, and nothing more, now that i think about it..... but anyway, would this still be a good idea for game improvement? any tips on how to improve my idea?

[ettsn]

Sounds like a good drill to me.

[Rynofskie]

Switch the bucket out for a circle of plywood or sheetrock. If you can stick a ball on that, you can stick a ball on any green...

[MPS67]

Hey Twan,

I think your idea is great. Only thing though, is that once you're good at hitting your target (dog bowl or near it) give yourself running room once you're playing to a real green. You're not going to be able to put very much spin on the ball and it won't be able to check up on the green.

You may also want to look at this video (
Best of luck.

[RunOfTheDill]

I like praying.

[Twan013]

I like praying.

umm, wow... As a christian, i do to, but yeah, i don't really have a comment on that off-subject reply... so moving on!!

wow, i'm really surprised that i came up with a good idea! especially since i'm only on my 3rd week of golfing! of course, i know that the BEST practice isn't really practice at all... just spend a lot of time on a golf course and learn as you go... but with my schedule about the best i can do is be a "weekend golfer"... i only have about an hour of daylight after i get home from work...

[supercow]

I do this all the time... both at home and at the driving range (my local driving range is fairly beat up so I get a lot of practice hitting out of junk).

[golfchief]

That's a good idea for practice, alignment to your target is the downfall for most golfers. many shots are pin high but 20-30 feet off line.

[jaqattack02]

If you want a green-like surface to try and stick it to, why don't you buy one of the mats they sell for hitting balls off of. The one's that are like 2'x2' or so. Just toss that out there and aim for that. Then you still have a fairly small target to aim for, and you can see how much spin you're getting on the ball.

[Leek]

It's perfect. I think you will find the people who have the best short games pick a target to land the ball and they know how far the ball will run when it lands based on loft, trjectory and the amount of spin they expect. Step one is to be able to control where the ball lands. Great drill, Great idea!