Tom McBroom, ASGCA, enhanced the work he did designing Granite Golf Club in Stouffville, Ontario, Canada in 2001 by adding a just-completed short game academy.
As noted by “Golf Course Architecture,” McBroom, “converted two holes from the underused five-hole short course at the club into a 3.7-acre practice area that includes an oversize 8,500 square foot putting green, two 6,000 square-foot chipping greens and a 6,000 square foot green that is surrounded by two large traps for sand play practice.
“McBroom designed the original 18-hole layout at Granite Golf Club and the course opened in 2001. Speaking of the new practice area, McBroom said: ‘It’s the largest dedicated practice facility I have ever created and certainly the most interesting and varied. At most established clubs space is at a premium, so to have a chance to work with nearly four acres presented an opportunity to create a very special and unique short game practice area.’”
“’We started with a blank canvass and tried to create a space where members and guests will be able to customise their own practice experience,’ said Phil Scully, Granite Golf Club’s course superintendent. ‘We have designed it so you can practise any shot you can imagine, without telling you where to go. There are an infinite variety of shots out there. You can practise shots from one to 50 yards on bluegrass or bentgrass or from the sand.’”
The entire article can be seen here.