PRACTICE BY DESIGN

“Practice makes permanent.” Renowned short game expert Dave Pelz created the Elements Of Practice for SYNLawn so you can have his proven practice drills built into your custom installed putting green. Whether you are a low handicap or beginning golfer, you will benefit from having a professional putting green with practice drills built-in for the ultimate game improvement training aid at your home or business. Practice like the pros and you will Play like the pros!

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"The quickest road to lower scores is through Short Game improvement."
Dave Pelz - Tour Player Coach, Short Game Expert

the Elements of Practice

The Elements of Practice (EOPs) are golf practice drills created from Dave Pelz decades of professional golf instruction and scientific research. You can have these proven drills built into your putting green with the help of our SYNLawn distributors and GreensMasters.
PGA TOUR Pros make 95% of their 3-foot putts while 20+ handicap Amateurs make 81% in play. This Element of Practice requires an 8 ft. diameter circle area of constant slope with a cup (hole) in the center. The constant slope should be either at a 2% grade (slight-breaking) or at a 4% (serious-breaking) grade.

Short Putts

3-ft Circle Drill

Roll several balls to a hole to first determine the "fall-line" of the slope around the cup. Then place a sticker on the green 3-feet directly above, and a sticker directly below the cup on the exact fall line. Next, use a putter to create 10 more positions (for a total of 12) around the hole (see photo). Place a sticker at each of the 12 locations around the hole (in addition to the initial fall-line stickers: this will leave two stickers on the fall line positions.

#1 - Short Putts Start here
PGA TOUR Pros make 64% of their 6-foot putts, while 20+ handicap amateurs make 45%. A 6-foot putt is a very common leave from chips and long (lag) putts. This Element of Practice requires a 15-foot diameter circle of constant slope — either 2% or 4% grade. If you create a 6-foot Putt Circle Element of Practice, then you can also create the 3-foot putting circle exercise.

Mid-Range Putts

6-ft Circle Drill

A 6-foot putt is a very common leave from chips and long (lag) putts.

This Element of Practice requires a 15-foot diameter circle of constant slope — either 2% or 4% grade. If you create a 6-foot Putt Circle Element of Practice, then you can also create the 3-foot putting circle exercise.

#2 - Mid-Range Putts Start here
The 20-foot putt is the most common 1st-putt distance golfers face throughout their careers. This Element of Practice requires the placement of two putting cups at a distance of 20-feet apart. This Element of Practice allows you to practice back-and-forth and get very good at the “most common putt length” any golfer, will face. Based on your design, the 20-foot putt can traverse any slope or other feature of the green, but the cups must be 20-feet apart.

Common Putts

The 20-foot putt is the most common 1st-putt distance golfers face throughout their careers. This Element of Practice requires the placement of two putting cups at a distance of 20-feet apart. This Element of Practice allows you to practice back-and-forth and get very good at the “most common putt length” any golfer, will face. Based on your design, the 20-foot putt can traverse any slope or other feature of the green, but the cups must be 20-feet apart.

#3 - Common Putts Start here
Amateurs 3-putt six times more often than do PGA Tour Pros. Long putts require reasonable green reading and good touch to end up within a 3-foot radius of the hole. This Element of Practice requires a long putting area where 40-foot, 50-foot, and 60-foot putts can be practiced. One incarnation of the length and slope for this feature would be a stand-alone feature with an almost zero slope (flat) length, the longer the better. However, you can also build this Element of Practice into a green if the size of the green permits and it can traverse any sloping areas.

Lag Putts

This Element of Practice requires a long putting area where 40-foot, 50-foot, and 60-foot putts can be practiced. One incarnation of the length and slope for this feature would be a stand-alone feature with an almost zero slope (flat) length, the longer the better. However, you can also build this Element of Practice into a green if the size of the green permits and it can traverse any sloping areas.

#4 - Lag Putts Start here
Golfers 3-putt when putting over tiers 10-times more often than they 3-putt on flat greens from the same distance of 35-feet. Having a realistic “Tier” in your backyard green complex will teach you how putts break as they traverse a Tier, and improve your touch for distance. Speed control (touch) up and down Tiers is an extra challenge to all golfers — because we have very few references. Tiers are a very nice Element of Practice to add to a putting green. Tiers present considerable problems to golfers, so incorporating a tier is an excellent way to increase the putting challenge.

Putting Over Tiers

Golfers 3-putt when putting over tiers 10-times more often than they 3-putt on flat greens from the same distance of 35-feet.

#5 - Putting Over Tiers Start here
Humps are an interesting addition to a putting surface: they increase the green-reading challenge. Humps in a rough area add to the chipping and pitching challenge by adding side-hill lies. Humps in your backyard complex that bleed into the green edge, especially from the rough, present interesting shots which are often needed on the course. Use the set-up and game above for “tiers” and apply it to Humps and Valleys for a local feature. Humps and Valleys are excellent to be used at the edge of the green (running well through and onto the lawn beyond the green surface).

Humps

Humps are an interesting addition to a putting surface: they increase the green-reading challenge.

#6 - Humps Start here
Valleys are an excellent and valuable addition to a putting surface. They increase the green beauty and practice challenge. Valleys in rough areas can get as large as a grass bunker, or just run through an area and add to the natural contours. Valleys in rough areas add to the short game challenge and allow practice up, down and on side hill lies. Use the set-up and game for “tiers” (Elements of Practice #5) and apply it to Humps and Valleys for a local feature. Humps and Valleys should often be extended out past the edge of the green (running well through and onto the lawn beyond the green surface).

Valleys

Valleys are an excellent and valuable addition to a putting surface. They increase the green beauty and practice challenge.

#7 - Valleys Start here
Off-green fringe and rough areas are necessary in your backyard complex to enhance your improvement of “low–running chips” and more lofted “pitch” shots. PGA TOUR pros excel in these chipping areas and get up and down between 75 to 85% of the time, while amateurs are in the 15 to 50% range. Preferably have at least an 18-inch wide, semi-level collar around the green as well as a fairway fringe chipping area. Synthetic grass bunkers are great and allow for practicing uphill and downhill lies.

Chipping Areas

Off-green fringe and rough areas are necessary in your backyard complex to enhance your improvement of “low–running chips” and more lofted “pitch” shots. PGA TOUR pros excel in these chipping areas and get up and down between 75 to 85% of the time, while amateurs are in the 15 to 50% range.

#8 - Chipping Areas Start here
“20 to 60-yard short game shots are incredibly important to practice — so let us build some wedge tee boxes at specific distances to your green complex " then let the improvement begin!” — Dave Pelz. — Pelz Golf Institute. Allows you to practice soft pitch shots, soft wedge swings, and even full wedge swings if space allows. We recommend using SYNLawn Golf’s 4′ x 4′ Fairway Mat. Recommended distances for wedge tee box placement are: 20 yards to target, 40 yards, 60 yards. Place wedge tee boxes at any location (in shade with a cooler and a bench) you desire, and that complements your complex and makes it easy to practice.

Wedge Tee Boxes

Allows you to practice soft pitch shots, soft wedge swings, and even full wedge swings if space allows.

#9 - Wedge Tee Boxes Start here
Sand Bunkers should be placed far enough away from the putting green so that sand thrown from the bunker doesn't build up on the green. Bunker lips should not get too deep. Bunker location is very important: face the bunker so Golfers are hitting towards the green complex and fences/shrubs; and hitting away from people centers/glass windows etc. Also, provide drainage just like a grass bunker.

Bunker Shots

Sand Bunkers should be placed far enough away from the putting green so that sand thrown from the bunker doesn't build up on the green. Bunker lips should not get too deep.

#10 - Bunker Shots Start here

Short Putts

3-ft Circle Drill

Roll several balls to a hole to first determine the "fall-line" of the slope around the cup. Then place a sticker on the green 3-feet directly above, and a sticker directly below the cup on the exact fall line. Next, use a putter to create 10 more positions (for a total of 12) around the hole (see photo). Place a sticker at each of the 12 locations around the hole (in addition to the initial fall-line stickers: this will leave two stickers on the fall line positions.

#1 - Short Putts Start here

Mid-Range Putts

6-ft Circle Drill

A 6-foot putt is a very common leave from chips and long (lag) putts.

This Element of Practice requires a 15-foot diameter circle of constant slope — either 2% or 4% grade. If you create a 6-foot Putt Circle Element of Practice, then you can also create the 3-foot putting circle exercise.

#2 - Mid-Range Putts Start here

Common Putts

The 20-foot putt is the most common 1st-putt distance golfers face throughout their careers. This Element of Practice requires the placement of two putting cups at a distance of 20-feet apart. This Element of Practice allows you to practice back-and-forth and get very good at the “most common putt length” any golfer, will face. Based on your design, the 20-foot putt can traverse any slope or other feature of the green, but the cups must be 20-feet apart.

#3 - Common Putts Start here

Lag Putts

This Element of Practice requires a long putting area where 40-foot, 50-foot, and 60-foot putts can be practiced. One incarnation of the length and slope for this feature would be a stand-alone feature with an almost zero slope (flat) length, the longer the better. However, you can also build this Element of Practice into a green if the size of the green permits and it can traverse any sloping areas.

#4 - Lag Putts Start here

Putting Over Tiers

Golfers 3-putt when putting over tiers 10-times more often than they 3-putt on flat greens from the same distance of 35-feet.

#5 - Putting Over Tiers Start here

Humps

Humps are an interesting addition to a putting surface: they increase the green-reading challenge.

#6 - Humps Start here

Valleys

Valleys are an excellent and valuable addition to a putting surface. They increase the green beauty and practice challenge.

#7 - Valleys Start here

Chipping Areas

Off-green fringe and rough areas are necessary in your backyard complex to enhance your improvement of “low–running chips” and more lofted “pitch” shots. PGA TOUR pros excel in these chipping areas and get up and down between 75 to 85% of the time, while amateurs are in the 15 to 50% range.

#8 - Chipping Areas Start here

Wedge Tee Boxes

Allows you to practice soft pitch shots, soft wedge swings, and even full wedge swings if space allows.

#9 - Wedge Tee Boxes Start here

Bunker Shots

Sand Bunkers should be placed far enough away from the putting green so that sand thrown from the bunker doesn't build up on the green. Bunker lips should not get too deep.

#10 - Bunker Shots Start here