Golf Glossary
Practice green and chipping green
In short
A practice green is a facility for training putts. A chipping green is a practice area for short approach shots: golfers hit chips and pitches to a small green, often with a flag and a bunker. A pitching area is the version for slightly longer shots. All three belong to the short game area.
Practice green and chipping green: what is the difference?
Both terms describe practice areas, but they serve different shots.
A practice green (also called a putting green) is where you train putts. It usually sits near the clubhouse or the first tee. The grass is cut as short as on the greens of the course, and holes with small flags let you practise distance and direction.
A chipping green is a practice area for the short game. Here you practise chips and pitches, shots where the ball flies only a short way and then rolls. The area usually has a small green with a flag, a fringe and sometimes a practice bunker. Anyone playing to the flag from the fairway or rough needs exactly these shots.
A pitching area is a space for slightly longer approaches. It is often larger than a chipping green, so you can also practise high shots over somewhat longer distances. At smaller facilities the chipping green and pitching area are the same space. How the names are used differs from club to club.
Which shots to practise on the chipping green
The chipping green is the place for every shot around the green. That mainly includes:
- Chip: a low shot where the ball flies only a short way and then rolls a long way. It suits a ball lying close to the green with nothing in the way.
- Pitch: a higher shot with more carry and less roll. It helps when you have to clear an obstacle or want the ball to stop quickly.
- Bump and run: a low running shot with an iron that lets the ball run over the fringe towards the flag.
- Bunker shot: at facilities with a practice bunker.
The choice of club changes the trajectory. A pitching wedge flies lower than a lob wedge and rolls further. On the chipping green you can compare this directly. Play the same shot with three clubs and note where the ball lands and where it stops. That gives you a feel for how much roll to allow, and that feel decides the shot on the course.
Rules: practising before and during a round
The Rules of Golf do not allow practice strokes everywhere. Two points matter.
Before the round: in stroke play you may not practise on the course on the day of a competition. You may putt or chip near the first tee and use practice areas (Rule 5.2). A chipping green or practice green counts as a practice area. So if you want to warm up before a competition, you use these areas and not the course itself.
During the round: you may not make practice strokes while playing a hole. After finishing a hole you may putt or chip on or near the green of that hole. The same applies to a practice green and to the next teeing area (Rule 5.5). Practice strokes from a bunker are not allowed, and you must not unreasonably delay play.
A breach brings the general penalty. The same Rules apply in casual rounds, although they are rarely enforced strictly in relaxed play. Please still respect etiquette: do not rush and let groups behind you play through.
Practical example: 20 minutes on the chipping green
Imagine you have 20 minutes before a round. A sensible plan looks like this.
You place ten balls in a line seven metres from the edge of the green. With a pitching wedge you hit five balls towards the flag and watch the landing spot. As a rule of thumb the ball should fly about one third of the distance and roll two thirds. Then you hit five balls with a sand wedge. You see at once that the ball flies higher and stops sooner.
Next comes a small game: you leave the ball on the green and putt out. Count how many strokes chip and putt need together. Two strokes is an up and down. Three strokes show that the chip was too long or too short.
After 20 minutes your hands are warm, and you also know how the surface plays, which helps with your first approach shot on the course.
Chipping green, fringe and putting green compared
The terms are easy to mix up, so here is a short overview.
- Putting green or practice green: area for practising putts, short grass, holes with small flags.
- Chipping green: area for practising chips and pitches, often with fringe, flag and sometimes a bunker.
- Pitching area: larger practice area for longer approaches.
- Fringe: the strip of grass around a green on the course, not a practice area.
- Driving range: facility for long shots from a tee, without a green.
Of these areas only the fringe is part of the course. All others are practice facilities. On a practice green the house rules of the facility apply as well. If in doubt, ask whether special rules apply to a practice green, for example about balls or clubs.
Typical mistakes when practising the short game
The same mistakes appear on the chipping green again and again.
- Always the same shot: using only one club teaches you nothing about controlling the ball in different conditions. Change clubs and lies.
- No target: without a flag or landing spot there is no feedback. Put down a towel and try to hit it.
- Too many balls in too little time: hitting 50 balls in five minutes practises haste. Fewer balls with full attention bring more.
- Practising only perfect lies: on the course the ball rarely sits perfectly. Practise from poor lies too.
- Forgetting to putt: a chip is only a good result if the following putt is short. Putt out every chip.
A good practice session has variety and feedback. Note how many chips finish within one metre of the flag.
Tips: get more from your short game practice
For most club golfers the short game decides how many strokes they need per round. A fixed routine helps you improve faster.
- As a rule of thumb, plan a third of your practice time for the short game. It usually brings more than another bucket of balls on the range.
- For a chip, put your weight slightly on the lead side and keep your stance narrow. The stroke resembles a putting motion with more loft.
- Pick the landing spot before the shot, not the flag. The roll follows from club and grass.
- Play small competitions: whoever manages the most up and downs from five lies wins.
- Finish each session with ten putts from two metres so the chip ends on a success.
If you are unsure which technique suits you, a lesson helps. A coach quickly sees whether weight, wrists or club choice is sending the ball off line.
Try it at Golf Lounge
According to the course plan, the Golf Lounge has a putt and chip area for practising putting and chipping. There is also the Academy Area for warming up and a putting green at the Elb-Lodge. Real greens are on the 6-hole short course 'Red', which you can play without a Platzreife. There you can apply chips and pitches under playing conditions. A round there typically takes under an hour, and up to four players can be booked together.
Frequently asked questions
What is a chipping green?
A chipping green is a practice area for the short game. On a small green with a flag, often with a fringe and sometimes a bunker, golfers practise chips and pitches. It helps you judge landing spot and roll. A chipping green is a training facility, not part of the course.
What is the difference between a practice green and a chipping green?
On a practice green you train putting, on a chipping green you train approach shots with a wedge or iron. The practice green has very short grass and several holes. The chipping green usually has a fringe and some slope so that the ball can both fly and roll. Many golf facilities offer both areas side by side.
What is a pitching area?
A pitching area is a practice space for longer approaches, often from mid-range distances of a few dozen metres. It is larger than a chipping green so that you can also practise high pitches. At small facilities the pitching area and chipping green are the same space. The words are used differently from club to club.
May I practise on the chipping green before a competition?
Yes. In stroke play you may not practise on the course on the day of a competition, but you may use practice areas and putt or chip near the first tee (Rule 5.2). A chipping green or practice green is a classic practice area. Practice strokes from a bunker are not allowed during the round.
How often should I practise the short game?
As a rule of thumb, spend a third of your practice time on the short game. For most club golfers many strokes per round are made around the green. Two short sessions a week usually bring more than one long one. More important than volume is training with a target and feedback.
As of: October 2026