PGA Championship: Hey Augusta National, the practice area at Southern Hills is pretty sweet, too

TULSA, Okla. — The last time you practiced, chances are good that you paid $8-$12 for a bucket of chewed-up range balls and hit them off a mat into a flat, open field. Maybe there were a few flags out there to mark 100, 150 and 200-yards, but who knows if those markers are accurate. And if your facility is like mine, there aren’t even holes on the practice green. You putt at tiny flags that are stuck into the grass and held in place by tiny spikes.

Among the sweet perks of being a pro is you play at the best clubs, and that means good practice areas. But even by Tour standards, the practice facilities at Southern Hills Country Club, home of the 2022 PGA Championship, are posh. The tournament practice area at Augusta National Golf Club is the gold standard, but this layout in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is every bit as good. Honest.

The golf balls supplied to the members are replaced regularly, but with the PGA Championship here this week, crates of practice balls started arriving in December, according to Cameron Chhim, an assistant professional at Southern Hills.

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“We have 12 different types of golf balls here this week,” Chhim said. “The exact number of each depends on how many players use that ball. The Titleist Pro V1 is the most popular, so we’ve got more of those than other balls. I’m not sure of the exact number.”

While he doesn’t know the exact number of balls that have been delivered to Southern Hills, it numbers in the thousands.

Practice balls are gathered, cleaned quickly in water, then sorted and put in large bins. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

After they are sorted, the balls are put in small baskets that players and caddies grab as they head to the range or shortgame area. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

All the practice balls at the 2022 PGA Championship are labeled TOUR, just as they are at week-to-week PGA Tour events. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

After the PGA Championship is finished, the practice balls will be collected and sorted one last time, then sent back to the manufacturers or sent to a future tournament venue where they will be used again.

The last time the PGA Championship was held at Southern Hills, the players hit down the hill and away from the clubhouse. However, in 2019, Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner completed a restoration and renovation project, and as part of that work, a new learning center building was created. With the prevailing wind coming down that hill, a 320-yard shot would hit the new building, so this year players are hitting up the range.

“Effectively, it’s about a 360-yard carry to get all the way to the top of the range,” Chhim said. “And there’s another 30 yards or so behind that. So, if you can carry it about 400, with a little wind into you, that would be pretty impressive.”

The range has several green complexes and bunkers, along with three tiers of grass areas where golfers can hit. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

A short walk away from the range is a two-green short game and putting area. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

When it is too cold or wet outside, members can take lessons or practice in a four-bay learning center. which houses launch monitors, a practice green and a simulator. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

There is another practice green at the top of the hill, but across the street and up a slope from the learning center is a small pond and another practice area that is home to The Triplets, three greens that are exact replicas of the 2nd, 10th and 13th greens on the course. With shaved areas, bunkers and slopes that create every lie you can imagine, it’s a wonderland for short game improvement.

The Triplets are replica greens of the 2nd, 10th and 13th greens at Southern Hills. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

Each of the Triplet greens has shaved runoff areas to allow players to practice chipping on the tricky Bermuda grass. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

Southern Hills ranks No. 1 among private courses in Oklahoma in Golfweek’s Best rankings and is No. 38 on Golfweek’s Best list of classic courses built before 1960 in the U.S.

A practice facility like this gives the members a fighting chance against it.