Depending on an assortment of factors, playing golf right now is either weird, discouraged, or restricted outright. This is not the place to debate that reality. But since your home is believed to be safer, and your home is presumably not a golf course, it’s worth asking how one can experience some semblance of golf while confined there.
The answer, of course, depends on the space at your disposal—yard or no yard, ceiling height, the likelihood of clipping a toddler with your backswing. We get it. Of all the things to decry during this crisis, your inability to groove knockdown 6-irons probably doesn’t belong at the top of the list. What is important, however, is maintaining one’s sanity during an incredibly stressful time. A little bit of golf is an outlet. It helps open up your space, shakes us out of the debilitating scroll-refresh cycle, and allows us to envision a future state in which real golf is back to being a thing.
So, to that end, I built this in my side yard.
FacebookPinterestIt is barely enough for a simple chip, and there’s not even a real cup. But I can dump a dozen balls down in the yard and chip while on a work call, with only the prospect of the occasional skull into a neighbor’s yard to worry about.
Which seemed pretty cool, until my colleague Joel Beall sent me a picture of his basement.
FacebookPinterestFair to say Joel had his in the works before going into quarantine, but he at least had the foresight to know he’d want to be able to practice while futzing around the house.
Over the past few days we’ve seen dozens of social media examples of people who’ve turned their homes into impromptu practice facilities—our frenemies over at Golf.com have coined the hashtag #playingthrough, which seems as good as any—and we're looking to celebrate the best of the bunch. Our criteria is based less on how elaborate the setup and more the creativity with which space is being used. We can't expect you to replicate the thrill of a real golf course. But if you can be transported there even for a moment, it feels like time well spent.
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