Discover how to improve your golf short game using Burlingame Country Club’s world-class practice facilities, including putting greens, chipping areas, and bunker practice zones.
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Expert Short Game Practice: Utilizing Burlingame Country Club’s Specialized Training Areas

The Secret to Lower Scores at Burlingame

Nestled in the breathtaking Blue Ridge Mountains at 3,000 feet elevation, Burlingame Country Club offers more than just stunning views and championship fairways. For members looking to truly elevate their golf game, our specialized short game practice areas represent the key to unlocking your full potential on our Tom Jackson-designed course. It’s often said that while driving is for show, the short game is for dough—and at Burlingame, we’ve created dedicated spaces where you can refine these crucial skills in an environment that mirrors real on-course challenges. These purpose-built practice areas aren’t just amenities; they’re your pathway to experiencing “The Best of Times” on our fairways and greens.

Our Putting Green Complex: Perfect Your Pace

The heart of any short game practice session begins on our meticulously maintained putting green complex. This generous space features multiple tiers and subtle breaks that replicate the actual green conditions you’ll face on our championship course. The putting area has been thoughtfully designed with varied slopes and speeds, allowing you to practice both uphill and downhill putts with realistic green speeds that match what you’ll encounter during your round.

Unlike standard practice greens, ours features multiple hole locations that are rotated regularly to provide fresh challenges. The surface is maintained to the exact same standards as our course greens, giving you authentic feedback on every stroke. Members often gather here in the golden light of early morning or late afternoon, creating that warm community atmosphere that makes Burlingame special while working on the most important aspect of scoring.

Chipping Areas: Mastering Touch Around the Greens

Adjacent to our putting complex, you’ll find our dedicated chipping areas that provide the perfect training ground for those critical shots from just off the green. These versatile spaces feature different grass lengths—from closely-mown fringe areas to slightly longer rough—giving you the opportunity to practice a variety of lies and shot types.

What makes our chipping areas unique is how they’ve been designed to allow practice of every imaginable short shot: bump-and-runs, flop shots, and delicate pitches with genuine course-like feedback. Multiple target greens with surrounding collection areas challenge you to control both direction and distance—the two essential elements of effective chipping. The varied terrain mimics the natural mountain contours found throughout our course, preparing you for those challenging up-and-down opportunities during your actual rounds.

Bunker Practice Facility: Conquer the Sand

Perhaps the most distinctive feature of our short game complex is our specialized bunker practice facility. Unlike many clubs that offer just a single practice bunker, Burlingame provides varied sand hazards that replicate different on-course scenarios. From deep greenside bunkers to shallow approaches, you’ll find every type of sand challenge that might test your skills during a round.

Our practice bunkers are maintained with the same attention to detail as those on the course, with consistent sand quality and depth. This authentic experience allows you to develop genuine confidence in your sand play—often the most intimidating aspect of the short game for many golfers. Members particularly appreciate the privacy of our bunker practice area, where they can work through technique changes without feeling self-conscious, all while enjoying the stunning mountain backdrop that makes practice feel less like work and more like pleasure.

Creating an Effective Short Game Practice Routine

The true value of our specialized practice areas comes from using them strategically. Many of our members have found success by dedicating specific time to short game improvement, often working with our professional staff to create structured practice sessions. Rather than randomly hitting chips or putts, consider creating skill-building stations that focus on specific distances and techniques.

Early morning sessions are particularly popular at Burlingame, with the mist rising from the Horse Pasture River creating a tranquil backdrop for focused practice. These quiet moments before the day begins in earnest offer the perfect opportunity to connect with the natural beauty that makes our club special while improving the skills that will lower your scores.

Your Next Steps to Short Game Mastery

We invite you to experience the difference our specialized practice facilities can make in your game. Whether you’re a seasoned player looking to refine your skills or newer to golf and building fundamental techniques, our short game areas provide the perfect environment for meaningful improvement.

Visit our golf shop to schedule time with one of our professionals for a personalized short game assessment, or simply make these special practice areas part of your regular routine at the club. Like so many aspects of Burlingame, our practice facilities were purposefully built to help create golden, sparkling moments that challenge us, improve us, and ultimately bind us together as a community of golf enthusiasts.

Your private adventure in short game excellence starts here—where practice doesn’t just make perfect, it makes “The Best of Times.”