Trying to better my chipping game, I was practicing in my backyard.  The more I chipped the more I kept chipping chunks of grass out of my yard.  This got me wondering, is there was a way to practice chipping without wrecking my grass.

So can you chip on artificial turf?  Yes, you can chip on artificial turf.  There are special longer fiber synthetic turf made specifically for practicing chip shots and pitch shots. But, avoid using your irons on synthetic turf designed for putting as irons will cause inconsistencies in your putting green.

There is more here than meets the eye, lets talk through some other points.

What is the best artificial turf for chipping?

Chipping Mats

These mats are made of synthetic material that mimics grass.  Some come with differing lengths of artificial turf to mimic different green types.  The mats can be laid out on the yard or rolled up for storage.  They come in a variety of sizes.  They are also very mobile allowing you to easily move them around your yard to very your practice shot direction and distance.  See an example on Amazon click here.

Positives – you can move these mats around to different locations in your yard for a variety of shots.  The mats are cheaper than putting in permanent artificial turf for chipping, and much easier to replace if they are damaged.

Negatives – these mats can be small, and a miss stroke can send the mat flying across your yard.  The mat’s thickness means the ball is always at a higher elevation then your feet.  You can correct both these problems by purchasing a mat large enough to stand on with your ball.  Here is an example of a larger mat.

Permanent chipping green

Permanent chipping greens can be added to your back yard but it is an involved process.  Your yard would need to be excavated, crushed rock or gravel would be compacted as a base, followed by rock dust and synthetic turf would by laid over the top.  Sand would be placed over the turf to weight it down and support the turf fibers sanding up like grass.  You would want to select a synthetic turf with longer fibers for chipping practices.  Usually installers will put in a putting green and border the green with a longer synthetic turf for chipping practice.

Positives – The turf will not move when you chip.  The ball is in the same elevation as your feet, not slightly higher when placed on a mat.  Chipping greens that are added as borders to putting greens are much more aesthetically appealing than mats.

Negatives – Obviously you can’t move the permanent green around your yard to very your shot placements, so pick the location well, as you wont have the flexibility to move it later.  If you damage the permanent green it will be much more costly to repair.  Lastly, permanent chipping greens are much more expensive than mats.

Will chipping on artificial turf wreck my golf clubs?

There are stories of artificial turf scratching sole plates on clubs and other reports of ultralight shafts breaking when used on artificial turf.  These come mostly from indoor driving ranges where you are swinging for the fences.  In a backyard setting, you aren’t taking swings requiring that kind of power and won’t do serious damage to your clubs that you wouldn’t do on natural grass.  Sure, the clubs will get some cosmetic scratches.  But, these are also the same clubs you are taking 90 mph swings into the dirt and rocks on out the course.  They are golf clubs after all.  If you have a favorite club that you baby, maybe keep it in the bag, but I would rather increase my skill and use my equipment then leave the clubs in the bag for fear of doing cosmetic damage to them.  Walking out my back door for some chip shots in my yard is the easiest way to get some practice time in a busy day.  Artificial turf saves my small yard from looking like swiss cheese, when my careless swings take out a chunk of sod.  The way I see it, I’m more likely to damage my clubs in frustration then practice use.

Does chipping damage artificial grass?

You might be thinking of putting in a chipping area in your yard, and if you decide to add it as a permanent feature you could be looking at a significant spend.  You want your new green to last and be able to stand up to the use you are intending for it.  If you are working with a contractor to install a putting and chipping green, make sure you talk through proper use covered under warranty and what kind of lifespan you should expect from the specific product they are installing.

If you are installing yourself make sure you are using turf designed for chipping that has a backing and is placed on a proper base.  Bare turf on top of concrete will not hold up as well as turf laid over a proper base or matting to absorb a misplaced swing or two.  With turf directly on concrete, I would also worry about damaging your clubs as a miss swing would be equivalent to spiking your club off the concrete itself.

All that said, if you have artificial turf designed for chipping on a proper base, you should not see any problems with damage to the grass.  Artificial turf is woven plastic, sown through a backer.  Repeated swings will not cut the turf’s synthetic blades like they would natural grass.  The backer is woven nylon making it quite durable and your club will not be able to travel through the backer like it does sod, especially if you have a pad or the correct base under the turf.

If you are still worried repeated chipping will damage permanent turf installed in your yard.  You could also always buy a chipping mat and test out the durability of the turf before committing to a permanent installation.  That way you might get a closer comparison to what your swing and practice workload will do to a piece of synthetic turf.  The mats are only a fraction of the cost to put in a permanent chipping green.  Check out an example here.

If you are wondering about the durability of the chipping mats.  It will vary by manufacturer.  Make sure to look for mats from reputable companies, with good reviews, and warranties against product defects.

Keep in mind I am only suggesting to chip on artificial grass made for chipping.  I would not chip on a putting green, I talk through why next.

Can I chip on a synthetic putting green?

Avoid using anything but a putter on your synthetic putting green.  A synthetic green setup for putting usually has shorter fibers and requires care to maintain its surface.  Trying to chip on your putting green will result in you making inconsistencies in the infill (sand the weighs down the synthetic turf and props up the turf fibers like grass).  When you create inconsistencies in the infill your ball will not track a straight line when putting.  To remove these inconsistencies, you will need to brush and possibly roll your putting green to get the infill consistent again, this in turn may effect your green speed and require additional work to get everything back the way you like it.  Best to stick to chipping on mats or longer synthetic turf design for chipping.