In this guide, you’re going to find 13 chipping drills you can practice indoors at home. Every Winter off-season golfers need to find a way to stay active and working on their golf games, so we wanted to compile a list of indoor chipping drills to help you build a practice schedule routine.
Chipping can be done by practicing with just one wedge or learning how to chip with multiple clubs like 9 iron, pitching wedge, sand wedge, and high loft wedges such as the 60 degree wedge.
The drills below also are important to do on the golf course when spring gets here.
We’ve also written some other guides on chipping that supplement this article to check out:
- How to Practice Chipping in the Winter (Golf Off-Season Tips)
- 9 Best Golf Chipping Nets to Practice Indoors from Home
1. Indoor Target Hole Out Drill
Golf is a game that requires precision. With putting the goal is to hole the putt, when we hit a chip shot that goal shouldn’t be any different.
When we focus on a small target like the hole we narrow our focus, if we miss our small target we will still end up pretty close to it.
With the help of a few golf training aids like a chipping mat and chipping net you will be able to practice “holing out” chip shots during the winter months.
Chipping nets normally have small holes in them to aim at that are the size of a normal hole.
For this drill the goal is to hole out 3 times before moving onto the next drill. This drill will also test your patience, patience is something that will help any golfer in the long run.
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2. Indoor Target Hole Out with Different Wedges
The trajectory and speed of chip shots vary depending on the situation. It is easier to play a chip shot with a lower trajectory simply by using a less lofted club. By using different clubs you are able to hit either a lower or higher chip shot without having to change your technique or shot type.
This winter chipping drill is a continuation of the indoor target hole out drill. As mentioned above you need to narrow your focus when chipping.
A good drill to do in order get use to hitting chip shots with different clubs while also focusing on a small target is to hole out 3 chip shots using 3 different clubs. This drill will add variety to your short game and in the long run it will help you save a couple of shots per round.
3. Towel Chipping Drill
Speed and distance control are both key factors when it comes to chipping. Distance control is important because you have to land the ball short of the hole in order for it to roll out and stop close to the hole.
Speed is also important and it is mainly determined by trajectory, higher shots will land softly and roll out less than a low chip shot. In order to get the ball close to the hole your landing spot and trajectory needs to match up.
The towel drill is a great drill if you want to practice landing your golf ball on your landing spot. A fancy golf training aid isn’t always required, for this indoor short game drill place a small towel about 5 to 10 yards away from you.
Chip at the towel and try to land the ball onto the towel at least 10 times before moving onto the next drill. The towel drill makes indoor winter golf drills fun while also teaching you new skills in the process.
4. Ladder Towel Drill
The ladder towel drill is a continuation of the towel drill. This indoor golf drill focuses on distance control. For the ladder towel drill you will need 3 small towels.
Place the first towel 5 yards away from the ball, the second towel 10 yards and the 3rd towel 15 yards. The goal of the drill is to land the golf ball on all 3 towels with 3 consecutive shots.
Once you achieved this do the same but start with trying to hit the towel that is furthest away first.
When we play a round every shot is different, this drill allows you to get use to hitting your chip shots varying distances with each shot. This is one of the best chipping drills to practice if you want to see immediate results out on the course once the winter off season is over.
5. Chipping Technique Checkup Drill
All aspects of the game of golf requires good sound basic technique. Indoor chipping practice at home during the winter months is the perfect time to work on these basic technical aspects. A good setup is key if you want to chip consistently.
A good setup includes the following:
- Stance
- When you hit a chip shot it is important to have a good solid base. A chip shot can basically be described as the shoulders moving back and through. A narrow stance will ensure that your lower body stays quiet during the shot, this will ensure a good clean strike.
- Grip
- As illustrated in the video a neutral grip is best for chipping, a weak right hand will cause a steep angle of attack, and a strong right hand will lead to scooping. A good way to check your grip is to ensure that the the v between your thumb and the rest of your fingers point towards your right shoulder at address.
- Ball Position
- Ball position determines trajectory. If the ball is towards your back foot it will have a lower trajectory, the closer it gets to your front foot the higher the trajectory will be. Play around with different ball positions during your winter indoor golf practice schedule, you might just be amazed at all the new shots that you will be able to play.
- Spine angle
- Spine angle is important in order to have a good solid setup when you chip. It is important to bend through your hips at address, slouching over or standing too upright will lead to inconsistent strikes.
- Weight
- In order to ensure good clean contact on your chip shots it is important to have the correct weight setup at address. Majority of professional players will have 55-60% of their weight on their front foot, and 40-45% on their back foot.
6. Matchplay Chipping Drill
The importance and value of competitive practice can’t be stressed enough. Amateur golfers are often times scared to play a chipping or putting game against a friend because they don’t want to embarrass themselves.
A host of fun indoor golf chipping games can be played during the snowy months with the help of a chipping net. Not only will playing chipping games against a friend or family member be fun, it will also improve your ability to pull off shots under pressure situations.
7. Different Clubs Drill
It is common for modern day golfers to only want to use their 60 degree wedge when they are faced with a chip shot. Chipping, pitching and the short game in general requires imagination.
A good way to broaden your chipping horizons is to hit the same chip shot with different clubs. By hitting the same chip with different clubs you will add new shots to your repertoire and it will also greatly improve your feel and distance control.
RESOURCE: Golf Practice Plan to Break 90, 80, 70
8. Chip the Coin Drill
A good strike and solid contact is very important in order to hit good chip shots on a regular basis. The chip the coin drill is a great winter short game drill if you are serious about hitting solid chip shots on a regular basis.
The chip the coin drill is exactly that, place a coin on your chipping mat and try to chip the coin instead of a golf ball. A coin is very small and it requires a precise strike in order for you to advance the coin.
9. One Handed Chip Shots
Being able to control your clubface is key if you are serious about improving your short game. A great drill that anyone can do while practicing their short game indoors this winter is the one handed drill.
Hitting a good chip shot with only one hand is harder than what it might seem. Being able to control the clubface with one hand is difficult, but this drill will improve your awareness of the clubface and ultimately it will improve your chipping in general.
10. Balance Golf Drill
Many amateur golfers have the tendency to lose their balance when they hit a chip shot. In general they tend to fall back onto their back foot, the right foot for right handed players.
The results of falling back on your back foot when chipping can be disastrous, the general miss when losing your balance normally results in a bladed chip shot that flies across the green.
The one leg balance drill is the perfect winter short game drill that will teach you how to keep your weight on your front foot at impact.
For this drill, stand on your front foot (left foot for right handed players) and proceed to chip like you normally would. If you fall back you will fall over and completely miss the ball. This is also a drill that is very easy to do and it will be a great addition to your winter golf practice schedule.
11. Back Against the Wall Drill
When you hit chip shots it is important to keep the clubface moving in front of your body. In layman’s terms it means that the club needs to get taken back and through in a straight line.
The general tendency is for golfers to take the club back flat and behind them. A great indoor golf drill that teaches you how to rehearse a good chipping motion is to do the back against the wall winter golf drill.
This is one of the best indoor chipping drills that you can do this winter season. Stand with your back facing a wall, you need to touch the wall with your rear and then proceed to chip at your target.
The wall will force you to swing the club in front of your body and it will ensure that your club is on a good path.
12. Mental Routine Practice
Amateur golfers in particular don’t focus enough on the mental aspect of the game. If you are serious about improving your short game then it might be time to work on your chipping routine during your indoor winter at home chipping practice sessions.
A good pre shot routine has to feature a few key aspects, but in general it is up to the player’s personal preference. Let’s take a look at some key pre shot routine aspects that you can add to your short game.
- Choose the type of shot that you want to play
- Visualise the shot, see where you want the ball to land and how you want it to roll out.
- Focus on your breathing, nice deep breaths will release tension out of your body
- Don’t stand over the ball too long, once you are ready take a last look and pull the trigger. If you stand over the ball too long your muscles will become tense and it will lead to inconsistency.
13. Eyes Closed Chipping Drill
The eyes closed chipping drill will be more beneficial to lower handicaps, but it is a drill that can be tried by all. The goal of this drill is to improve awareness of your clubhead during a chip shot.
Set up to a chip shot like you normally would and then close your eyes right before you hit the shot. Removing one of your senses, in this case your sight, will put all of your other senses into overdrive.
This is one of the best indoor winter chipping drills to do if you are making technical adjustments to your chipping. This drill also forces you to visualize the chipping motion in your mind.
This drill isn’t for everyone, but don’t be scared to give it a go, it might just help you get that ‘feeling’ that you have been searching for with your chipping.
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