5 Chipping Drills to Master Your Short Game
We all have dreams and aspirations to get virtually any chip shot up and down, regardless of where we might find our golf ball on the course.
It is always good to dream about pulling off the impossible chip shots, heck, the pros do it on a regular basis.
But at the end of the day, getting those boring, straight forward chip shots up and down will save you more shots on average. So don’t neglect the simple chip shots during practice. Don’t spend all your time trying to work on challenging and difficult to pull off chips.
Mix in standard, normal chip shots for the majority of practice reps so you can master the more common chip shots you’ll face on a golf course.
Standing at the chipping green and hitting 30 balls to different holes without really paying attention to what you are doing doesn’t count as practice.
5 Chipping Drills to Advance Your Chipping Skills
Ensure that you have a meaningful productive practice session by doing the following 5 chipping drills that will revamp your short game in no time.
- Towel landing spot drill
- Hit chip shots with every club in your bag
- Hole out 3 times
- Play 9 par 2 holes
- Chipping contest against a friend
#1: Towel Landing Spot Drill
A common factor in both chipping and putting is speed control.
In order to judge the speed of a chip shot it is important to establish where the ball must land in order to come to a stop close to the hole.
Once the ball has landed on the green it will react in a similar fashion to a putt, it is thus very important to ensure that the landing spot matches up with the required line and speed.
Trajectory of shot and natural slope determines how much the ball will roll out, it is important to take both of those factors into consideration when choosing a landing spot.
Choosing the correct landing spot is one thing, but to then go on and actually hit it is something completely different.
An effective way to practice hitting your landing spot is to put a towel down in the area where you want the ball to land, and to then chip towards the landing spot/towel trying to hit it with every shot.
#2: Hit Chip Shots with Every Club in Your Bag
The emphasize on speed control continues with this next chipping drill. In order to have good distance control it is important to create good feel.
A good way to create good feel is to hit the same chip shot using different clubs.
Due to a change in loft and other variables each club will require a chip shot that is hit a little different to the previous one.
The most effective way to do this chipping drill is to hit 5 chips with each club in your bag from the same spot to the same hole.
This drill will improve your feel, but you might also discover that there are multiple clubs that you can hit a certain shot with.
#3: Hole Out 3 Times
The main goal with chipping is to get it as close as possible to the hole in order to ensure an easy up and down.
Having the thought of hitting the chip into the hole is a good way to approach chipping for multiple different reasons.
Thinking about making the chip shot will help you with narrowing your focus, you want the ball to go in, mentally thinking this way will distract you from other thoughts that aren’t helpful.
In the movie American Sniper Bradley Cooper, who plays Chris Kyle, says it best: “Aim small, miss small.”
Being very precise about your target is key not only in chipping, but with every shot played on the golf course.
At the end of your practice session choose a fairly easy chip shot, the goal is to hole out at least 3 times before you can call it quits on your practice session.
READ: The Guide to Buying a New Wedge
#4: Play 9 Different “Par 2” Holes
Hitting a good chip shot during a practice session is a lot easier than actually doing it while you are playing a competitive round.
In order to close this gap in consistency it is important to simulate playing during your practice sessions.
Playing 9 par 2 holes around the chipping green is a fun way to do just that.
Take 1 ball and hit 9 different chip shots around the green, putt out every putt just like you would during a round. The goal is to finish in 21 shots or less.
Keep track of your best score and try to beat that score every time that you do this drill.
#5: Chipping Contest Against a Friend
Competing against a fellow player is one of the best things any golfer can do to improve their own golf, especially if the competition is better than you.
Competing even in a putting or chipping contest will mentally simulate conditions on the course, in addition emotions will be aroused thus you will learn how to deal with different emotions etc.
PGA tour pros are constantly playing for money in practice rounds or in putting and chipping competitions.
The best players in the world value competitive practice, if they do it then any amateur golf should want to do it as well.
Golf Practice Routines
- All Access Golf Resource Library
- Short Game Practice Plan
- Indoor Golf Practice & Fitness Plan
- 36 Easy to Follow Golf Practice Routines
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