Chipping Drill #1: Landing Spot for Distance Control

Do you currently own a golf wedge? Do you have a towel? If you answered yes to both questions then you can complete today’s easy, beginner level chipping drill to improve your short game. In fact, this chipping drill will quickly build your distance control skills helping you land the golf ball exactly where you vision when looking at the green.

I’d like to introduce the Landing Spot Chipping Drill.

It can be done at both the golf course and at home in your backyard. You’ll be developing better contact skills with your wedge in addition to developing distance control.

But if you’re worried about taking divots in your backyard, then I suggest checking out this affordable golf chipping mat to set down in your yard before completing this drill.

Chipping Drill Instructions:

Fold a towel into a smaller 1 foot by 1 foot target and set it down on the ground
Take 2 large steps away from it so you’re about 6 feet away
Place your golf balls down and chip from here to begin
The goal is to chip the ball 6 feet and straight so that it lands on your towel
Once you can hit the target towel 5 times a row, move back 3 more feet
Repeat 6 feet, 9 feet, 12 feet, 15 feet, 18 feet, and 21 feet away from the target

This chipping drill is quite simple. We are not focusing on the roll of the golf ball but instead only focusing on how far we chip the ball through the air with our wedge.

The goal is to hone in your distance control so you can chip each ball the exact distance so that it lands on your target, which is a towel in the case. You can also use a manila folder that is flat and about a 12 inches by 8 inches in size.

Start in close at just 6 feet away and perfect chipping the ball 6 feet away from you. The target helps you judge not only distance but also accuracy as you try to keep the chip on line flying straight.

For closer distance chip shots, the ball doesn’t need as much power and therefore it shouldn’t fly very high.

These close distance shots will be lower trajectory chips and as you move further away from the target, the trajectory will naturally get higher as you use more power. because you’re not using much power.

Work on one distance until you get good enough to hit the target multiple times in a row. We recommend setting 5 as the standard but you can make it 10 if you want more of a challenge.

Then move back to the next distance and keep moving back until you complete each distance, hitting 5 times in a row.

You’ll feel the pressure which is great as it trains you to become a better chipper under pressure. You’ll feel more confident on the golf course when you face a chip shot to get up and down for par or birdie.

Overall, give this chipping drill a try and you’ll be amazed how a basic chipping drill can really improve your short game!

Other Recommended Chipping Drills:

For more, see our full list of the 25 best chipping drills or click on an individual article below we’ve linked.

Golf Practice Plans:

Try our step by step golf training plans that give you daily practice routines to complete. Each practice routine has putting drills, chipping drills, and golf swing drills for the driving range. Learn more about each.