1. Par 2 Course
When you’re not chipping to well, you can tend to chip the ball very far from the hole and leave yourself a very long putt for par. This will result in you shooting higher scores and not play as well as you could have.
One drill that can actually help you hit tighter chips would be the Par 2 Course Drill. This drill is very simple:
- Grab 2 wedges & putter
- Go to a chipping green that has 2 or more flags
- Now put yourself in different positions, give yourself bad lies and some good lies
- Play a 9 hole round with different lies & holes
- The goal is to shoot 3 over and nothing more, otherwise you restart the round
Doing this drill will really help you hit closer chips and will prepare you for the course.
2. The Hoola Hoop Drill
The Hoola Hoop Drill is a very effective drill and will improve your chipping. If you do not have a Hoola Hoop then you can just use tees.
- Grab 6 Tees
- Place the tees 6 feet around the hole
- Grab 6 balls & your wedge
- Try to chip all the balls inside the tees
- Record how many you got inside
- Always try to beat your record that you set
- If it starts to get easy, increase the number of balls and move further from the hole
This drill will help you immensely when you go on the course! You will find that your chipping has gotten way better and I can guarantee you that you will shoot lower scores. This drill helps you hit chips closer and as a result will help you get more up and downs.
3. The Dreadful Flop Shot Over A Bunker
This shot has a lot to do with your mental game! But first, let us tackle the Physical part of it. When you’re in a position like this, you should always:
- Go ahead and see how much room you have
- DECIDE on a shot that you want to play, DO NOT be in between shots
- Pick a landing spot
- FOCUS on the landing spot
- Hit the ball without any fear
Ok, now we shall tackle the Mental part of it. When you’re faced with shots like these, I am sure 94% of your focus is on the bunker. Most likely when you’re in this position you have green to work with. Just remember to stay positive and trust your swing. Having thoughts like:
“Just give it a good swing”
“Trust your swing”
“As long as I give it my best swing I’ll be fine”
“The outcome doesn’t matter, just try your best”
Having thoughts like this will be a key to you conquering that shot. Having zero fear is the best skill to have on these type of shots.
4. Chipping Contest With A Buddy
One drill that is fun and also will help you develop more skill in your chipping is having a competition with a friend. You can play for anything you want, I would recommend playing for a drink or 5 dollars. How to play:
- Go to a chipping green
- Grab your wedge(s)
- Play different holes from different positions
- I recommend 9 holes
- The format is closest to pin
- If tied go into a sudden-death playoff (extra holes, whoever wins first wins)
- Loser buys the winner a drink or whatever the bet was on
This will be a fun game and will help you a lot when you get on the course.
5. Mental Game
Whenever your chipping you have to make sure that you always have a landing spot. Focusing on a landing spot is key, you’ll end up hitting chips closer and converting bogeys into pars. Thinking about the positive outcome when your chipping will have a positive effect on your game. Have thoughts like:
” I can do this”
“Focus on the landing spot”
“Just give it your best swing”
Positive thoughts like these always help tremendously! People always tend to think the mental game is not that big of a deal, but BELIEVE me, it can help you shoot lower scores. Constantly telling yourself you can hit the shot you want to hit will help you actually pull the shot off.
