Chipping · Drill
Two Drills: Clean Contact, Then Distance
Part of our chipping programs for fat or chunked, thin or bladed, distance control. Build a program with it
You need two skills to get up and down. Clean contact and distance control. Train contact first. Push a tee into the ground just behind the ball. Chip without touching it. Keep your hands leading. Then train distance. Set up three targets at different lengths. Hit one chip to each, in turn. Count how many finish within three feet. Contact comes first, because feel can't save a bad strike.
The drill
- Put a tee just behind the ball.
- Chip without hitting it.
- Set three targets at different distances.
- Hit one chip to each in turn.
- Count how many finish close.
Why it works
A chip is struck on a shallow, descending path. If your hands stay ahead of the clubhead, the low point of the swing falls just after the ball. The tee behind the ball gives instant feedback: if the club bottoms out early, you hit the tee. Once contact is repeatable, the same strike produces the same energy, so distance depends only on the size of your swing, and that is what the three targets train.
Common mistakes
- You flick the wrist at the ball and the clubhead passes your hands.Keep your hands ahead of the ball through impact and let the chest turn the club through.
- You lean back on your rear foot, which moves the low point behind the ball.Set most of your weight on your lead foot at address and keep it there through the finish.
- You move to the distance work before the contact is clean, or you change the swing length and the strike at the same time.Do not start the targets until you can miss the tee several times in a row, then change only the length of the swing.
How you'll know it's working
- You chip several balls in a row without touching the tee.
- The ball comes off low, with a crisp sound, and does not skip or fly past the target.
- The number of chips that finish within three feet rises over several sessions.
Make it easier or harder
Easier: Use the same target distance for every chip and keep the tee in place until you miss it every time.
Harder: Move the targets farther apart, change the lie between shots, or require a set number of chips inside three feet before you stop.
Common questions
Why do I keep thinning my chip shots?
Most often the low point of your swing is behind the ball, or your wrists flip the clubhead past your hands. Lean your weight toward the target and keep your hands ahead through impact.
How close should I get my chips to the hole in practice?
Within three feet is a practical target, because it leaves a short putt that you can make most of the time. Count your results each session to see whether you are improving.
