Most golfers could save shots quickly and effectively by improving their chipping. Tour professionals convert roughly 60 % of greenside chances inside 20 yards, yet club golfers average closer to 20-30 %. That differential results in many shots being wasted every round for club golfers.
What Makes a Good Chipper?
Before you even take the club back, a good chipper has done three things: read the lie, planned the landing zone, and predicted how the ball will roll out.
The lie tells you how cleanly you can strike the ball and how much spin you can generate. The landing zone — ideally a flat, determines which club to use and where to aim. The roll-out prediction tells you whether you need a high, soft shot or a bump-and-run that uses the slope. Getting all three right before you swing is what separates the golfers who chip close from those who chip on and three-putt.
Once you’ve made the plan, execution comes down to three technical elements:
Strike quality — hitting the ball before the ground, with a descending strike that uses the loft of the club rather than trying to scoop the ball up. This is the single biggest difference between consistent and inconsistent chippers.
Club head speed control — Your ability to vary the length and pace of your swing to control distance is what gets the ball close from different yardages. Most golfers take a big backswing then have to decelerate through impact, resulting in wrists flicking.
Loft management — The ball should always launch lower than the loft on your club (flop shots and very high chips are an exception), often 50-60% of the club loft. A 56º sand wedge should launch at 30-35º. This is how you generate a great strike and backspin.
The good news is that these skills are very learnable with the right practice. That’s why the drills below are structured the way they are — a small amount of technique work followed by scored practice games that develop your feel, decision-making and execution under pressure.
Chipping Technique Drill – Improve Your Strike
The Towel Drill — Create a Descending Strike in 10 Minutes
Place a golf towel on the ground approximately two inches behind your ball. Your only job is to chip the ball without hitting the towel. That’s it.
If you’re scooping or flipping, the club will strike the towel before the ball — instant feedback. If you execute a proper descending strike, the club contacts the ball first and the towel stays untouched.
Start with 10 balls from a flat lie at 10 yards. Once you can consistently avoid the towel, move to slightly more challenging lies or back to 20 yards.
Beginner Chipping Drill – Chipping Zone Challenge L1
Why do it? Dial in distance control from 10 yards and master a consistent strike with high reps and little variability.
| Time / Reps | 15 mins · 20 shots |
| Ideal Handicap | 50 → 18 HCP (great starter drill) |
| Gear Needed | Any wedge or 9‑iron · 10 balls |
| Track It | Track your PBs in the BxG app |
Set‑up
- Pick a flat lie 10 yds from your target (flag, alignment stick, or towel).
- Drop 10 balls. Play every ball with the same club and routine.
Scoring rules
- 4 pts – Holed out 🏆
- 2 pts – Finishes inside 3 ft (one putter length)
- 1 pt – Finishes inside 6 ft (two putter lengths)
Add up your points after 10 chips (max = 40). Log the score, then run the drill again trying to beat it.
Benchmark targets
- 8 pts – 25‑plus handicap baseline
- 16 pts – Solid 15‑handicap goal
- 24 pts – Scratch benchmark
Why it lowers scores
Cutting your average leave from 10 yds to inside 6 ft pushes single‑putt probability much higher and inside 3-feet results in a 90%+ conversion rate for most golfers.
➡️ Log today’s score in Break X Golf— to track your progress and unlock level 2 of this challenge
Distance Control Chipping Drill – Morris Short‑Game Challenge L1
Why do it? Pressure‑tests your most common greenside distances (8 yd, 20 yd, 45 yd) so you can save par from anywhere around the green and learn how the ball reacts from different distances when it lands.
| Time / Reps | 30 mins · 30 shots |
| Ideal Handicap | 20 → +5 HCP (solid all‑rounder) |
| Gear Needed | Your go‑to wedge(s) · 10 balls from each location |
| Track It | Track your PBs in the BxG app |
Set‑up
- 8‑yd chip – Pick a fairway lie 8 yds from the hole.
- 20‑yd chip – Mark a new spot 20 yds away.
- 45‑yd pitch – Mark a spot 45 yds out.
How to play
- Hit 10 shots from the 8‑yd station, then 10 from 20 yds, then 10 from 45 yds (total = 30).
- Keep the same club and routine for each distance.
Scoring rules
- 3 pts – Holed out 🏆
- 2 pts – Finishes inside 1 club length (≈ 3 ft)
- 1 pt – Finishes inside 2 club lengths (≈ 6 ft)
Add up the points across all 30 shots (max = 90). Log the score, note your common miss (short/long/left/right), and repeat next session.
Benchmark targets
| Handicap | Solid Score | Stretch Score |
|---|---|---|
| 25‑plus | 10‑12 pts | 15 pts |
| 15‑hcp | 18‑20 pts | 24 pts |
| Single‑digit | 25‑28 pts | 32 pts |
| Scratch / Pro | 33‑35 pts | 40 + |
Why it lowers scores
Players face these three different kinds of chip shots. If you can practice each you’ll feel comfortable from different distances on the golf course. Youc can also use your scores to pinpoint weaknesses.
Pro‑tip / Progression
Once you’re breaking 30 pts, randomise the order of the stations (8 → 45 → 20, etc.) to sharpen decision‑making under pressure, or switch the 45‑yd pitch to a semi‑rough lie.
➡️ Log today’s score in Break X Golf— to track your progress and unlock level 2 of this challenge
Club Selection and Trajectory Control Drill – No One Way Chipping L1
Why do it? Teaches you to choose the right club for the lie—so you can land‑and‑stop or bump‑and‑run on demand and slash three‑putt bogeys.
| Time / Reps | 35 mins · up to 50 balls |
| Ideal Handicap | 25 → Scratch (versatile skills builder) |
| Gear Needed | All your irons & wedges · 15‑yd target |
| Track It | Track your PBs in the BxG app |
Set‑up
- Pick a flat 15‑yd chip shot.
- Mark a 6‑ft circle around the hole (≈ 2 putter lengths).
- Line up with your highest‑lofted club first (LW or SW).
How to play
- Chip until one ball finishes inside the 6‑ft circle.
- When you succeed, switch to the next less‑lofted club (e.g., SW → PW → 9i → 8i…).
- Continue until you’ve completed the task with every club down to the 8‑iron—or until you hit 50 balls (whichever comes first).
Scoring
Your score = total balls hit to finish the full ladder (max = 50). Log it, note which clubs took the most attempts, and which felt most comfortable.
Benchmark targets
| Handicap | Solid | Stretch |
|---|---|---|
| 25‑plus | 45 balls | 40 balls |
| 15‑hcp | 38 balls | 32 balls |
| Single‑digit | 28 balls | 22 balls |
| Scratch / Pro | 18 balls | 12 balls |
Why it lowers scores
Learning carry‑to‑roll ratios with multiple clubs lets you pick the safest trajectory for any lie, cutting average leave distance by 35 % in testing—worth 0.4 Strokes Gained per round around the green.
Pro‑tip / Progression
After you break your stretch goal, tighten the circle to 3 ft.
➡️ Log today’s score in Break X Golf— to track your progress and unlock level 2 of this challenge
Chipping Drills You Can Do at Home
You don’t need a practice green to work on your chipping (it does help though). The towel drill above can be done on any patch of grass — a garden, or even a carpet indoors. Focus on the strike feeling rather than the outcome: chip shots will launch very low from carpets due to the tight lie and where the golf ball strikes the face.
You can also set up an indoor version of the chipping zone challenge above, and advance this into the No One Way Chipping drill working through your bag of clubs.
Home chipping practice is great for working on your strike and technique, but learning how the lie will affect your strike and the spin on the golf ball can only be done out on grass, and ideally where a golf ball is landing on a green.
Summary
Mastering the three chipping drills above will tighten your average leave, raise your one‑putt percentage, and turn more missed greens into pars or better—results you’ll see reflected immediately in your “Around‑the‑Green SG” numbers.
If you already dedicate 2 hours or more each week to practice, Break X Golf will amplify that effort with personalised practice plans:
- Personalised benchmarks update automatically as you log each drill, so you always know the next performance target.
- Weekly practice plans blend these chipping games with full‑swing and putting work, keeping sessions focused and time‑efficient.
- Progress dashboards translate every saved stroke into clear data, making improvement visible and motivating.
Feel free to check it out.
Happy golfing – Will @ Break X Golf