Short Game - Towel Drill - Chipping

I am made aware that quite a number of our members can pretty much hit a golf ball and get a game going, but realize that too many shots are wasted around and on the putting surface. Hence, I will be posting published advices/tips from different sources that should be able to help us all in this area called the short game.

Towel Drill

This drill is designed to improve distance control with your chip shots. We will be going over the proper set-up for this shot, as this is very important to be a consistent chipper. When we see golfers who have trouble with chipping, it almost always starts with an improper set-up to the ball. First you want the ball position to be slightly back from center and your feet a little closer together than your full swing. You will want to have your weight slightly more on your left side for a righty and your right side for a lefty. The reason for this is so you will make a descending blow on the golf ball pinching it to the ground. The last thing to think of is to have your hands in front of the ball. You don’t want to exaggerate this. Do it just enough so that the shaft of the club is slightly leaning towards the target. The whole goal of a chip shot is to get the ball rolling as soon as possible. You want to pick a spot to land the ball and then have it roll out to the hole. If you have a lot of green to work with you may choose to use a 7 or 8 iron. With less green between you and the hole, you will want to use a more lofted club like a PW or SW. This drill will help you gain more control over how far your ball carries in the air making it easier for you to make more up and downs from just off the green.

On 10 feet or so of open floor space, put a towel down and stand about 10 feet away from it. Try chipping balls that land on the towel. Not to come to rest on the towel but to first bounce on the towel. This can be done from different distances and with different clubs teaching you how far each club will carry and helping you to hit your spots more consistently. Try the same club from 5 or 8 feet then switch to a different club. As you move the towel to different distances you will be able to change clubs but make the same easy stroke at the ball. The shorter you are trying to carry the ball (closer to the towel), the less lofted club you will want to use. When you get back on the course you can do this drill by placing the towel a few paces onto the green. Now watch how each club reacts after it lands and starts rolling. When you gain a feel for how far your clubs roll out you will be able to chip it close from anywhere.