Yes we have doubled the amount of games offered up since the last post, the reason is simple, I LOVE SHORT GAME. Chipping, pitching, bunkers, all of it. I find it to be the most fun part of golf to practice with games and the one that I see the fastest improvement in my skills when I am using these games. So grab your wedges and clean those grooves cause we are going to put your touch to the test with these 10 games.
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Out and On (Aleric Stonebender) - A simple bunker challenge with a twist. Attempt to hit a shot out of the bunker with your highest lofted wedge, after you hit a shot successfully onto the green attempt to hit the next shot with the next club down in your bag. You might start with a 60* wedge, then have to hit a 56*, then 50* and continue going like this until you are unable to hit a ball out and on.
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Rough Chip (Balinor) - In terms of innovation this game might be pretty far down on the list, but I see so many players that are practicing chipping forget to practice from the rough. Most courses in the Northeast are surrounded by rough so on that rare occasion you miss a green your ball is likely in the rough. Practice where you play from.
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Chip to the Line (Padura) - Just like the putting version of this challenge we are going to lay a target down and hit chips attempting to get the ball as close to that line as possible without hitting the line. Again working without a hole to aim at can really help a player focus on distance control.
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3 Club Chipping (Suphira)- I love this drill to force players into flexing their creativity and experimenting with new shots. Pick a simple chip from off the green and you will hit this shot with three different clubs, highest lofted wedge, an iron or hybrid, and your choice. See which club actually gets the ball closest, it may surprise you how fast you change your favorite club to chip with.
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9 Ball (Old Tom)- If there is one game to play for the rest of your life it’s this. Create three targets on the green, then place three piles of three golf balls in different areas around that green. You will hit one shot from each pile to each of the targets, so from location one you will hit Ball 1 to Target A, Ball 2 to Target B, and Ball 3 to Target C, repeat at the other two locations. If your ball finishes within 1 pace of the target you get a score of 1 under, if it finishes within 2 paces its a score of even, outside of 2 paces is a score of +1, off the green is +2. See how close or under par you can get with the nine shots. I love this game because if you chip a ball inside one pace its a 90% or better chance of an up and down, if you chip it inside 3-6ft (1-2 paces) its a 50% chance you make the up and down, and outside of 6ft there is less than a 50% chance you make that putt. This really get you concentrating on how close the ball needs to get to the hole and gives a simple score to judge yourself on.
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Aerial Assault (Chrome Chipper)- If you want to work on your flop shot here is your game. Place a club or alignment stick between you and the hole. Land the ball past the club and have it stop within 2 paces of the hole. Once you do this successfully move the club closer to the hole, and continue doing this after each successful shot. See how close you can get the club to the hole before you think it’s impossible.
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Gate Drill (Dorntill)- One of the most overlooked variables in short game is if the player is hitting the center of the face. Create a gate using two tees that is just wider than the face of your wedge. Place a ball in between the tees and hit your chips without touching either of the tees. If you can do this you know your maximizing spin by hitting the middle of the club face. To make it harder hit further and further shots.
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Leap Frog Chipping (Lola Lo-Fi)- Just like the putting version create a rectangle and chip the first ball into that rectangle. The next ball must go past the previous shot but stay in the rectangle. This is another one of my favorite drills of all time for short game and really teaches players how to control their distance for short game.
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4 Ball Chipping (Centauri)- Again mimicking the putting version this game really shows you how consistent you actually are in short game. Hit one chip anywhere on the green. Attempt to hit the next three shots from the same spot as close to the first ball as possible.
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Land the Tee (Data Drives)- This game is so insightful and teaches players to begin to read the green for their chips. Simply pick out a chip and place a tee in the green where you want to land the ball. The goal is to land the ball as close to the tee as possible and have the ball finish close to the hole. This game forces players to create better pictures of how their chip shots will play out and then also execute on those shots.
So often I see players who are looking to jump to the next level of play focus their practice on trying to knock down flag sticks or hitting monster drives, if they just spent 15 minutes on one of these games each week they would make that jump in half the time. Short game is often the lowest hanging fruit of improvement in player’s games and it also happens to be the most fun to practice.