Course Program

Chip Close: Leave Inside 3 Feet

Pick landing spot, for a 22-handicap player, ~20 minutes at Crossgar Golf Club

Short GameAll teesProgram HCP 22.47 drills58% match to course practice profile

Program Snapshot

Handicap range

9 to 45

Average HCP

22.4

Duration (single session)

3 hr 2 min

or

1 drill/day: 7 days · 26 min/day

Ideal tee

All

Skill Distribution

Accuracy30%
Scoring25%
Alignment14%
Distance Control11%
Dispersion8%
Visualization7%
Aim6%

Overview

Program Structure

Chip Close: Leave Inside 3 Feet. Avoid 3-putt and pick landing spot. Focus on Accuracy, Scoring, Alignment, Distance Control, Dispersion, Visualization, Aim. For a 22-handicap player, in ~20 minutes.

Skill

Accuracy

Shot

Chip

What you will improve

  • Accuracy
  • Scoring
  • Alignment
  • Distance Control

Program details

Sessions
7 focused drills
Recommended
2–3 sessions / week
Total duration
3 hr 2 min
or
1 drill per day
7 days · 26 min/day

Drill Framework

Program breakdown

Each drill is designed to prepare you for the course. Follow the program or repeat the drills to improve key areas of your game.

01

Chip | Deep Rough and Other | Flat

Short Game

Hit two buckets of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) from the flat deep rough and other extreme grass types.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Chip | Deep Rough and Other | Flat
1

Place 3 piles of 12 balls each in deep rough or thick grass between 5 and 30 yards from the hole.

2

Mark 3 target zones on the green, each zone spaced 6 feet apart, in a straight line from your spot.

3

Hit 36 chip shots in total, in 3 sets of 12 shots.

4

For the first 12 shots, aim for Target Zone

1

Then aim for Target Zone 2 for the next 12 shots.

5

Aim for Target Zone 3 for the last 12 shots. Enter number of successes in the app, out of 36 attempts.

6

Alternate between the 3 piles for your shots, keeping the balls in deep rough or thick grass.

7

Count each shot that stops inside the target zone as a success.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score292724201612964
02

Chip | Parallel Piles | Multiple Targets

Short Game

Align a bucket of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 10 equal parallel piles of 4 balls and stop chip shots close to multiple targets. Count the number of successes.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Chip | Parallel Piles | Multiple Targets
1

Arrange 40 balls into 10 piles with 4 balls each in two lines of 5 piles.

2

Set the two lines 6 yards apart and each pile 3 yards apart.

3

Place the piles anywhere on grass or slope, 5 to 30 yards from the hole, not on the green.

4

Place 3 target flags 8 feet apart on the green to make 3 target zones.

5

Hit 36 chip shots in 3 groups of 12 shots.

6

For the first 12 shots, aim to land the ball within 10 feet of the first flag.

7

For the next 12 shots, aim for the second flag’s zone.

8

For the final 12 shots, aim for the third flag’s zone.

9

Alternate which pile you shoot from, but always start from the same ball spot for each shot.

0

Count each ball stopping within 10 feet of the target as a success and enter score in the app, out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028262218141174
03

Chip | Scattered Piles | 9 Stop Zones

Short Game

Scatter a bucket of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 8 equal piles of 5 balls and stop chip shots inside 9 Stop Zones. Count the number of successful stops.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Chip | Scattered Piles | 9 Stop Zones
1

Make 8 piles with 5 balls in each pile. Put them on grass, 5 to 30 yards from the hole.

2

Use tees, string, or markers to make 9 zones on the green in a simple pattern.

3

Take 36 chip shots in total.

4

Aim 4 balls at each of the 9 zones.

5

Hit each shot from a different pile and aim at the next zone.

6

Try to stop each ball in the right zone.

7

Count one success for each ball that stops in the correct zone.

8

Add up your total successful stops and enter your score in the app, out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028252218141074
04

Chip | Deep Rough and Other | Uphill/Downhill

Short Game

Hit two buckets of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) from the sloped deep rough and other extreme grass types; one bucket from the uphill slope and one bucket from the downhill slope.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Chip | Deep Rough and Other | Uphill/Downhill
1

Divide 36 golf balls into 6 piles of 6 balls each.

2

Set up 3 target areas around the hole: left, center, and right, about 4 feet apart.

3

Place 3 piles on the uphill side and 3 piles on the downhill side, between 5 and 30 yards away.

4

Hit 12 balls toward each target area: 12 for left, 12 for center, 12 for right.

5

Switch between piles on the same slope, but finish all shots for one target before moving to the next.

6

Count balls that land and stay in the target area as successful.

7

Add up successful shots and enter your score in the app, out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028252218141074
05

Chip | Deep Rough and Other | Uphill/Downhill

Short Game

Up to 5 players hit two buckets of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) from the sloped deep rough and other extreme grass types; one bucket from the uphill slope and one bucket from the downhill slope.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Chip | Deep Rough and Other | Uphill/Downhill
1

Put 3 equal target zones on the green in a line, 3 to 5 feet apart.

2

From deep rough on the uphill slope, hit 18 chip shots, 6 to each zone.

3

Move to deep rough on the downhill slope and repeat: hit 18 chip shots, 6 to each zone.

4

Always chip from deep rough within 20 yards/meters of the hole. Don’t change setup.

5

Count shots that land and stop in the target zone as successes.

6

When you’re done with all 36 shots, count how many landed in a target zone and enter your score in the app, out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3230282520161285
06

Chip | Rough | Above/Below Feet

Short Game

Hit two buckets of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) from the sloped rough grass; one bucket with balls above feet level, and one bucket with balls below feet level.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Chip | Rough | Above/Below Feet
1

Get 36 balls. Make 6 piles with 6 balls in each pile. Use 3 piles for above feet lies and 3 piles for below feet lies.

2

Put the piles in the rough on a slope, between 5 and 20 yards from the hole. Keep the same type of slope for each group (above or below feet).

3

Mark 2 zones on the green. Zone A is the front half near the hole. Zone B is the back half, farther from the hole.

4

From each pile, hit 6 chip shots. Aim 3 shots at Zone A and 3 shots at Zone B.

5

First, chip from the piles with above feet lies, 6 shots each pile, 3 to each zone. Then do the same with below feet piles.

6

A shot counts as good if it lands and stays in the zone you aimed for.

7

When done with all 36 shots, count the good shots and enter your score in the app, out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028252218141074
07

Chip | Perpendicular Piles | Bullseye 2x

Short Game

Align a bucket of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 10 equal perpendicular piles of 4 balls and stop chip shots inside the Bullseye. Count the number of balls in the inner and outer Bullseye.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Chip | Perpendicular Piles | Bullseye 2x
1

Make 10 piles with 4 balls in each pile, for a total of 40 balls. Put these piles in two lines that cross each other, with 5 piles in each line.

2

Place the piles on grass, 5-30 yards from the hole. The lines should be 5-10 yards apart, and each pile should be 2 yards apart.

3

Around the hole, make two circle target zones using string or tees: a small Bullseye (6 feet from hole) and a bigger Bullseye (15 feet from hole).

4

Hit 36 chip shots, in 3 sets of 12 shots.

5

For each set, chip towards the Bullseye zones, switching piles each time.

6

Balls stopping in the small Bullseye count as higher score. Balls in the big Bullseye also count, but less. Both are counted as a successful chip.

7

When finished, count all balls in the small or big Bullseye out of 36 tries, and enter the total in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028262218141074

Next Step

Ready to start this program?

Start the drills at your own pace or work with a coach to inside drills.golf.

Chip Close: Leave Inside 3 Feet | Crossgar Golf Club