Course Program

Chip Close: Leave Inside 3 Feet

Avoid 3-putt, for a 19-handicap player, ~15 minutes at River Valley Ranch Golf Club

Short GameAll teesProgram HCP 19.49 drills59% match to course practice profile

Program Snapshot

Handicap range

9 to 45

Average HCP

19.4

Duration (single session)

3 hr 54 min

or

1 drill/day: 9 days · 26 min/day

Ideal tee

All

Skill Distribution

Accuracy34%
Alignment20%
Distance Control19%
Scoring12%
Aim9%
Precision4%
Visualization3%

Overview

Program Structure

Chip Close: Leave Inside 3 Feet. Avoid 3-putt and pick landing spot. Focus on Accuracy, Alignment, Distance Control, Scoring, Aim, Precision, Visualization. For a 19-handicap player, in ~15 minutes.

Skill

Accuracy

Shot

Chip

What you will improve

  • Accuracy
  • Alignment
  • Distance Control
  • Scoring

Program details

Sessions
9 focused drills
Recommended
2–3 sessions / week
Total duration
3 hr 54 min
or
1 drill per day
9 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 | Perpendicular Piles | Bullseye 2x

Short Game

Up to 5 players compete to stop a chip shot in the bullseye. The best final score relative to PAR wins the challenge. One bucket of balls per player is needed.

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

Set up 10 piles of balls in two lines that cross each other. Each line has 5 piles, spaced 3 yards apart, with the lines 5 to 10 yards apart. Place the piles on grass 5 to 30 yards from the hole.

2

On the green around the hole, make two circles using string or tees: one small circle with a 6 foot radius and one big circle with a 15 foot radius.

3

Hit 36 chip shots, in 3 sets of 12 shots. - Set 1 (12 shots): Try to stop the ball in the small circle. - Set 2 (12 shots): Try to stop the ball in the big circle but outside the small circle. - Set 3 (12 shots): Try to stop the ball just outside the big circle but close to the hole.

4

Start at any pile and hit the type of shot for that set. After finishing 12 shots for one set, move to the next set and repeat.

5

For each shot, if the ball lands in the target zone for that set, count it as a success.

6

Keep going until all 36 shots are done. At the end, add up your successful shots out of 36 attempts and enter your score in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score302825221713964
02

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
03

Chip | Fairway | Flat

Short Game

Up to 5 players hit two buckets of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) from the flat fairway surface.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Chip | Fairway | Flat
1

Make 3 piles of 12 golf balls each. Put the piles between 5 and 30 yards from the hole.

2

Mark 3 target zones on the green, each about 3 feet wide and spaced apart.

3

Hit 12 balls from each pile to each target zone. First 12 to Zone 1, next 12 to Zone 2, last 12 to Zone

4

Use the same setup for all shots. Aim to land each ball in the target zones.

5

Count shots that land and stop in the target zone.

6

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3129272318141074
04

Chip | Parallel Piles | Bullseye 2x

Short Game

Up to 5 players compete to stop a chip shot in the bullseye. The best final score relative to PAR wins the challenge. One bucket of balls per player is needed.

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

Set up 10 piles of balls in two lines of 5 piles each, about 5 to 10 yards apart, and space piles 4 yards apart.

2

Put the piles 5 to 30 yards from the hole on grass, but not the green.

3

On the green, make two circles around the hole: one with a 6-foot radius, and another with a 15-foot radius.

4

Hit 36 chip shots from the piles: 4 shots from 6 piles, and 3 shots from 4 piles.

5

Try to land the ball in the circles. Inside the small circle counts as 'birdie', in the big circle as 'par', and outside as 'bogey'.

6

Count how many balls stop inside the big (15-foot) circle.

7

When finished, enter how many were successful out of 36 attempts in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3230282420151174
05

Chip | Fairway | Uphill/Downhill

Short Game

Up to 5 players hit two buckets of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) from the sloped fairway; one bucket from the uphill slope and one bucket from the downhill slope.

26 minFocus: Short Game
Diagram for Chip | Fairway | Uphill/Downhill
1

Set up 3 target zones on the green, 5 feet apart in a straight line from closest to farthest from the hole.

2

Place balls at the edge of the fairway on two slopes: uphill and downhill, each about 15 yards from the hole.

3

Hit 18 chip shots from the uphill slope and 18 chip shots from the downhill slope.

4

For each slope, hit 6 shots to each zone, in order.

5

Start with the uphill slope: hit 6 shots to Zone 1, then 6 to Zone 2, then 6 to Zone

6

Move to the downhill slope: hit 6 shots to each zone in order.

7

Count a shot as successful if the ball stops inside the target zone.

8

After all shots, count your total successful shots and enter your score in the app out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3129272318141074
06

Chip | Parallel Ball Lines | Bullseye 2x

Short Game

Align a bucket of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 2 parallel lines 20 balls per line 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 | Parallel Ball Lines | Bullseye 2x
1

Place 36 balls in two lines of 18 each. Put lines 5 to 10 meters apart. Balls in each line are 30 cm apart.

2

Mark two circles on the green: a small circle with 2 meter radius and a big circle with 5 meter radius around the hole.

3

Divide the 36 balls into 2 sets of

8

First set: chip from first line aiming for the small circle.

4

Second set: chip from second line aiming for the big circle.

5

Hit 3 to 5 shots from one line, then switch lines, to keep consistent.

6

Each ball stopping inside the correct circle for that set is a success.

7

Count successful balls in the right circles and enter score in the app, out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028252218141174
07

Chip | Perpendicular Ball Lines | Bullseye 2x

Short Game

Align a bucket of balls (avg. bucket is 40 balls) into 2 perpendicular lines 20 balls per line 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 Ball Lines | Bullseye 2x
1

Arrange 36 balls in 2 lines of 18 each to form an L shape.

2

Keep each ball 1 foot apart in each line. Keep 5-10 yards between the two lines.

3

Place two circles around the hole on the green: one with a 6-foot radius, and one with a 15-foot radius.

4

From 5–30 yards away, chip 18 balls from the first line, aiming for the circles.

5

Chip the other 18 balls from the second line, aiming for the circles.

6

Alternate hitting 3 to 5 shots between the two lines.

7

Shots inside the small circle = full success. Shots inside the big circle only = partial success.

8

Count how many balls stopped in each circle and get your score. Enter your total successful shots out of 36 attempts.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score282624201612963
08

Chip | Rough | Above/Below Feet

Short Game

Up to 5 players 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

Put 3 target zones on the green, 6 feet apart in a line to the hole.

2

Set up two groups of balls for each player in the rough: one with balls above feet, one with balls below feet, from 5 to 30 yards away.

3

Hit 36 chip shots: 18 to the first target, 18 to the second target.

4

First, hit 18 shots from above feet to the first target.

5

Then, hit 18 shots from below feet to the second target.

6

Count a shot as a success if the ball stops inside the target zone.

7

Do not move the balls; only change target when needed.

8

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

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score3028262218141074
09

Chip | Rough | Uphill/Downhill

Short Game

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

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

Prepare 36 golf balls in 3 piles of 12 balls each.

2

Set up 3 target zones on the putting green: one uphill, one flat, one downhill.

3

From the rough, 5 to 30 yards away, chip 12 balls to land and stop in the uphill zone.

4

Chip 12 balls to the flat zone.

5

Chip 12 balls to the downhill zone.

6

A shot counts as a success if the ball lands and stops in the correct zone.

7

Keep the ball setup the same for each shot. Only change which zone to aim for.

8

Count how many shots landed and stopped in the right zones out of 36 attempts, and enter the score in the app.

Scoring benchmarks

Repetitions36
Handicap+9+5+151219273654
Score312926221713963

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 | River Valley Ranch Golf Club