Golf Chipping Drills and Aids: Train Contact and Landing Spots at Home
Chipping is where amateurs bleed the most easy shots — and it's the most under-practiced part of the short game. Drills and a simple reference to train clean contact and landing control at home.
Chipping is where amateurs bleed the most easy shots, and it is the most under-practiced part of the short game. The good news: clean contact and landing control both train at home with a few drills and a simple reference. Here is how to stop chunking and blading chips and start landing the ball where you are actually aiming.
What good chipping actually requires
Three things, in order:
- Consistent contact — hitting the ball first with a predictable low point, so you stop chunking and blading.
- A repeatable landing spot — you control a chip by where it lands, not where it ends up.
- Distance control — matching landing spot and roll to the shot.
Miss the first and nothing else matters. Most amateur chipping problems are contact problems.
Drills that fix contact and landing
- The towel landing drill. Put a towel down where you want the ball to land and try to land chips on it. Trains landing spot, which is how distance is actually controlled.
- Ball-position and low-point reference. Set a consistent ball position and a reference line so your low point stays in front of the ball. Chunks and blades are usually a low-point-and-ball-position problem.
- One-handed chips. A few lead-hand-only chips rebuild clean contact and kill the flip.
- The landing ladder. Pick landing spots at three distances and match the right stroke to each.
The reference that helps
You can feel a chip is off; you cannot see why without a reference for ball position, stance line, and a landing target.
AimBox sets ball position and an alignment reference in seconds and doubles as a landing gate, so your chipping reps have the same three checkpoints every time: where the ball sits, where you are aimed, and where it should land. It is the same tool you use for the full swing, reconfigured for the short game.
Common chipping mistakes
- Practicing only from perfect lies. Train different lies and distances.
- Aiming at the hole, not a landing spot. You control the landing; the green controls the roll.
- All contact, no distance. Once contact is clean, most practice should be landing-spot and distance work.
Chipping FAQ
What is the best chipping drill? The towel landing drill. It trains the landing spot — the thing that actually controls a chip — and gives instant feedback on whether you are hitting your number.
How do I stop chunking chips? It is usually ball position and low point. Set a consistent ball position and keep the low point in front of the ball; a reference makes both repeatable.
Can I practice chipping at home? Yes — into a net, a yard, or even to a towel across a room. Contact and landing-spot control both train indoors.
Are chipping aids worth it? A simple reference for ball position, alignment, and a landing target is worth it because it makes every rep repeatable. Gimmicks that only work from one perfect lie are not.
Ready to train chipping with real checkpoints? See AimBox — ball position, alignment, and landing references in one compact tool that also trains your full swing and putting.
Related reading: Golf Practice at Home · Best Golf Swing Training Aids of 2026 · Best Golf Training Aids for Beginners