9 Best Golf Short Game Drills to Save Strokes Fast
On this page15
- 01The Ladder Drill (distance control)
- 02The Towel Target Drill (landing spot)
- 03The Coin Drill (crisp ball-first contact)
- 04The Weight-Forward Drill (low-point control)
- 05The Clock Drill (pitch calibration)
- 06The Line Drill (bunker contact)
- 07The Gate Drill (putting start line)
- 08The Ladder Putting Drill (lag speed)
- 09The Up-and-Down Game (pressure)
- 10How We Ranked These Drills
- 11Why Short Game Practice Saves the Most Strokes
- 12The Nine Drills at a Glance
- 13A Simple 20-Minute Practice Plan
- 14Common Short Game Practice Mistakes
- 15When to Drill and When to Just Play
Drills are ranked by how many strokes they realistically save a mid-handicapper: skills that cause the most common misses (distance control, clean contact, and lag speed) rank above narrower fixes, and drills that add a target or a score rank above open-ended repetition because they transfer to the course.
- Biggest scoring gain
The Ladder Drill (distance control)
Distance control is the single biggest scoring skill inside 50 yards, which is why this outranks every strike-based drill below it. Amateurs miss greenside shots long or short far more often than left or right, so grooving repeatable carry distances erases the guesswork that produces duffs and long-range three-putts. Set towels or targets at 5, 10, and 15 paces and chip three balls to each with the same club, changing only your swing length until every ball lands in its own zone.
It ranks above the strike drills because a crisp contact that flies the wrong distance still costs you the up-and-down. Once you own three trusted carry lengths, the pattern feeds every other shot on this list.
Skill: carry distance · Fixes: long/short misses · Setup: targets at 5/10/15 paces
- Best for chunk-and-thin
The Towel Target Drill (landing spot)
Good chippers commit to a landing spot, not the flag, and this drill forces that habit directly. Lay a towel or paper plate about 3 feet onto the green and land every chip on it, letting the ball release and roll to the hole, which retrains you to control carry instead of steering the club at the pin. Pair it with our golf chipping technique breakdown so the setup supports a repeatable landing point.
It sits just below the ladder drill because it fixes one distance at a time rather than a full range, but the instant pass-fail feedback (did the ball hit the towel?) makes it the fastest habit-builder for a player who steers chips.
Skill: landing control · Fixes: steering at the pin · Setup: towel 3 ft onto the green
- Fixes the strike
The Coin Drill (crisp ball-first contact)
Chunks and thins both come from a low point that bottoms out behind the ball, and this drill trains the descending, hands-leading strike that fixes it. Place a coin or tee just ahead of the ball and clip it after the ball on every chip; if you hit the ground behind the coin, your low point is too far back. Fifteen slow reps rebuild the feeling of compressing the ball first, reinforcing the fundamentals in our guide on how to chip in golf.
It ranks below the target drills because clean contact without distance control still leaves birdie putts short or long, but for a player who cannot make solid contact, this is the prerequisite everything else depends on.
Skill: ball-first strike · Fixes: chunked and thin chips · Setup: coin just ahead of the ball
- Low-point cure
The Weight-Forward Drill (low-point control)
Set up to a chip with roughly 60 to 70 percent of your weight on your lead foot and keep it there through the strike, holding a lead-loaded finish for a two-count on every rep. Many players unconsciously shift back to help the ball into the air, which moves the low point behind it and produces the same fat-and-thin pattern the coin drill targets.
It ranks a notch below the coin drill because it addresses the cause (weight shift) rather than confirming the result (contact), so most players use the two together. On its own it is the quickest single change for a golfer who hangs back and scoops.
Skill: weight and low point · Fixes: scooping and fat shots · Setup: 60-70% lead-side weight
- Closes the yardage gap
The Clock Drill (pitch calibration)
Pitching from 20 to 50 yards is the hardest short-game gap for most golfers because it falls between a full wedge and a chip, and this drill maps it. Picture your lead arm as a clock hand and hit pitches to 8, 9, and 10 o'clock backswing lengths, logging the carry each produces so you build three reference distances instead of manufacturing feel under pressure.
It ranks in the middle because it fixes a specific yardage band rather than a universal fault, but for players who face that awkward half-wedge often, the logged distances are worth several shots a round.
Skill: pitch distance · Fixes: the 20-50 yard gap · Setup: 8/9/10 o'clock backswings
- Beats sand fear
The Line Drill (bunker contact)
Bunker shots demand hitting the sand, not the ball, and this drill grooves the shallow, sand-first entry. Draw a straight line in the sand, set a ball a couple of inches forward of it, open the face, and splash the sand starting on the line so the club never touches the ball. Watching where the sand enters tells you instantly whether your low point is right, and it mirrors the full method in our guide on how to hit a bunker shot.
It ranks lower only because most amateurs face far fewer bunker shots than chips or putts, not because the skill is minor. For anyone who fears the sand, it is the highest-value drill on this list.
Skill: sand-first splash · Fixes: fear of bunkers · Setup: line drawn, ball 2 in. forward
- Holes short putts
The Gate Drill (putting start line)
Set two tees just wider than your putter head about a foot in front of the ball and roll putts through the gate without clipping either one. A putt started online from inside 6 feet is nearly always holed, and the gate exposes a face that is open or shut at impact. Start at 4 feet and add distance once you clear it cleanly ten times in a row; it slots alongside our full set of golf putting drills.
It ranks behind the greenside drills because start-line errors cost fewer strokes than the fat chips and duffs above, but on the greens it is the most direct fix for the short misses that quietly pile up.
Skill: putter face and start line · Fixes: missed short putts · Setup: two tees, one putter-head wide
- Kills three-putts
The Ladder Putting Drill (lag speed)
Three-putts come from poor speed, not poor aim, so this drill trains pace across distance. Place balls at 20, 30, and 40 feet and putt each trying to stop it inside a 3-foot circle of the hole, resetting your speed for every length. Judging pace is a feel skill that only sharpens with reps to varied distances, and nailing the first-putt speed removes the knee-knocking second putt entirely.
It ranks below the gate drill because lag errors usually cost one stroke while a missed short putt can cost a scored hole, but for a player who three-putts from range, this is the higher-leverage fix.
Skill: lag speed · Fixes: three-putts from distance · Setup: putts from 20/30/40 ft
- Makes it transfer
The Up-and-Down Game (pressure)
The final drill turns practice into scoring. Drop a ball in a random greenside lie, chip or pitch it, then hole out with the putter, scoring a point for every up-and-down across nine imagined holes. Adding a score makes each shot matter the way it does on the course, which is the transfer most range practice lacks.
It ranks last not because it is least useful but because it is a capstone: it only works once the mechanical drills above have built the pattern. Run it at the end of every session and chase your personal best. Once a sharper short game frees up strokes, feed the momentum into the scoring plan in our guide on how to break 100 in golf.
Skill: on-course transfer · Fixes: practice that won't hold up · Setup: nine scored up-and-downs
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- The Ladder Drill (distance control)
- The Towel Target Drill (landing spot)
- The Coin Drill (crisp ball-first contact)
- The Weight-Forward Drill (low-point control)
- The Clock Drill (pitch calibration)
- The Line Drill (bunker contact)
- The Gate Drill (putting start line)
- The Ladder Putting Drill (lag speed)
- The Up-and-Down Game (pressure)
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How everyone ranked them
Built from reader rankings using position-based points.
The best golf short game drills train the shots you hit most and score with least: chips, pitches, bunker splashes, and putts inside 50 yards. Dave Pelz’s decades of tracking golfers found that 60 to 65 percent of all shots happen inside 100 yards, and about 80 percent of strokes lost to par occur there too. Yet most players spend practice on full swings. The nine drills above are ranked by how many strokes each realistically saves; the sections below explain how we weighed them and how to build them into a routine.
How We Ranked These Drills
Three questions decided the order. First, how common is the miss the drill fixes? Distance control and clean contact cause the errors amateurs make most, so the ladder, towel, and coin drills sit at the top, while the bunker line drill ranks lower simply because most players face fewer sand shots, not because the skill is small.
Second, does the drill give instant feedback? The towel, gate, and coin drills tell you pass or fail on every rep, so a habit forms fast. Open-ended repetition to no target grooves whatever pattern you already own.
Third, does it transfer under pressure? The up-and-down game ranks as the capstone because it adds a score and forces the same tension you feel on the course. Learn the setup for each shot first, then drill it to a target.
Why Short Game Practice Saves the Most Strokes
A golfer who gets up and down half the time and rarely three-putts is often 8 to 10 shots better than someone with identical ball-striking but a loose short game. The reason is leverage: the short game is where most strokes are both played and lost. These drills target the three faults that decide those scores, which complements the full-swing work in our guide to golf swing drills.
Distance control and reliable contact around the green cut strokes faster than any driver upgrade. That is why an honest hour on the chipping green moves your handicap more than the same hour on the range for most mid-handicappers.
The Nine Drills at a Glance
| Rank | Drill | Skill it fixes | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ladder Drill | Distance control | Chips and pitches long/short |
| 2 | Towel Target Drill | Chip landing spot | Steering the club at the pin |
| 3 | Coin Drill | Ball-first strike | Chunked and thin chips |
| 4 | Weight-Forward Drill | Low-point control | Fat-and-thin pattern |
| 5 | Clock Drill | Pitch calibration | The 20-50 yard gap |
| 6 | Line Drill (bunker) | Sand-first contact | Fear of the sand |
| 7 | Gate Drill | Putting start line | Missed short putts |
| 8 | Ladder Putting Drill | Lag speed control | Three-putts from distance |
| 9 | Up-and-Down Game | Pressure transfer | Practice that won’t hold up |
A Simple 20-Minute Practice Plan
Structure beats wandering the green hitting random chips. Run this rotation three or four times a week.
- Minutes 0-6 — strike and landing: coin drill, then towel target drill, 10 balls each.
- Minutes 6-12 — distance control: ladder drill and clock drill to real targets.
- Minutes 12-16 — sand or extra chipping: line drill if you have a bunker, otherwise the weight-forward drill.
- Minutes 16-20 — putting under pressure: gate drill from 4 feet, then the up-and-down game for a score.
For a deeper putting block on off days, layer in our golf putting drills routine, and rotate the extra chipping patterns in our golf chipping drills set so the greenside work stays varied.
Common Short Game Practice Mistakes
Chipping to no target. Without a landing spot or a hole, you groove effort, not accuracy. Name a target before every rep.
Ignoring speed on the greens. Players drill 6-foot putts for hours and never practice lag, then three-putt from distance. Give 20-to-40-foot speed as much time as short makeable putts.
Only practicing perfect lies. Real greenside shots come from rough, downslopes, and tight lies. Drop balls in bad spots on purpose so practice matches the course.
Skipping the pressure. Clean reps with no consequence do not transfer. Finish every session with a scored game so the skill holds when it counts.
When to Drill and When to Just Play
Do the conscious drill work in practice, then trust it on the course. Thinking “coin drill, weight forward, sand first” over a real chip overloads you and produces worse shots than reacting to the target. Build the pattern at the range and short-game area, and keep the mechanical fixes for practice. On the course, pick a landing spot and let the pattern you drilled do the work.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best short game drill to lower my scores?+
The ladder drill saves the most strokes because distance control, not direction, causes most short-game misses. Drop balls and chip or pitch to targets at 5, 10, and 15 paces, landing each in its own zone. Amateurs three-putt and duff mostly from poor distance judgment, and grooving three repeatable carry distances trains that judgment directly instead of leaving it to feel under pressure.
How much practice time should go to the short game?+
Spend at least half your practice inside 50 yards. Dave Pelz's research found roughly 60 to 65 percent of all shots happen inside 100 yards, and about 80 percent of strokes lost to par occur there too. A focused 20-minute block split between chipping, one bunker drill, and putting beats an hour hitting drivers for anyone trying to shoot lower scores.
What is the easiest chipping drill for beginners?+
The towel target drill is the simplest starting point. Lay a towel about 3 feet onto the green as your landing spot and try to land every chip on it, letting the ball release to the hole. It teaches you to control where the ball lands rather than steering it at the flag, which fixes most chunked and thin chips because you commit to carry instead of decelerating at impact.
How do I practice bunker shots without a practice bunker?+
Use the line drill wherever you have sand: draw a line, set the ball forward of it, and splash the sand starting on the line. With no bunker access, rehearse the same open-face, sand-first motion on a soft lie or a folded towel to groove the shallow entry. The feel of the club sliding under the ball, rather than digging, is what you are trying to build.
Why do I keep chunking and thinning my chips?+
Inconsistent low point causes both misses. When your weight hangs back or your wrists flip, the club bottoms out behind the ball for a chunk or catches it on the way up for a thin. The coin drill and the weight-forward drill fix it together by training a descending strike with your sternum ahead of the ball and your hands leading through impact.
How many short game drills should I do in one session?+
Pick two or three, not all nine. Rotate a chipping drill, a distance-control drill, and a putting drill so you cover the skills you use most, then swap in bunker work when you have access. Repeating a few drills to a real target under a scoring game builds far more transfer than sampling all nine once, because depth of repetition is what grooves a pattern.
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