Chipping Under Pressure: How to Stay Focused and Hit Great Shots

How to Practice Chipping Under Pressure

Ever feel confident while practicing chip shots—only to flub one when it really counts?

It’s not your technique. It’s pressure.

When the scorecard is on the line, your hands get tense, your rhythm gets rushed, and suddenly that routine chip becomes anything but. Practicing under pressure is one of the most overlooked skills in golf—especially for players trying to break 100 or break into the 80s.

The truth is, it’s easy to hit great chips on the range or in your backyard with no consequences. But when you’re chipping to save par or avoid a double, the real test begins.

In this guide, you’ll learn:

• What causes pressure and how it affects your short game

• How to simulate pressure in practice sessions

• My favorite competitive chipping games

• Mental strategies to stay focused and composed

⛳️ The best players don’t fear pressure—they train for it.

2. What Causes Pressure in Chipping?

Understanding what creates pressure is the first step to managing it. Most golfers don’t chunk or blade chips in practice—it happens under pressure. So where does that pressure come from?

1. Fear of Failure

This is the most common source. You might think:

• “Don’t chunk this.”

• “Please don’t blade it across the green.”

• “I have to get this close.”

These negative thoughts shift your focus from execution to outcome. The more you fear a bad result, the more likely you are to create it.

2. Scoring Situations

Certain moments carry more weight. Examples:

• A chip to save par after a missed green

• Needing an up-and-down to break 90

• A short chip to avoid a triple on a tough hole

Your mind knows it matters. That extra weight makes the shot feel bigger than it really is—and your mechanics can tighten up.

3. Playing Partners Watching

Even if they’re your friends, having an audience can add pressure. You want to impress, avoid embarrassment, or maintain your status in the group.

This leads to overthinking, trying to “look good” instead of just hitting a solid shot.

4. Personal Expectations

This one creeps up on you. Maybe you’ve practiced chipping a lot lately and you feel like you should be good. So when you face a simple chip in a round, it doesn’t just feel like a shot—it feels like a test.

🧠 The higher your expectations, the more pressure you can unintentionally put on yourself.

3. How to Simulate Pressure in Practice

Practicing chip shots with no consequences can help you groove your technique—but it won’t prepare you for those critical moments when one chip can make or break a hole (or your round).

That’s why it’s essential to create pressure on purpose during your short game sessions. Here are several ways to do it effectively:

1. Add Consequences to Misses

Introduce a rule: if you miss the target or land outside a certain zone, you have to:

• Start over

• Do five push-ups

• Repeat the rep until successful

It’s a small penalty, but it creates stakes—just like on the course.

2. Use Scoring Challenges

Turn your practice into a points game. For example:

• 1 point = chip lands within 3 feet

• 2 points = within 1 foot

• 0 points = outside of 3 feet

Set a target score (e.g., 15 points in 10 chips). If you fall short, repeat the drill.

🎯 This builds consistency while simulating the pressure of needing to hit your number.

3. Time-Based Drills

Try setting a 60- or 90-second timer and challenge yourself to make 3 chips into the target before time runs out.

This increases urgency, mimicking the mental rush you feel when it’s your turn during a round and you’re not quite ready.

4. “Last Ball Counts” Rule

Put 5–10 balls down, but only the last ball counts. The first ones are for warm-up. The final chip simulates the one that matters on the course.

This creates tension and helps you focus on executing under pressure, not just going through the motions.

5. Limited Ball Practice

Only give yourself 3–5 balls total to complete a challenge—just like a round, you don’t get endless do-overs. Make each shot count.

4. Competitive Chipping Games to Build Pressure Tolerance

Injecting games into your practice is one of the best ways to replicate on-course pressure while keeping things fun and engaging. These games challenge you to focus, adapt, and perform when each shot counts.

1. The Up-and-Down Challenge

How it works:

• Chip the ball toward your target and then putt it out.

• If you get up-and-down in 2 strokes or less, it’s a point.

• Track your score over 9 or 18 balls.

You can simulate a real hole by dropping your ball in different chipping positions—short grass, rough, behind a bunker, etc.

🧱 This game mirrors the mental challenge of saving par or bogey in real rounds.

2. Pressure Ladder

How it works:

• Pick 3 distances (short, medium, long).

• You must land a chip inside 3 feet at each distance to “move up” the ladder.

• Miss, and you go back down a level or start over.

You can use cones, towels, or a chalk circle to mark your 3-foot zone.

⛳️ Great for building composure and sharpening distance control under pressure.

3. Three-In-A-Row Drill

How it works:

• Pick a target zone and try to land 3 consecutive chips within it.

• If you miss one, start back at zero.

It’s harder than it sounds—and a great way to build focus and consistency.

4. Last Shot Wins

How it works:

• Set up 5 balls. The first 4 are practice. Only the 5th ball “counts.”

• Repeat the challenge 3–5 times.

• Track how many of your final chips hit the target.

This simulates the nerves of needing to get one shot right—and helps develop a clutch mindset.

5. Mental Tips for Handling Pressure Around the Green

Even with great technique and solid drills, pressure can still sneak in and mess with your mind. That’s why learning to manage your thoughts and emotions is just as important as executing the shot itself.

Here are a few proven strategies used by tour pros and coaches to stay calm and sharp under pressure:

1. Take a Deep Breath and Reset

Before stepping up to a pressure chip, take one slow, controlled breath. This calms your nervous system, slows your heart rate, and gives your brain space to focus.

🧘 Breathing is your reset button—don’t overlook it.

2. Commit to a Simple Routine

Have a short routine you follow before every chip, like:

• Pick your landing spot

• Take one practice swing

• Step in and hit

Sticking to a routine gives your mind structure and blocks out distractions or second-guessing.

3. Focus on Your Landing Spot—Not the Hole

Most missed chips come from trying to “guide” the ball to the hole. Instead, pick a precise landing spot and focus all your energy on hitting that spot with the right trajectory.

Let the roll take care of itself.

4. Visualize Success Before You Swing

Picture the ball flying, landing, and rolling exactly as you want it. Visualization trains your brain to believe in a positive outcome—and boosts confidence when it counts.

5. Accept Imperfection

Chipping under pressure won’t always be perfect. Even pros blade or chunk it now and then. The key is to bounce back quickly and avoid letting one bad shot affect the next one.

📈 Golf is a game of mistakes—it’s how you handle them that counts.

6. How to Incorporate Pressure Practice into Your Routine

Now that you know how to simulate pressure and manage it mentally, the key is consistency. Pressure practice doesn’t need to be long or complex—but it does need to be intentional.

1. Save Pressure Drills for the End of Practice

Start your short game sessions with technical work (like strike drills or distance control). Then, close with a few high-pressure games or scoring challenges.

Why the end?

Because you’re a little more mentally fatigued—just like you’d be on the course late in the round. It’s the perfect time to test your focus under stress.

2. Mix Pressure Sessions 1–2 Times a Week

You don’t need to create pressure every day. Doing too much can create burnout. Instead:

• Pick 1 or 2 days a week for pressure practice

• Rotate between games to keep it fresh

• Track your results to monitor growth

3. Keep a Score Tracker

Use a notebook or phone to track how you perform on:

• “Up-and-down” challenges

• Final shot drills

• 3-in-a-row games

This helps you measure improvement—and builds internal motivation.

📊 When you see your pressure performance improve, your confidence on the course skyrockets.

4. Blend With Real Course Play

If possible, simulate pressure situations on the course. Drop an extra ball behind the green and play an up-and-down with your friends watching. Keep score on short game holes when you practice.

The more pressure feels normal, the better you’ll perform.

7. Conclusion: Make Pressure Practice a Weekly Habit

If you want to start saving strokes around the green—not just in practice but in real rounds—you need to train for the moments that matter.

Pressure doesn’t go away. But with the right approach, you can get comfortable under pressure, make better decisions, and execute your chip shots with calm confidence.

By adding just 15–20 minutes of focused pressure practice once or twice a week, you’ll:

• Build mental toughness

• Improve consistency under stress

• Get up-and-down more often when it really counts

The best players aren’t the ones with perfect swings. They’re the ones who handle the heat.

🎯 Want My Favorite Pressure-Based Drills?

Download my FREE “15 Short Game Drills” PDF, where you’ll get:

• Competitive chipping games

• Setup checkpoints for consistency

• Distance control challenges

• Visualization tips to train your mind

📅 Click here to grab your free drills and start performing better under pressure.