How to Practice Chipping at Home or in Your Backyard

Turn Your Home Into a Short Game Training Ground

You don’t need a fancy country club or a perfectly manicured practice green to improve your chipping.

In fact, some of the best short game gains happen in the most unexpected place—your backyard or even your living room.

Many amateur golfers believe they can’t practice unless they’re at the course. But the truth is, if you’re willing to carve out even 10–15 minutes a few times a week, you can build touch, consistency, and confidence—all from the comfort of home.

Whether you’re looking to lower your scores from the 100s or trying to consistently break 90, practicing at home gives you:

• More reps in less time

• The freedom to experiment without pressure

• A cost-effective way to sharpen your feel

In this guide, I’ll walk you through how to set up a safe and effective at-home chipping station, what tools you’ll need, and the exact drills I recommend for improving contact, trajectory control, and distance feel.

⛳️ At the end, you’ll also be able to grab my FREE “10 Short Game Drills” PDF to help you take your backyard practice even further.

2. Benefits of At-Home Chipping Practice

Practicing at home might not feel as “official” as a session at your local short game area—but it’s one of the most effective ways to improve your feel and consistency with chip shots. Why? Because home practice is simple, consistent, and removes the friction that often keeps golfers from practicing at all.

1. Convenience Leads to More Reps

Golfers often skip short game practice because of time constraints. Driving to the course, checking in, and finding an open green takes effort. At home, you can knock out 10–15 minutes of focused chipping anytime—morning, evening, even during TV commercial breaks.

More frequent reps = faster improvement.

2. Builds Consistency Through Repetition

Mastery comes from repeating the right motion over and over. At home, there’s no pressure from other golfers watching, no distractions from a busy practice area—just you, your wedge, and your target.

The quiet repetition allows you to:

• Refine your contact

• Build a natural tempo

• Learn how small adjustments affect ball flight

3. It’s Inexpensive and Accessible

You don’t need to pay for a bucket of balls or a practice green fee. A turf mat, a chipping net, and a few practice balls can provide months of value for less than a single round of golf.

And for indoor practice, even a few square feet of carpet or a hallway can work.

🧠 The key is not fancy gear—it’s showing up consistently.

3. Setting Up a Safe Practice Area

One of the biggest obstacles golfers face with at-home practice is figuring out where and how to do it safely. Fortunately, whether you’re inside or outside, there are easy ways to set up a safe and effective chipping space that fits your environment and skill level.

Indoor Setup Ideas

Practicing indoors is a great way to sneak in quality reps during colder months or when you don’t have a backyard.

What you’ll need:

• A small hitting mat or turf strip

• Foam or plastic practice balls (to avoid damage)

• A chipping net or soft target (laundry basket works too)

• Optional: a towel or pillow as a backstop

Safety Tip: Use foam balls indoors. They mimic ball flight well enough for short chips and won’t break a window or leave a dent in the drywall if you miss your target.

Ideal space: Garage, hallway, basement, or even a living room corner. Just make sure there’s enough room to take a compact, controlled swing.

Backyard or Outdoor Setup

If you’ve got a yard, patio, or driveway, you can create a more realistic turf-based practice station.

Suggested items:

• Real golf balls (or foam for neighbors’ peace of mind)

• A portable chipping net or hula hoop as a landing zone

• Turf hitting mat or chip off the grass if your lawn allows

• Backstop: netting, fence padding, or use an open area

Bonus Tip: Rotate the distance and angle you chip from to mimic different lies and shot shapes.

Create a Go-To Practice Zone

Whether it’s a corner of your garage or a patch of grass in the yard, aim to have a dedicated, always-ready practice spot. This removes friction and makes it easy to stay consistent with your routine.

⛳️ Remember: A small space can still lead to big gains—what matters is the quality and consistency of your reps.

4. Equipment Recommendations for At-Home Chipping Practice

You don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars to practice effectively at home. A few affordable tools can make a huge difference in how realistic and beneficial your at-home sessions feel.

Here’s a breakdown of helpful gear based on indoor vs. outdoor use:

1. Hitting Mat or Turf Strip

A good turf mat:

• Protects your floors and clubs

• Mimics fairway lies for clean strike training

• Keeps your swing consistent, even indoors

Look for: Mats with a bit of padding that still provide feedback if you hit behind the ball.

2. Practice Balls (Foam or Real)

Foam or plastic balls:

• Ideal for indoor practice

• Safer around windows, walls, and pets

• Still allow you to work on trajectory and contact

Real golf balls:

• Best for backyard chipping

• Provide true feel, spin, and rollout

• Use with a backstop or net to protect surroundings

3. Chipping Net or Target

A chipping net gives you a clear goal and instant feedback. Most fold up for easy storage and offer multiple target zones for practicing trajectory and distance.

Alternatives:

• Laundry basket

• Towel target

• Hula hoop (for landing zones)

4. Optional Tools for Feedback

• Alignment sticks – Check your setup, swing path, or body alignment.

• Putting mirror – Use it to ensure your posture and ball position are consistent.

• Towel or string line – Use to mark strike points or practice rollout.

🛠️ Keep it simple. Just a few tools and some open space is all it takes to build a reliable, repeatable short game from home.

5. At-Home Chipping Drills

Now that your setup is ready, it’s time to get to work. Here are some of my favorite drills that work great indoors or in the backyard. These build better contact, distance control, and feel—all key ingredients to lowering your scores.

1. Laundry Basket Landing Zone Drill

Goal: Develop accuracy by landing your chips in a tight target area.

How to do it:

• Set a laundry basket or chipping net 5–10 yards away.

• Try to land 10 chips in the basket.

• Increase difficulty by moving the target or using different clubs.

🔄 Variation: Use a towel or hula hoop on the ground as a lower-profile landing zone.

2. One-Club Distance Ladder Drill

Goal: Learn to control how far the ball flies and rolls using just one club.

How to do it:

• Pick one club (gap wedge or pitching wedge).

• Place three targets at short, medium, and long distances.

• Hit 3 chips to each target, adjusting only your swing length and tempo.

🧠 Teaches touch, not technique. Learn how to “feel” different distances with small changes.

3. Towel Rollout Control Drill

Goal: Understand how far your ball rolls after landing.

How to do it:

• Lay out a small towel or strip of fabric where you want the ball to land.

• Place a second towel where you want it to stop.

• Try to land your chip on the first towel and have it roll to the second.

📏 Great for learning carry vs. rollout ratios—key to dialing in distance control.

4. Coin or Tape Line Strike Drill

Goal: Improve your contact by learning to strike the ball before the ground.

How to do it:

• Place a coin or tape line 1–2 inches behind your practice ball.

• Chip without hitting the coin or tape—focus on ball-first contact.

• You can use a mat, carpet, or grass for this.

🎯 Helps eliminate chunked shots and trains proper shaft lean at impact.

6. How to Simulate Real On-Course Conditions at Home

One of the biggest challenges with at-home practice is that everything can start to feel the same. Flat surface. Perfect lie. Same distance. But the golf course rarely gives you perfect conditions.

To get the most out of your home practice, it’s important to add variety and challenge that simulates the unpredictability of the course.

1. Rotate Target Locations

Don’t always chip to the same spot. Rotate your target left, right, short, and long. If you’re using a net, change your angle or distance.

🐽 This builds adaptability and keeps your focus sharp.

2. Use Different Clubs

Instead of relying on just your sand wedge, practice chips with your:

• Pitching wedge

• Gap wedge

• 9-iron or even 8-iron (for bump-and-run)

This teaches you how different lofts affect carry and rollout, so you can pick the best tool on the course.

3. Create Elevation Changes

Use household items to create slight uphill or downhill lies:

• Stack towels under the mat for a raised lie

• Chip off a slope in your yard or driveway

• Tilt your body slightly to simulate sidehill conditions

This builds feel and confidence handling tricky lies around the green.

4. Add Pressure with Games

Make practice competitive:

• Set a goal to land 7 out of 10 chips in a target zone

• Time yourself: How many chips can you land in the circle in 2 minutes?

• Keep a weekly score and try to beat it

🎯 Under pressure, your mechanics get tested—just like on the course.

5. Change Lie Conditions

On grass, vary how the ball sits:

• Place some balls in slightly thicker grass (rough simulation)

• Try hitting from bare spots to mimic tight lies

• Use foam balls with obstacles to simulate awkward stances

7. Mistakes to Avoid During At-Home Practice

While at-home chipping practice is incredibly valuable, there are a few common mistakes that can stall your progress—or worse, create bad habits.

Let’s walk through what to watch out for and how to make the most of your time.

1. Using Unrealistic Lies Every Time

If you only chip off perfectly flat mats or carpet, you might struggle on the course where lies vary. It’s important to:

• Mix in tougher lies (bare turf, fluffy grass, uneven footing)

• Occasionally chip off tight surfaces like driveway or hardwood (with foam balls)

⚠️ Variety prepares you for real-world conditions. Predictable lies don’t.

2. Practicing Without Feedback

Blind repetition won’t help unless you know what’s working. Practice with targets, strike checkpoints, or a scoring game.

Even something simple like a tape line behind the ball or tracking your “inside 3 feet” successes makes a big difference.

3. Skipping Club Variety

Many golfers just grab their sand wedge every time. But you should practice with:

• Pitching wedge for lower rollout

• 9-iron for bump-and-run

• Lob wedge for high, soft landings

Using different clubs builds feel and helps you get comfortable with shot options.

4. Not Practicing with Pressure

If every chip is casual and stress-free, your on-course performance might not hold up under pressure. Add:

• Time limits

• Point scoring

• “Last ball has to be inside 3 feet” rules

⛳️ Small doses of tension prepare your brain to stay calm in real rounds.

5. Only Practicing Perfect Technique

Trying to look perfect on every swing can become counterproductive. Focus more on:

• Consistent contact

• Realistic trajectories

• Functional results (like stopping within a target zone)

Remember, the goal is performance, not perfection.

8. Conclusion: Practice Smart—Right from Home

If you want to start saving strokes around the green, one of the best decisions you can make is to commit to consistent at-home chipping practice.

You don’t need perfect conditions. You don’t need a short game facility. All it takes is a small space, a few basic tools, and a plan.

Whether you’re chipping off a hitting mat in your living room or pitching balls into a basket in your backyard, these short sessions build:

• Better contact

• More reliable distance control

• Sharper feel and confidence under pressure

And with just 10–20 minutes a few times per week, you’ll start seeing the results on the course—lower scores, fewer wasted strokes, and more up-and-downs.

🎯 Want My Favorite Drills to Get Started?

Download my FREE “15 Short Game Drills” PDF that includes:

• Game-based chipping drills

• Setup checkpoints

• Distance control challenges

• Visualization tips used by top coaches

📅 Click here to grab your free drills and start sharpening your short game today.