Jordan Spieth has two drills for amateur golfers which can really help them with their chipping

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Jordan Spieth is one of the most talented and creative chippers in professional golf.

His short game has helped Spieth win three major championships. He has every wedge shot available to him around the green, from high-arching flop shots to low, zipping spinners.

Spieth has always performed well around the green in his 12-year PGA Tour career. It’s the sole area of his game where the American has gained strokes on the field every year since 2013. No matter his form, which has dipped in recent seasons, Spieth’s chipping comes completely naturally to him. 

Spieth has given a number of chipping tips to amateurs in the past. He also has two drills he uses before a tournament to help amateurs lock in their short game. 

Tip one: Controlling height on chips

One of the first decisions golfers have to make when sizing up a chip is whether they want to play it high or low. You need to be able to let a ball roll out on a low trajectory or float it up high and stop it next to the pin when short-sided.

Spieth’s first drill allows amateurs to practice both kinds of shots around the green.

Speaking on The Golfer’s Journal, he said, “Most of the time when I arrive at a golf course for short game work, I will have a target hole that is 30 to 40 feet on to the green and I will have balls set up every three feet on my way to it. Those are my landing locations.

“I am working on trying to get the ball to finish next to the hole and not go more than a foot behind, so my first shot is one which lands in the first corridor, so it will have to be a low one which runs.

“My next one will be a little less low with a little more grab and so on and so forth. My last shot has to land pretty close to the hole, which means it will be a super high-launching one or a super spinny one.

“I try to do that, just gradually uphill, and it gives me a good feel for turf interaction, how the green is going to react, and just the overall feel of producing the shots that I want.

Spieth’s first drill forces players to practice every type of chip they may face on the course. His second drill is all about finding consistency with distance control.

Tip two: Controlling distance on chips

Even at the professional level, players aren’t playing to hole out every chip. Instead, they have a target distance in mind that they are trying to put the ball inside. 

Spieth’s second drill is all about finding that target zone consistently when off the green.

He said, “What I will do is go to three balls and play a little game. I will go around the green and I will have a goal that if there are three pins, I will hit one from each spot to the spin so there can be a total of a certain number of feet [to hit it within] to be able to move on to the next ball.

“So I’m not trying to make every shot, you are trying to get a ball which is going to roll out to a three-foot circle.”

Three feet is the target for Spieth, but that target can be whatever you want it to be. If you’re confident about knocking down over half of your six-foot putts, then that can be your target zone. That way, if you find the zone, you will get it up and down more often than not.