Best indoor chipping practice tips?

[matt_puttercup]

@Medfloat's topic about off season improvement got me thinking that I really should be doing something to improve my chipping.  It'll be mostly indoors, so I'm curious -- what are some of the most effective things you've done to improve your chipping indoors?

[Wedge891]

My chipping got worse years ago when I used to chip real golf balls into my couch. I picked up a bad deceleration habit but thought I was improving because I made solid contact.

Fast forward a few years and I found the best way for me to practice chipping indoors is to hit foam balls off a board or other firm-ish surface, focusing on turning through the shot with speed and using the bounce of the club. As long as you’re not aiming at lamps, the foam balls won’t do any damage. 

[The TXBexar]

2 hours ago, matt_puttercup said:

@Medfloat's topic about off season improvement got me thinking that I really should be doing something to improve my chipping.  It'll be mostly indoors, so I'm curious -- what are some of the most effective things you've done to improve your chipping indoors?

If your practicing chipping indoors, you need to practice with a purpose. I'm assuming your not talking about using a sim/launch monitor, but just hitting balls off a mat/carpet; if that's the case, the I'd recommend looking at what part of your game you can actually practice to improve on given the indoor limitations your working with.

If you have a good bit of room that you can chip shots a specific distance on, such as a large room or long hallway, practice making a chip shot that lands inside of a hoola-hoop laid out on the floor (can put a wadded up blanker inside the hoop that'll stop the ball from bouncing out. If you can get a 5yd -15yd distance to chip into, this will help you practice some good feel & aim control for chip & run shots around the green. Also, if it's a long carpeted section that you have this distance on, can always place a cup in the place of the hoop to practice your bump & runs shots. See if you can get a good 5-10ft chip that then runs 10-15ft into the cup (also recommend placing a wadded blanker across the area behind the cup, so missed shots don't roll into the back wall and leave dents/marks in the wall); good way to practice bump & run aiming, as well as the feel needed to make the shot. Remember though, that the carpet will either mimic a slow running green, or run a lot slower then the greens on your home course (which is most likely) so if your practicing this with a distance of say 20ft between you & the cup, then this will most likely play to at least a 30-40ft distance on an actual green (depending on height & firmness of your carpet).

If your limited on length that you can chip, but have enough ceiling height that you can make full a swing (without bashing the club into the ceiling/ceiling fan on the follow-thru) then you could hang a tarp and/or blanket that you make full swing shots into. Now, just because it's a full swing doesn't mean that have to use full power; practicing a full swing shot at half-power is a good way to dial in your tempo. Practice at half-power until everything feels good, then bump it up to three-quarter power, then (if your sure you won't break anything or slam a ball into the drywall) go to full power with your swings. This is a good way for you to practice tempo-timing on your swing, so you know what a good swing feels like at your various power levels, plus ball-striking consistency by taking the shots and seeing if it looks like the ball was tracking in a straight line running parallel to your feet & hips, or if it was heading inside/outside your aim line and if you need to work more on your tempo-timing so the ball head to where your aiming. 

I also recommend placing some alignment aids at your feet when your practicing these shots, to make sure you are hitting the ball where your body is aiming; As well, you can find some decent quality and priced small swing mats, where the top turf section will lay the direction of your swing, so you can see if you have a Fat/thin hit or a In-to-Out/Out-to-In swing path when making these various practice shots as well. 

[matt_puttercup]

20 hours ago, The TXBexar said:

If your practicing chipping indoors, you need to practice with a purpose. I'm assuming your not talking about using a sim/launch monitor, but just hitting balls off a mat/carpet; if that's the case, the I'd recommend looking at what part of your game you can actually practice to improve on given the indoor limitations your working with.

If you have a good bit of room that you can chip shots a specific distance on, such as a large room or long hallway, practice making a chip shot that lands inside of a hoola-hoop laid out on the floor (can put a wadded up blanker inside the hoop that'll stop the ball from bouncing out. If you can get a 5yd -15yd distance to chip into, this will help you practice some good feel & aim control for chip & run shots around the green. Also, if it's a long carpeted section that you have this distance on, can always place a cup in the place of the hoop to practice your bump & runs shots. See if you can get a good 5-10ft chip that then runs 10-15ft into the cup (also recommend placing a wadded blanker across the area behind the cup, so missed shots don't roll into the back wall and leave dents/marks in the wall); good way to practice bump & run aiming, as well as the feel needed to make the shot. Remember though, that the carpet will either mimic a slow running green, or run a lot slower then the greens on your home course (which is most likely) so if your practicing this with a distance of say 20ft between you & the cup, then this will most likely play to at least a 30-40ft distance on an actual green (depending on height & firmness of your carpet).

If your limited on length that you can chip, but have enough ceiling height that you can make full a swing (without bashing the club into the ceiling/ceiling fan on the follow-thru) then you could hang a tarp and/or blanket that you make full swing shots into. Now, just because it's a full swing doesn't mean that have to use full power; practicing a full swing shot at half-power is a good way to dial in your tempo. Practice at half-power until everything feels good, then bump it up to three-quarter power, then (if your sure you won't break anything or slam a ball into the drywall) go to full power with your swings. This is a good way for you to practice tempo-timing on your swing, so you know what a good swing feels like at your various power levels, plus ball-striking consistency by taking the shots and seeing if it looks like the ball was tracking in a straight line running parallel to your feet & hips, or if it was heading inside/outside your aim line and if you need to work more on your tempo-timing so the ball head to where your aiming. 

I also recommend placing some alignment aids at your feet when your practicing these shots, to make sure you are hitting the ball where your body is aiming; As well, you can find some decent quality and priced small swing mats, where the top turf section will lay the direction of your swing, so you can see if you have a Fat/thin hit or a In-to-Out/Out-to-In swing path when making these various practice shots as well. 

So much good stuff in here!!  The shots that bedevil me the most are actually the shortest -- having to carry 5 yards or less.  So dropping a hoolahoop-blanket combo and getting used to different swing speeds will be huge.  Thanks for the advice!!

[matt_puttercup]

22 hours ago, Wedge891 said:

My chipping got worse years ago when I used to chip real golf balls into my couch. I picked up a bad deceleration habit but thought I was improving because I made solid contact.

Fast forward a few years and I found the best way for me to practice chipping indoors is to hit foam balls off a board or other firm-ish surface, focusing on turning through the shot with speed and using the bounce of the club. As long as you’re not aiming at lamps, the foam balls won’t do any damage. 

I feel you on the mental challenge of using real golf balls inside the house!! It's a little stressful.  Question -- when you say board, are you thinking an actual piece of wood?

[Wedge891]

22 minutes ago, matt_puttercup said:

Question -- when you say board, are you thinking an actual piece of wood?

I have used a combination of things—if I’m in my garage, it’s a hitting-mat-sized piece of plywood with an old doormat or scrap piece of carpet on top (more forgiving than just the wood; not as bouncy as carpet). Inside the house I’ve used a 2x2 hard foam exercise mat. I just try to find something that will protect the regular floor and my club from damage. 

[The TXBexar]

3 hours ago, matt_puttercup said:

So much good stuff in here!!  The shots that bedevil me the most are actually the shortest -- having to carry 5 yards or less.  So dropping a hoolahoop-blanket combo and getting used to different swing speeds will be huge.  Thanks for the advice!!

Glad to help! let us know how you end up doing over your winter indoor practice sessions.

[BrianDwyer]

Something I've done to improve my ball striking, that can be applied to indoor chipping practice, is a towel drill, where you place a towel about 1-2 inches behind the ball to endure you're making downwards, ball-first, contact with the ball, which helps in both ball striking and chipping. I've mostly done this when practicing off of mats, as the feedback is better off grass for quality of contact, making this drill not super necessary. 

My chipping has greatly improved once I started heavily focusing on how I'm making contact with the ball, negative attack angle, and this drill has emphasized the importance of it when practicing and playing. 

[poprocksncoke]

Aim away from the windows....