One of the most effective drills we've ever encountered for short game distance control is the Ladder Drill. This simple exercise can produce remarkable improvement in a surprisingly short time.
We've worked with beginning golfers who started out hitting chips over the green, short of the green, and everywhere in between — and within half an hour of practicing this drill, they were consistently landing within a four-foot circle of their target.
That's an extraordinary improvement for just 30 minutes of focused practice. Here's exactly how to do it yourself.
Start by picking a flag approximately 30 feet from the edge of the green. Hit your first chip as close to the flag as possible without going past it.
Let's say your first chip lands four or five feet short of the flag. That's exactly the result you want — so you move on to the next shot.
The ball you just hit becomes your new target line. Your next shot cannot go past that ball, or you have to start over. If your second chip lands 4-5 feet short of the first, you're in great shape — and that ball becomes your target line for the next shot.
As you can see, you're gradually working closer and closer to the edge of the green.
If at any time a shot goes past your last ball, you pick up all the balls and start the entire drill over.
This means you're hitting progressively shorter and more delicate shots — which is precisely why it's called the Ladder Drill.
Where the Real Challenge Begins
The true magic of this drill emerges when you get close to the edge of the green and it becomes extremely difficult to hit a shot that doesn't roll past your last ball.
In the photo, Clay's last ball is just 7-8 feet from the fringe. This is where the drill becomes genuinely challenging.
Clay has an added difficulty here because he's set up the drill on a slight downhill slope. This makes it very hard to fly the ball onto the green — or just short of it — without having it roll past the previous ball.
Choosing different conditions on the green is an excellent way to scale the Ladder Drill for any skill level — beginner, intermediate, or advanced.
If you're just starting to develop your short game, pick a slope that runs back toward you. This natural grade will help stop your balls more easily, giving you a larger margin for error as you build confidence.
As your touch improves, move to a flatter section of green. Eventually, work on a slope that runs away from you — giving you an extremely small margin for error.
The Importance of Soft Hands
When you're executing these short, precision chips, focus on keeping your hands extremely soft.
Soft hands give you exceptional feel for how far and how firmly you need to swing the club back and through. If you tense up even slightly, you'll have a tendency to get quick — and you'll consistently hit the ball too far.
Keep your hands very, very soft and barely make contact with the shot.
As you can see, Clay's next shot presents an even greater challenge. The slope runs away from him, making it extremely difficult to land the ball on the green without it rolling past his last ball.
Skills That Transfer to Every Short Game Shot
The great news is that the better you become at these extremely short chips, the more your touch and feel will improve on longer ones as well.
A relatively short practice session with the Ladder Drill will develop outstanding judgment about how hard you need to swing the club back and through to hit the exact distance you want.
Golfers with poor technique will find the shortest chips nearly impossible. If you're flipping the club at all, or you have that little jab or hitch at the bottom of your stroke, these delicate shots will expose it immediately.
You may find that you can manage the longer shots reasonably well, but things get very difficult in a hurry as you work closer to the edge of the green.
Try the Ladder Drill, keep those hands soft, and your distance control in the short game will improve dramatically — guaranteed. If you want real-time feedback on your short game mechanics, try a free AI swing analysis to see how your technique compares to the elite model.
Watch part 2 now to see how you're moving your body in the opposite direction of the pros!
The Ladder Drill
Close to the edge
Even closer - very challenging
The better you get at short chips, the better you'll be at long ones
