The challenge that you are going to face when using one of these chipping alternatives is mastering the speed of the shot. It won’t be particularly hard to get the ball on line, and it won’t be hard to make good contact, either. In the end, the success or failure of one of these shots is going to come down to how well you can control your distance. If you hit the ball with the right pace, a good result is almost assured. Misjudge the speed, however, and you could wind up leaving your ball a long distance from the target.

To work on your distance control, consider trying the following drill during an upcoming practice session.

• For this drill, you will want to find a place where you can practice your short game. Hopefully, the golf course where you usually do your practicing will have a chipping green available that you can use. Once you find a place to chip, you’ll also need the three clubs we mentioned above – putter, hybrid (or fairway wood if you don’t carry a hybrid), and five iron. Also, you’ll want to have three golf balls.
• Set up for the drill by dropping the three golf balls just off the side of the green. You should be playing from short grass, and you should only be a foot or two from the putting surface. You can often play these kinds of shots from farther off the green on the course – when the conditions are right – but this is a going starting point. Now that you know where you will be chipping from, pick out three holes on the green that will serve as your targets. These three holes should be a decent distance apart so that the shots you hit are not too similar to each other.
• To get started, set up for the first shot with your putter. It doesn’t matter which hole you start with, but be sure to take your time and line up properly on each shot. You should go through the same pre-shot process during practice that you would use on the course. Play the first ball to the first hole using your putter, and evaluate the results. Then, switch to your hybrid club and play the next ball to the second hole. Finally, take your five iron and play the last shot to the last remaining hole.
• With all three shots played, retrieve the golf balls and start over. This time, you are going to use your hybrid to play to the first hole, your five iron for the second hole, and your putter for the last hole. Play those shots, and reset once more. For the last round, the five iron will play the first shot, the putter will be used on the second shot, and the hybrid will finish it up.

When you follow this drill through to the end, you will have played a total of nine shots – three with each club. This is a handy drill because it forces you to adjust your distance control on the fly. These three clubs are each going to offer their own feel, so you have to learn how to tailor your swing to the club you are holding (and the distance of the shot, of course). Since distance control is the biggest challenge you’ll face when using these types of shots, this drill is a great way to improve your performance.