Complete Short Game Practice Plan & Routine (With Drills to Work On)

Have you ever been told that working on your short game is important? That spending more time on the greens will make you a better player?

Of course, this is true, but sometimes, instead of explaining how to practice, we just tell golfers they should practice.

If you’re looking for a short game practice routine that actually helps you lower your scores, you’re in the right place.

We’ve broken this down into two different options for you to choose from: one is an hour-long practice, and the other is thirty minutes. Choose the one that works best for your schedule!

One-Hour Short Game Practice Plan

The goal of the short game practice plan is to work on all shots from 100 yards and in.

However, it’s not a putting practice plan. You’ll notice that we incorporate putting into the final piece, but you’ll need to schedule putting practice for another time.

Short Game Practice Plan Breakdown (60 Minutes)

• Warm-up (5 minutes)
• Shots from 80, 60, and 40 yards (15 minutes)
• High shots from the rough (10 minutes)
• Chipping – bump and run (10 minutes)
• Bunker shots (10 minutes)
• Scoring practice (10 minutes)

Warm-up (5 Minutes)

Before jumping into the practice, make sure you stretch and take a few practice swings. Some golfers find that their back starts to get stressed when they practice short games for an extended period.

You’ll also want to take some half-swing shots with your wedge. Pick a general alignment line, but don’t worry so much about distance control at this point.

Focus on just making solid contact and warming up your muscles.

Shots From 80, 60, and 40 Yards (15 Minutes)

This part of the practice plan focuses on distance control in the short game. Many players struggle with these abnormal yardages like 80, 60, or 40 yards and they don’t have the right shot in their bag.

Before you start this process, use a rangefinder to get some targets for you to work with. If you can find 90, 50, and 30 yards, that also works fine.

Next, you will start hitting shots, varying the club you use for each of these targets:

• 80 yards: Hit 10 shots with a gap wedge, focusing on smooth, controlled swings.
• 60 yards: Switch to a sand wedge and hit 10 shots, aiming for consistent contact and distance control.
• 40 yards: Use a lob wedge for 10 shots, practicing trajectory control and precision.

While you are practicing, pay close attention to the length of the swing you are taking and the club you are using. When finished, make a note on your phone or write down exactly the swing needed and the club used to achieve each of these distances.

The feel is important in the course, but incorporating some mechanics into this is a better way to be consistent.

High Shots From the Rough (10 Minutes)

To be great around the greens, you need to be able to hit shots out of the rough that still fly high.

Hitting a golf ball from the rough means you will lose some spin and control; therefore, height can help get you back in the game.

Find a spot with thick rough and focus on hitting about 15 shots with a high loft and soft landing.

Start by ensuring that the golf balls are landing on the practice green. As you improve, aim to get them within a 6-foot circle around the pin.

To hit great high shots from the rough, keep an open clubface and a steeper angle of attack. This is an excellent time to use your HackMotion device.

If you’re unsure whether your clubface is open or if your lead wrist is slightly extended, the HackMotion swing analyzer can provide the feedback you need.

Using HackMotion is like having a teaching professional with you on the practice tee.

Chipping – Bump and Run (10 Minutes)

Now that you have the high shots down, you’ll want to start working on the lower chip shots. For this, switch to something like your 8-iron or 9-iron. The goal is to keep the ball a little lower and allow it to roll up to the target.

In this 10-minute block, try to hit about 20 shots aiming for a lower trajectory. Practice to a pin in the middle of the green and one in the back of the green, and see which club works best for each.

Play these chip shots from the short grass and keep your lead wrist more flexed through impact. You’ll want these shots to be a very simple movement with no wrist cock or hinge.

Bunker Shots (10 Minutes)

The hardest part about bunker practice is that you often have to find a practice bunker to work with. Sometimes, this is tricky, and the sand in the practice bunker is less than ideal. However, bunker shot practice is a must if you want to play better on the course.

While practicing from the bunker, make sure to open your stance, keep the ball forward or centered, hit about an inch behind the ball, and follow through.

You’ll want to hit some shots with your sand wedge and lob wedge. If your course has a lot of bunkers that are 30 or 40 yards in front of the green, you may also want to consider a gap wedge.

Don’t make every lie that you hit out of perfect. Push a few down a bit so you learn how to hit from a plugged lie. Also, practice from sloped lies to see how you need to adjust your game.

Scoring practice (10 Minutes)

Finally, to pull your entire practice session together and make it meaningful, you need to include scoring practice.

For this part of the session, you’ll need your putter and wedges. Place a golf ball in 10 or 15 different positions around the green. For each location, chip or pitch up, and then putt out.

See how many strokes it takes you.

Make a note of this, and the next time you work on your game, try to beat that total number. This type of practice is what really helps you understand the course and lower your scores.

Thirty-Minute Short Game Practice Plan

For the thirty-minute short game practice plan, all you need to do is spend a little less time in each section of practice.

It’s still best if you can run through all of these shots, as they will all have a profound impact on your game.

When you have thirty minutes to practice, make sure to write some notes about the areas of your game that were the strongest and weakest.

The next time you have a little extra practice time, you can focus on these areas.

Short Game Practice Plan Breakdown (30 Minutes)

• Warm-up (2 minutes)
• Shots from 80, 60, and 40 yards (8 minutes)
• High shots from the rough (5 minutes)
• Chipping – bump and run (5 minutes)
• Bunker shots (5 minutes)
• Scoring practice (5 minutes)

Drills to Incorporate into Your Short Game Practice

Not only do drills help you understand the concepts you are practicing, but they can also fix issues you may encounter.

Here are some of our favorite drills based on problems you may encounter in your short game practice.

If You Are Struggling with Distance Control…

This drill from US Golf TV will help you learn exactly how far your chip shots are traveling and how you will need to adjust them. This classic drill also becomes a great warm-up before a round of golf.

If You Keep Hitting Thin Shots…

Thin shots typically deal with a poor angle of descent into the ball. This drill from Me and My Golf uses an alignment stick to help you get the proper angle and never hit thin or bladed shots in your short game.

If You Chunk the Ball or Hit Behind It…

This drill from Mr. Short Game helps you stay under the alignment stick and ensures you don’t chunk or even shank your chip shots.

It’s a really easy drill to set up on the driving range, and all you need is a basic alignment stick.

If Your Bunker Shots Won’t Leave the Bunker…

To get a golf ball out of the bunker, you must take some sand.

This drill is very simple: practice striking a line in the sand instead of the ball to ensure you get out and onto the green in one swing.

Additional Tips to Help Improve Your Short Game Practice

Here are a few more things to add to your short game practice routine to make sure it’s effective and helpful:

• Don’t practice with the same wedge the entire time; mix things up between your short irons, sand wedge, lob wedge, etc.
• Purchase an alignment stick so that you have something to use for drills and when practicing alignment and aim.
• Use your HackMotion when practicing both chipping and pitching. Analyze these sessions separately and make sure that with chip shots, your lead wrist is slightly flexed, but with pitch shots, you see a little more extension at impact.
• Don’t be afraid to mix your chipping, pitching, sand, and putting practice. When you combine these shots and emulate what you experience on the course, it’s the most effective practice you will find.

Final Thoughts

Now, all that’s left to do is block out an hour of your day and get out to the range to work on your short game.

Get your plan together ahead of time, make sure you’re going to a place that has the facilities where you can work on this routine, and bring along your alignment stick and HackMotion.

This short game practice plan will help you lower your scores and improve your confidence with a wedge in your hand.