Something like 75% of all golf shots come from within 100 yards of the hole. Understanding this it makes since that if you want to see the most noticeable improvements in your scores you need to work on your short game. Everyone wants to hit those 300+ yard drives, but the reality is your biggest gains are going to be realized through improved short iron play, chipping, and putting. As the saying goes: drive for show, putt for dough.
The great news is with even a small yard you can improve your chipping. When I was in 8th grade preparing for high school golf I saw the biggest improvement in my game ever. While I played a lot of golf during this period of time the biggest improvement was on my short game. I used to take a large bucket and put it out in the middle of the yard. It was a junk bucket that we put basketballs and things in to keep the garage somewhat organized. I’d then take every golf ball I owned and scatter them throughout the yard. I’d stay out there for hours on end chipping until I got every one of my golf balls to stay in the bucket. This is fine for practicing flop shops and pitch shots but probably not the best for practicing a bump and run.
For practicing those low, bump and run type of shots I’d essentially just do the same thing but instead of making every ball I’d try to just hit the base of the bucket as though that’s where I wanted to land the shot. Alternatively you could get a smaller bucket and lay it on it’s side and try to get the balls to land in the bucket and stay. Keep in mind that when hitting a bump and run with an 8 iron the ball will typically roll about 3/4 of the total distance. So if you have a 12 foot chip you only want to carry it about 4 feet and let it roll the rest. If you’re chipping with a lower lofted club it will roll a little more, higher lofted club a little less.
NOTE: This is just a general rule of thumb. You’ll need to also take into account how hard the greens are, if the greens are particularly fast or slow, and the slope to the hole.
These exercises essentially help you establish feel around the green. For the vast majority of the shots you’re going to be experiencing in your short game; it’s all about feel. You have a line and a target that you’re trying to hit and a distance that you want to carry the ball.
As for putting you can practice if you have carpet floors, but I wouldn’t recommend it. The carpet isn’t going to roll like a green would and will likely mess with your feel. If you are really set on practicing your putting in the house use the opportunity to work on alignment. Line up your puts and practicing hitting your lines, go through your pre-shot routine and work on timing and alignment rather than trying to establish your feel.
If you are practicing your putting on the practice greens the other thing to take into account is that most amateur golfers miss their puts below the hole. When you hear someone say “never up, never in” this is exactly what they are talking about. If you leave your put short it never has a chance to drop whereas rolling the putt past the hole you at least gave it the opportunity to drop, assuming your line was close. Similarly, the average amateur golfer usually doesn’t play enough break thus missing their putts on the low side of the hole. If this is you, try playing a little more break than you think you need. In time you will train your eye and will naturally line up your putts in a manner that gives them an opportunity to drop.
Above all just make sure you’re working on something specific and take it seriously. Go through your pre-shot routine and focus just like you would on the course. Bad habits you create during practice will undoubtedly show up during your real rounds.
I hope this gives you some ideas and gets you started down the right path. As soon as I get a video camera I’m going to try and post lessons that show some fundamentals for hitting these types of shots and perhaps demoing some of these easy to practice drills.
