SHORT GAME · DRILL GUIDE
Towel Target
Lay a towel on the green and stand a new random distance from it for every ball: chip one, log where it landed, and move to the next spot.
Free in your browser. Also on iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch.
WHY IT WORKS
The problem, and the fix
Around the green, how far the ball carries before it lands decides everything that follows. Chipping to a hole mixes up carry and roll, so you never learn whether your landing spot was right.
The goal: Land more chips on the towel, and learn whether your misses are mostly short, long, left or right.
Landing on a small target from a new distance every time trains how long a swing each distance takes, and a square face to send it on line.
How it works
Six steps from opening the drill to your first logged result.
- 1Lay a towel flat on the green, a few steps on from the fringe.
- 2The app gives you a distance, like 12 feet. Step that far back from the towel, onto the fringe, and chip one ball.
- 3Log where it landed (its carry, not where it stopped) on the 3×3 pad: Middle (on the towel) in the center, or short, long, left, right and the corners. The next distance comes up straight away.
- 4To log how far it carried, set it on the slider (or say it) before tapping the side. It’s optional, and you can turn it off in Settings.
- 5In Settings, choose the closest and furthest distances and the step. It’s 5 to 15 feet in 1-foot steps unless you change it.
- 6Hands-free: after each chip say where it landed in one go: "middle", "short left", "11 short". Also "repeat", "skip", "undo" or "hands-free off".
SEE IT IN ACTION
On iPad, iPhone and the web
Towel Target looks the same everywhere: in your browser on a phone, a tablet or a computer, and in the iPhone and iPad app.
Coaching tips
No fixed length — 20 to 40 balls is a good session. Finish whenever you like: a session saves itself from the first reps.
Chip 100 balls at the towel. Every badge is a coin on the drill’s Progress page.
No phone? Print the practice sheet. Count the rows with Towel circled: that’s your score. A corner (two circled) is a miss. Then tick each miss in its box below to see which way they go.
Questions
What do I need?
A wedge + a towel on the green, any chipping green.
How long is a session?
No fixed length — 20 to 40 balls is a good session.
How do I score it on the practice sheet?
Count the rows with Towel circled: that’s your score. A corner (two circled) is a miss. Then tick each miss in its box below to see which way they go.
Which badges can I earn?
5: First session, 100 chips, 500 chips, 5 in a row and Towel touch. Each one lights up on the drill’s Progress page.
Can I use it hands-free?
Yes. Turn on Hands-free in the drill and say each result out loud, and “undo” or “finish”. It works in browsers with speech recognition, such as Chrome and Safari, and in the iPhone and iPad app. You can always tap instead.
Do I need an account?
No. Practice as a guest and your sessions stay on that device. Sign in with Apple, Google or email to keep them in your account, on the web and in the iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch app.
Ready for Towel Target?
Open it in your browser and log your first rep. Practice as a guest, or sign in to sync with the iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch app.
By David Golfs · Questions? david@davidgolfs.com