Golf Academy Online - Chipping

Pitching    Chipping    Fix Your Slice

What is chipping? Chipping is when we loft the ball a short distance with a low trajectory, to let the ball land and rolls like a putt to the pin. Why and when do we chip? We chip when we are just off the green and the surface surrounding the green is not smooth enough to putt. We need to loft the ball over the rough portion of ground land it on and let the ball roll to the pin. If we could putt we could to roll the ball over a smooth flat surface being our most consistent shot. Our lowest percentage option would be to loft the ball high into the air and get it to land close to the hole and stop. We really only want to play that shot when we have to. The loft dictates that our landing point for the ball is further away from us. What is a landing point? The spot that we need to land the ball in order for it to run to pin. The landing point should be safely on the green at least 1 foot from the fringe. We should always pick a specific target to land the ball. What club s do we use to chip? You can use anything from 4 iron to 9 iron depending on the amount of loft and roll you require. Notice that the 4 iron would be perfect if we only had a little area of rough grass to carry over. The 9 iron is going to be used if we have more rough grass to carry, and require less roll. Pick a club that will land the ball safely on the green and run to the flag, your club selection varies depending on how far off the green you are and how quickly you need the ball to stop. Back to top The set up for chipping Grip Same grip as in full swing, however we can hold down the bottom of the grip as this will help us get better feel. Posture A little flex in the knees, slight bend forward from the hips. The hands can be set close to the body for control. The feet can be close together as we do not make a big swing in chipping nor do we rotate then body as in the full swing. The feet can be placed a little open to the target as this will help keep the lower body out of the way of your swing. Aim & Alignment Please ensure that the clubface is aiming the direction that you want the shot to start on. The lower half or feet could be a little open (left of target) but please ensure that your shoulders are aligned parallel to the target. Your shoulders will dictate the path of this shot and influence the direction. Ball Position The ball position for a chip shot will be off the right big toe. As a ball too far forward   will cause both contact errors and directional problems. Back to top Set up must do's In chipping we need to ensure that we hit the ball with a descending blow any attempt to lift the ball will be disastrous. So how do we set up for a descending blow? We need to do a couple of things to set our body up to hit the shot crisply, just like the full swing a lot of the mechanics are set up before the club is taken away. To set up for a descending blow do this. Set your weight over your front foot. Move your sternum slightly towards the target. Have your hands forward of the golf club. Chip Shot Technique Once set up all we have to do is rock the shoulders up and down keeping the triangle of the shoulders and arms in the same position. Swinging equal distance back and through. Distance Control The length of the swing and the loft of the club determine the distance we hit the shot. Is there a ratio we can give you for knowing what club to use where and how to develop feel around the greens? Yes, Practice! The more you practice this the more you will under stand the loft to roll ratio and the distance to take the club back and threw. It would be great if we could give you a ratio. However it is not realistic on the course as the factors that influence the distance the shot will roll. Such as speed of the green, slope, wind and grain of the grass are always present you have to learn to assess these variables to become a great chipper,  think of the rewards in your scoring if you can get the ball up and down from just off the green regularly 5, 10, 15 shots. Now that practice is worth your time! Common Errors Chipping! Trying to lift the ball into the air by flipping the hands. The best way to fix this fault is to ensure the arms, not just the club go equal distance threw that they went back. The club head never over takes the hands, the triangle of the arms and shoulders remains in tact throughout the shot. Learn to trust that the combination of clubface loft and hitting the bottom of the ball with a descending blow will make the ball go up. Not picking a correct landing point, trying to land the ball in the hole will leave you a lot of long putts. Decelerating through the shot. If the backswing is too long you have to stop the flow of the club. This can result in thin, fat, stubbed shots. Equal distance back and threw gives a crisper shot as the club is accelerating threw impact. Back to top