I love to practice chipping. You can save any hole if you are good at chipping.
Chipping can be a problem for many golfers.
In reality, most golfers overcomplicate the chipping process, and it’s entirely unnecessary.
I have compiled some of the best advice on chipping. Of course, there is no one right way to chip. Take a look at these options to see if they could change your approach to chipping the next time.
Only Right Hand and left Hand Drill (Sean Foley).
Sean Foley, a highly skilled instructor, can help all levels with their short and long game. This tip is a favorite because it focuses on the importance of the body when chipping.
Many golfers make the mistake to use their hands and wrists instead of the rotational movement of their bodies. It is much easier to achieve consistent chipping results when you remove one hand from the equation and use one-handed golf swings.
It will be obvious that when you do the right-hand only chipping, your right hand must stay steady and maintain its angle. The same is true for the left-hand only drill. This video shows that there are many ways to get a chip shot.
You can improve your performance by learning different methods and becoming a better player.
Don’t stick with a one handed drill for too long. It’s best to go back and forth between the one handed drills and your regular shots. In the end, both hands need to work together to hit golf shots, and you won’t want just one to dominate.
You can see the height of your lead shoulder (Adam Bazelgette).
One of the biggest errors made by golfers is to tilt their bodies so that their shoulders are high. This makes it difficult for golfers not to get the ball through their hands. Instead, they hit a chunk shot and even blade it.
It’s best to have your shoulder set up a little more square to ensure that you can make the proper approach to the golf ball.
Adam suggests that you set up the club as if it were a chip shot. Next, hold the club with one hand and then, holding the club with the other, place your clubs on the club.
This will allow you to keep your left shoulder lower, and encourage a more solid shot that results in less flipping or skulling around the green.
This concept of lowering your lead shoulder is great because it improves turf interaction and encourages other mistakes in the chipping area. Expert tip: This concept may even help with the full swing.
Keep Momentum in The Swing (Clay Ballard).
Many golfers struggle with chipping. This causes them to freeze up and make poor shots. Any natural movement in their swings is the first thing to go. Clay Ballard has a great tip to help chippers keep their momentum.
First, use a sandwedge and keep your club face slightly open. Next, swing the club to create a tempo and a more fluid motion. If you are able to accurately position the ball and follow the swing path, the ball should fly freely in the air.
Clay Ballard’s chip shots are a great example of how you can keep the momentum going through impact, even with shorter chips.
There are many ways to get this done (Tiger Woods).
You can see that Tiger Woods is always looking like he has a different technique or club when he hits some of his best shots around the green. That’s because he does!
Tiger did not see a chip shot as one shot. Instead, he saw this as a decision. He had to decide which golf club would be most appropriate for his short game, and then combine it with the right stroke.
There are many options for different shots, and most golfers have four wedges. You can hit shots that are less lofty and have higher backspin, or shots with very little spin and roll from front to back of the green.
The idea is that you can be more prepared for the different shots you need to hit on the course.
Weight and Hands Forward by Phil Mickelson
Phil Mickelson is another master short game excerpt. Phil Mickelson is a master at flop shots, but Phil has much more to his game. Because of his consistency, some of Phil’s chipping techniques are considered the best in poker.
Some players are very methodical and follow the rules when it comes to their chipping. However, when you look at Phil’s short game, there is an artistic element mixed in. He is a bit of an artist around the greens, and the best way to see this is the way he can get himself out of trouble when he’s in a bad spot.
Whether it’s bunker shots, flop shots, or a standard run of the mill chip, Phil Mickelson knows how to get it done.
Phil Mickelson offers two great tips: Keep your weight forward and push your hands forward.
There are a few different opinions on what the hands should do. Something that it’s best to keep them in the middle of your stance, but he feels that for more control, your hands should be pushed forward.
This technique is very popular with the golfer who struggles to hit the ground with their chip shots. The forward press will ensure this happens.
Open Clubface and Use the Body (Mr.Short Games)
The Mr.Short Game videos do an excellent job of simplifying the importance and benefits of open clubfaces. Bob Vokey, who is the inventor of the Vokey wedge, provided the tips in this video. He certainly knows a lot about how to hit a great wedge shot.
To ensure consistency, your elbows should be closer to your body than ever before. You must make sure your body is connected whether you are hitting shorter or longer chips. When the club gets away from you, that’s when you see the chunk or the shank shots that you must try to avoid.
The bounce on the wedge can also be used by opening the clubface. Bounce can be used to be patient and help you get the best loft from your shot.
Don’t close the clubface down thinking that it will actually be more forgiving; it won’t be! The shots with the most open clubface are the easiest to hit. You can take full advantage of the bounce and make the most of it.
This concept can be practiced on the chipping green before being brought out on the course. It takes some practice to get used the open clubface idea.
Think Small (Britt Olizzarrowicz)
Maybe this concept or technique is easy for me because I’m short, but the one thing I’ve always told golfers who struggle with their chipping is that they must think small. You can’t expect to hit a short little shot that lands softly on the green while setting up to hit a large full-swing approach into a hole.
To think small, to hit it small.
This means that your setup, stance, and swing should all be simplified. Some of the best chips I’ve ever taken in my life are with my feet entirely next to each other. Chipping is not as easy when you have your feet in front of your face.
It is important to ensure that your brain can adapt to the shorter distance shot. This is easiest to do by thinking of everything in miniature.
Take a small stance and swing the club. Then, choke up on your grip to make it smaller. This will help you play a shorter game. It worked for me.
