Chipping Tips!

[Black Hulk]

I have heard just about every tip to help the high handicapper, which is me, to become a better short game player. And when I say every tip, I MEAN EVERY TIP! Use a hybrid around the green, use your 7 iron, put the ball forward, keep your head down for a 2 count and the list goes on.

I would say I'm a decent ball striker with the one bad shot per whole which is always a shot around the green.

One of two things will happen I will hit it clear across the green or flub it and leave it way short.

Now that you have some background on how terrible I am, I am asking what would be the best tip for hitting consistent chip shots.

Thanks in Advance!!!!!

[Golf'nBiker]

I was fortunate to get my hands on a DVD instructional made by AJ Bonner...THE TRUTH ABOUT THE SHORT GAME. If you can tolerate his disertations, he does have some good scoop. I have taken his 'truth' to the range and it worked just fine.

[deronsizemore]

The best thing for a higher handicapper to do when chipping is use whatever club you're comfortable with but keep the ball on the ground and rolling. Don't use a high lofted wedge and try to fly the ball to the hole because you risk blading it across the green.

For most chips around the green I use a PW. A good rule of thumb for a PW is fly it half way to the whole and it will roll the other half.

The other thing I'll recommend is using your shoulders and big muscles to take the club back. Don't just hinge your wrists. Use more of a putting motion only with a PW.

[wrx_junki]

Get the ball rolling as fast as possible.

[TempoIsKey]

If you've been using a really high lofted wedge and trying to flop it, stop that immediately. Also i'll just repeat what others have said, get the ball rolling quickly, more of a putting stroke, dont be hesitant to hit down on the ball, pitching wedge or 9 iron will work great the vast majority of the time. For your average, good lie pitch shot, there is not much need for wrist action. This being shots just off the fringe. Keep the hybrids in the bag, there are very specific conditions that might call for a hybrid around the green.

[kfowler]

I highly recommend Phil Mickelson's Secret's of the Short Game. You can get the DVD for less than $10 off eBay. His Hinge and Hold method is very easy to learn.

One area that's helped with my consistency is using your shoulders to initiate the downswing chip instead of just your arms. So I hinge, hold, turn chest towards target. I can't begin to tell you how much this has helped.

[WUTiger]

As most others have said on chipping...
* get the ball rolling quickly.
* try for a smooth, putter-like stroke guided by the large muscles.

Around the green, many people use an 8-iron, and play the ball a bit back in the stance (an inch or two behind middle). With hands ahead of the ball, hit the ball first, as a little check-spin will stabilize the ball, and then it will release and start rolling.

Make sure you accelerate through the ball with left-hand lead.

Besides a good motion, you need good shot-planning. You need to pick out the spot where the ball will land, and decide how much it will roll forward.

General wisdom says a short-iron chip will give you 1/3 carry, 2/3 roll on level ground. Depending upon you clubhead design and type of ball, this may vary somewhat. Just see what you do.

Getting down the swing motion and the set-up planning is the first step toward a good chipping game. Lots of players flub shots because they haven't committed to what they want to do before they swing.

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Short pitch shots (high trajectory, quicker stop) are needed too, but these require a different stroke. In general, chip whenever you can.
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A good chipping game can be a good way to shave strokes off your game. I had a couple of bad weeks with chipping, and decided to work on the basics. First time afterward I played, I had four up-and-downs for par.

(I also hit three drives out of bounds, which is why I'm a 21 HDCP).

[kafka01]

I highly recommend Phil Mickelson's Secret's of the Short Game.

I consider chipping pretty much the best part of my game in the last 2 years (i hole out more chips than holing out putts from outside 20 feet - sad but true).

I never bough Phils DVD but i just emulated his technique and its really easy and effective. If you need additonal explaination, it wouldnt be the worst idea to get the DVD.

[bruce]

Keep your weight on your front foot,should help a lot.

[Shindig]

Pick a club to practice with around the green and get good with it. I use my sand wedge (56°) for almost all of my greenside shots, only occasionally using another wedge when the situation would effectively change that into (approximately) a sand wedge.

Set up square to your target - use a technique that allows you to do this. None of this "open your stance and slam down on the ball"

I'm surprised no one has said this, but read the break. I'm surprised how many people I see miss chips because they made what would have been a great chip if the green were perfectly flat.

While we're at it, don't be afraid to pitch and fly the ball past any break that confuses you. I don't understand this business about getting the ball rolling immediately.

[Black Hulk]

I really appreciate all the help! I'm going to try the "Truth About Short Game"

[Shindig]

I really appreciate all the help! I'm going to try the "Truth About Short Game"

Check out also Stan Utley's "The Art of the Short Game." Or, at least, check out the thread in the reading room about it, and see if it seems good to you. I'm quite fond of it.

[kafka01]

While we're at it, don't be afraid to pitch and fly the ball past any break that confuses you. I don't understand this business about getting the ball rolling immediately.

Whats more confusing - having to deal with break or figuring out the check/release/fly/roll ratio on a small pitch - not to mention the consistency of the shot (shorter swing - better consistency)

End especially when there is a lot of break involved you generally have to pitched it so perfect on the spot to get it close, that your sucession ratio will go down even more.

[BigDave]

I believe that most of the problem for high handicappers around the greens is mental. (Not committing to the shot, etc.) Once you've figured out the proper mechanics practice, practice, practice... Once you get out on the course and are in position to use what you've learned, think process...not results. (Swing, tempo, contact, etc) You don't care where the ball ends up, only the stroke you but on the ball. This will also encourage you not to turn your head too soon which causes premature shoulder turn and thin shots.

[Chilli Dipper]

Here's a tip I picked up from Kenny Perry on something that aired on the Golf Channel a while back: on the downswing, try to pull down through the ball with the leading shoulder, and finish with your chest aiming at the target. I find that doing this helps me trap the ball on tight lies near the green.

[ks8829]

practice chipping like a putt around the green. key word is practice.

when you have the club on the ground you can lift the heel off the ground and prevent and the stroke can be like a putt.

practice what works for you.

keep the ball back in your stance and have your hands in front of the club.

[Gilles]

I've made chipping my specialty shot. 8 out of 10, when I get to chip, it's up-and-down. Problem is that I get to chip only on 1 or 2 greens in 18, since I try to put my approaches on the green. Chipping is more of a "plan B".

Tips I could give :

1. First align your club face square to where you want your ball to land, than align your feet (I align ca. 30° left of target, being a righty, but that's my technique, find out what's best for you)
2. Put your weight on you left foot (to practice this, take your stance and then put the toes of your right next to the heel of your left foot and lift the heel of your right foot)
3. Put the ball back in your stance (inside of right foot)
4. Make sure you don't deloft your club
5. Chip with your upper body, not with your arms or wrists.
6. Chip parallel to your feet.
7. Do a couple of practice chips until it feels good
   
   And in my opinion the two most important ones :
   
8. ACCELERATE through your ball !
9. Keep your head down until the ball hits the green

And practice this a lot with different clubs (SW to i7) so that you get a feel for the % of flight and the % of roll. Sooner it starts rolling on the green, the less likely you'll have an ugly bounce when touching the green. For that, try to keep the flight as low as possible. When I have to chip, I look at the distance between the ball and the green and the distance between the border of the green and the flag. That will determine which club I'll chip with. i7 is really for a chip and run (10% flight -90% roll). PW is 50-50, i9 is about 25-75.

Gilles

[ks8829]

If chipping is your weakness its an opportunity for you to work on that aspect of your game so you will see immediate results in your game with lower scores.

When you play a round keep score of your up and downs along with the number of putts per hole, you might already be doing this.

anything that allows you to one putt from off the green will be consider getting up and down on a hole, to make birdie, save par or sometimes to save a boogie.

The key is practice chipping if possible a little everyday for a couple of weeks, focus first on solid contact and then distance control and direction. Before you know it you will trying to make chips instead of just trying to get up and down.