JEESH, I'm tired of flubbed chips.

**mdbuschsr** · September 26, 2010

All of my really crappy holes today (a QUAD, and 5 doubles) were the result of crummy chipping. I know, your thinking, how do you get a QUAD as a result of bad chipping. Beautiful 3-W to 20 yards... 2-inches, 6-feet, bladed over the green into the woods, stroke and distance penalty, FINALLY chip on to 3-inches, tap in.

I kept letting my brain get in the way. I'm normally at least a decent shipper. In fact until today I thought I was getting down right good! For instance in my round yesterday, I had quite a few that rolled over the edge and past the hole 1-6 feet.

I guess the mental game got in my way. How do you quiet your mind, so it's not in the way?

I shot a 93 which about the norm for me. But I felt like today could have easily been a mid 80's round!

**ohiolefty** · September 26, 2010

A lot of flubs and blades are from decelerating the club before impact. You're always going to do better with a crisply-struck shot than a decel job. You need to get those hands well ahead of the clubhead and hit it crisply with a shorter stroke. Regulate distance on short game shots with length of the stroke...but you have to keep the firmness of the stroke consistent.

**Zeph** · September 26, 2010

Try some of this:

I've been practicing Utley's chipping and pitching lately, and it feels really good. Sometimes I've even hit the ground two inches behind the ball and still made a half decent shot, just came up a bit short. With a more static swing, it is easier to blade it or dig the club into the ground. Have a little pivot to shallow out the swing. Feel a little drag in the hands at pressure point 3.

**Fourputt** · September 26, 2010

A lot of flubs and blades are from decelerating the club before impact. You're always going to do better with a crisply-struck shot than a decel job. You need to get those hands well ahead of the clubhead and hit it crisply with a shorter stroke. Regulate distance on short game shots with length of the stroke...but you have to keep the firmness of the stroke consistent.

Yeah.... so many players I see in the OP's handicap range decelerate on chips and short pitches. They take a big backswing, then try to ease through the ball, but the result is a deceleration. Take a shorter backswing and focus on a firm stroke and a follow through that is about the same length as the backswing.

**max power** · September 26, 2010

A lot of flubs and blades are from decelerating the club before impact. You're always going to do better with a crisply-struck shot than a decel job. You need to get those hands well ahead of the clubhead and hit it crisply with a shorter stroke. Regulate distance on short game shots with length of the stroke...but you have to keep the firmness of the stroke consistent.

This is the answer. This actually applies to pretty much every shot in golf. Don't decelerate.

**jamo** · September 26, 2010

A lot of flubs and blades are from decelerating the club before impact. You're always going to do better with a crisply-struck shot than a decel job. You need to get those hands well ahead of the clubhead and hit it crisply with a shorter stroke. Regulate distance on short game shots with length of the stroke...but you have to keep the firmness of the stroke consistent.

That's definitely easier said than doe though. It really sucks when you start flubbing chips, it's really hard to stop. What I do when I get in a rut is just to have a go-to shot. Maybe if you are struggling with flubbing low shots, try hitting a lot of higher chips until you can work it out.

***iacas*** · September 26, 2010

A lot of flubs and blades are from decelerating the club before impact. You're always going to do better with a crisply-struck shot than a decel job.

The problem with that is that you'll then get people trying to really accelerate into the ball, which leads to a very "hitty" motion, and that's not good at all, particularly when paired with...

You need to get those hands well ahead of the clubhead and hit it crisply with a shorter stroke.

Couldn't disagree more. The number of times I'll hit a "hands ahead" type chip like that are, oh, one every few rounds. I hit what feel a lot more like pitches and use the bounce of the club than hit those kinds of chips. The problem with those kinds of chips are that you have NO ROOM at all for error. You either catch the ball dead nuts perfect or you're fat or thin. Handle ahead is a very, very difficult way to chip and almost no professionals do it except from the best lies.

More of this (this is a pitching video, but it still applies).

**mdbuschsr** · September 26, 2010

The problem with that is that you'll then get people trying to really accelerate into the ball, which leads to a very "hitty" motion, and that's not good at all, particularly when paired with...

I have been making a conscious effort to accelerate through all shots, even the shortest putts. Distance is controlled with the length of back swing. I'm not sure what was going on today other than like I said letting my brain get in the way of the shot. So perhaps I was decellerating slightly.

As for hands forward... That's how I have always hit my chips. I watched Phil's short game video and have been slowly getting into to play which is the only thing I can figure has helped my short game. But I always play the ball "back" in my stance for chips (depending on lie). If I'm on flat ground the ball is any where from slightly back of center to aligned on my back big toe. When on an uphill lie I move the ball forward as needed to allow for better contact. The above has been working for me, and has been getting better since installing the "hinge and hold". Today, I was fat, fat, FAT! Take two or three practice swings to "find" the low/contact point, align and address... Hit two inches behind the ball!

***iacas*** · September 26, 2010

I have been making a conscious effort to accelerate through all shots, even the shortest putts. Distance is controlled with the length of back swing. I'm not sure what was going on today other than like I said letting my brain get in the way of the shot. So perhaps I was decellerating slightly.

I'm not sure why you quoted my post and then responded with what you were trying to do or have been doing lately only to wind up saying "fat fat FAT!" That was exactly my point... with the handle forward (and the ball back especially) you need to make near-perfect contact to get an acceptable result. Using the bounce, you can hit the ground as much as four inches behind the ball and get a decent result. You can hit it fat off concrete by an inch or two and still loft the ball nicely, safely into the air.

Hinge and hold is over-rated. That's one type of shot, and it's not even the type of shot Phil plays most of the time. Gravity will accelerate the club to the ball in the pitching and chipping motion I prefer. You don't have to worry about it, you don't have to get "hitty," and you can miss the low spot by a surprising amount and still get a great result.

**Cornbread** · September 26, 2010

You need to get those hands well ahead of the clubhead and hit it crisply with a shorter stroke. Regulate distance on short game shots with length of the stroke...but you have to keep the firmness of the stroke consistent.

I agree, good point. Also, don't try and hit the ball with your hands. Also keep you upper body and head still.

**Zeph** · September 26, 2010

Erik pointed out somewhere that on the PGA Tour, they very often use this kind of shot we are talking about. After watching this weekends tournament, I'll have to agree. They very often hit these soft chips with a little pivot. They don't flip the wrists, but they don't hold them locked either. There is just a tiny amount of wrist hinge which release through the shot.

I didn't believe how you could hit the ground 2 inches behind the ball and still hit a somewhat decent shot, but after using this method on my last round, I'm a believer. I hit a couple of poor chip shots where I could see where the club hit the ground 2-3 inches behind the ball. Normally, the ball would have gotten almost nowhere, and definitely not gotten into the air. This time though the ball still got into the air, and always ended up within 3-4 feet from the flag. It didn't come out perfect, but the result was far better than earlier when I had a stationary lower body, only swung the arms and held the wrists.

If I get around to it, I'll try to record some stuff with my camera sometime. Getting a close up of the ball so you see how you can hit the ground first and still hit it good.

I also make sure I'm not too tense or rigid when chipping and pitching. Holding the hinge of the wrists makes it more tense. The more I let the swing flow, the more my body can control things, and it usually do so very well. Throwing a ball with a hand 30 feet or hitting a 30 feet putt, it's all about feel. The more relaxed we feel, the better the body will be able to control things. Same thing with chipping, if you are too tense, things can more easily go wrong.

**mdbuschsr** · September 26, 2010

I'm not sure why you quoted my post and then responded with what you were trying to do or have been doing lately only to wind up saying "fat fat FAT!" That was exactly my point... with the handle forward (and the ball back especially) you need to make near-perfect contact to get an acceptable result. Using the bounce, you can hit the ground as much as four inches behind the ball and get a decent result. You can hit it fat off concrete by an inch or two and still loft the ball nicely, safely into the air.

I left out the part of my post where I would like to learn more about your chipping style. At first glance, at least in my puny little head, it seems as though your method and what I am trying to do are similar. Excluding ball position, what I gathered from your post that I first quoted is exactly what I am trying to achieve. I will re watch your included video to see if I can gleen some more info. Are there any other sources of similar information?

**soloredd** · September 27, 2010

Yep, flubbing chips is no fun. I waste a lot of strokes on that as well, although I've been trying a different technique this past week (and it worked okay today...when I wasn't being stubborn). Essentially, I am trying to do what Erik's video showed, although I do not hinge as much as the video but the pivot is the main point. I use more pivot (turn) to control distance and I vary my club selection based on distance, lie, etc.

What I need to stop doing is using my 56* on those chips from 10 feet to 5 yards off the green and try the technique with an 8 or 9 iron. I'm stubborn and keep trying it but it doesn't provide good results. I did it today multiple times...really kicking myself in the post-round review.

**mcgriff** · September 27, 2010

When you are over a chip and have no clue what will happen in the next 10 seconds, back off. When I hit a bad chip it is because I have absolutely no plan for the shot. You can not stand at address, look at the pin, and think you are going to hit it close without knowing what is between your ball and the hole. Study it like a putt.

My sequence:
1. Study my lie...up? down? buried? I choose my club based on my lie. Don't automatically pull the PW (whatever it is you use to chip). Bounce is key here. Know how your clubs interact with the turf then select the best tool for the job.
2. Distance needed to snug it close. Look at your shot from the side so you can get an idea of what distance you are dealing with.
3. Landing area. Landing area isn't the hole. It is a spot before the hole. Based on your estimates of the speed of the greens and the amount of green you have to work with pick a spot and hit it. Ignore the hole.
4. Address the ball and lock the wrists. Again....LOCK THE WRISTS.
5. For me, it is now a putt. Nice backswing with firm wrists and a complete follow through.

Do this + a thousand or so practice chips in the living room/basement during the snowy months and you will be good to go.

**JWL1957** · September 27, 2010

The only time I exagerrate hands ahead is when I want a chip to run hot, or pitching into a strong wind.

My go to method when I am flubbing is Ken Venturi's method of quiet hands (or quieter). It helps me anyways.

**MSchott** · September 27, 2010

We talk about hands ahead but it's more important to play the ball back in the stance which automatically delofts the club. Once you have this setup, it's vital to not break the wrists during impact. Most flubs are due to players decelerating and scooping by using the hands rather than the shoulders. Do this and pick a point on the green to land the ball.

**allin** · September 27, 2010

One thing I would add, in the fall, or any time course conditions are extra soft, or just spotty, I see a lot of players fail to hold their posture, they subconciously kind of dip down, hit one fat, then make an effort to really pick the next one, hit that one thin.

**BostonSully** · September 27, 2010

In the midst of a Putting disaster this weekend I snapped my 56* club in half after a bad chip I also lost my 60* about 2 weeks ago and all I was left with was a 50*. Im not going to lie best chipping of my life with the 50* around the greens I had no explanation but that it let me hit the ball gently and with more feel than with the 56*.

I am by no means a good are even average player maybe thats why the lower loft makes it easier for me to run balls onto the green rather trying to fly them in perfectly.

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JEESH, I'm tired of flubbed chips.

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