Chipping and Pitching Tips Please

[The Gill]

I'm pretty long off the tee and good with my irons. If Johnny Miller was announcing during my chipping and pitching, I’d probably cry if I heard what he had to say.

Erik put together a good piece on putting that’s helped me out quite a bit. http://thesandtrap.com/extras/playin...t_making_putts

I’m trying to bring that “hole-everything-out” mentality to my chipping game. I’ve gotten some lessons, and I read Pelz book (lots of good data, but I don’t feel I like his mechanics). Does anyone have any good chipping and pitching tips?

Chips:
[1] What grip do you use? Full swing or putter?
[2] Where do you place the ball the ball in your stance?
[3] Steep decending blow or a sweep?
[4] Do you use one club, if so which one? Or do you use many different clubs?

Pitches:
[1] How often do you use your lob wedge?
[2] What kind of divots do you take?
[3] What's the lowest lofted club do you use?

As you can tell, I have a tendancy to overthink this stuff!

[BASHERBAKER69]

Id say that with the short game it is important to have a flexible body and imagination...i don't normally play that many stock shots- but if i did have a stock shot its a grip down 9 iron bump and run.

I have pitched with an 8 iron before from 120 in to a strong wind on a wet day. There are too many variables with the chipping and pitching game to rely on a stock shot too much.

However, Annika Sorenstam chips only with 1 club- her pitching wedge, but alters her grip, ball position and swing length according to the type of shot that faces her. So, if you lack confidence with the short game, just take one club and use that only-id suggest a pitching wedge like Annika.

Also, play the percentage- if theres a bunker between you and the pin, act accordingly- i have been known to chip round bunkers.

[irspow]

I use the same mechanics for the chip or pitch shots that I do for all golf shots. I also only use my lob wedge for all shots within 100 yards. Except of course putting and sand shots in soft sand. ( I live in the northeast where "sand" is usually more like bleached dirt!)

I am always amazed at how difficult most people make chipping and pitching out to be. To explain this I will tell you how I introduce my students to how simple chipping should be. After they are proficient putters with good speed control I set them up with four balls at the edge of the green. They look at me stupid and proceed to make pretty decent putts on line and with good speed. Then I set up four more balls three inches into the fringe hand them a wedge and their stroke becomes something totally different and manufactured with nowhere near their proficiency demonstrated only a few inches closer to the hole. I am always amazed, even to this day.

It seems that for some reason or other their swing is completely transformed for the worse. Once I have them make a few logical set up adjustments and convince them to swing no differently than they would with their putter, presto they think their Seve or somebody.

For many the mere idea that they are simply making a long putt revolutionizes their game. As for the difference between chipping and pitching, there really isn't one as far as I'm concerned apart from somantics. A chip rolls further than it flies and a pitch flies further than it rolls, simple as that.

This is exactly how I teach all of my students how the short game works. Tilt the shaft until when soled it has the loft that matches the launch angle that you want. Next take your normal grip without altering the shaft angle. Let the club now hang relaxed above the ground and rotate your entire body until the leading edge of the club faces the target. Rotate away from the target and back towards the target while remaining completely relaxed with your arms and hands, as you do in any golf shot. All you have to control is how fast you are rotating just like any other motion that humans make when propelling objects.

The hardest thing for most people is to not use their hands to scoop or otherwise "hit" the ball. If you learn to "swing" the club, for both long and short shots, you will find that the tool will get the job done.

That being said, I do advocate a definite forward shaft lean at address for most recreational golfers until they can really keep their hands out of the equation. It helps to ensure a downward blow to the ball which, in my experience is the hardest thing for most golfers to accomplish with their short game shots. Everyone knows that backspin makes the ball go up but they still want to "sweep" or scoop the ball. Whatever.

To wrap it up, pretend your chips are simply longer putts that magically roll over the long grass. I personally don't think anyone should be any better putting than chipping. I approach every chip as sinkable. Practice setting the loft you want for the shot intended and keep your hands as quiet as possible. Avoid manipulating the club arbitrarily or cocking your wrist because you think that you need to. If your hands are relaxed and the swing is long enough your wrists will cock naturally and only as much as is necessary.

Tom

[mgolfer]

Practice until you make sure that you hit the ball solidly. The amount of shots I wasted chipping because I chunked the ball, causing the ball to roll just on the front of the green, leaving me a 20 footer for par could have made my rounds about 3 less a time I think.

I like to practice hitting low skidding chips at the hole and also higher chips with less roll so that I am prepared to chip the ball if I am 1 foot from the green or 2 yards.

My way of chipping is to put my feet together and lean forward with my hands way in front of the ball, and make a smooth putting style stroke at the ball.

That is my technique anyway, and it is far from good as I honestly do not have enough time to practice, well, that's my excuse anyway!

[tm22721]

Here is my chipping technique acquired thru school of hard knocks.

- stance open, 60% of weight on left foot
- no lower body movement, minimal upper body movement
- hands way ahead of clubhead
- do not release the clubhead thru impact (block the shot)
- hit down on the ball
- do not decelerate keep clubhead moving through the shot
- muscles must be relaxed to make a fluid move

[Daddy Golfer]

This is from Brent Zebb, First Assistant Golf Pro at Chambers Bay. He had a shot class this past Friday on 'Pitching from a tight lie.'
Key reminder steps:
- Feet shoulder width apart
- Ball middle to back of stance
- Loose grip pressure
- Feel & see the shot
- Shorter backswing
- Down and through to finish
- Most important: ACCELERATE!

Took the clinic. He holds shot clinics every Friday at 5pm - 6pm. Cost $20.

[DaveLeeNC]

The best "tip" that I have encountered WRT chipping/pitching mechanics is to BE SURE that your body rotates with your arm motion (hopefully there is little/no additional wrist motion). I have found that this makes consistent ball contact much easier to achieve. Oddly enough it is instant death when putting (for me anyway).

dave

[r7 425]

Here are my tips for chipping

Softer grip= higher ball flight
Tense grip=i seem to hit it more solid with a lower flight--i use for 2 skippers
Always Accelerate= a clubhead that decelerates leads to inconsistency
Open Stance=i use to get under the ball--kind of like a slider shot
Lower Flight=i generally grip down on the shaft
Higher Flight= i generally grip the very end of the club

These are some tips that i can offer you..Best of luck

[Avid Golfer]

Does anyone have any good chipping and pitching tips?

I'll start with answering your questions:

Chips: #1: I use my full swing grip. (The putter grip doesn't allow my wirsts to hinge naturally. Which I prefer to put spin on the shot, and to elevate the ball out of thick rough). (If you're on the fringe and want to land the ball quickly you could use your putting grip and use your putting stroke. To also land your ball quicker and release you could setup with the heel of the club elevated slightly, so the club sits up on the toe). #2: I put the ball in line with the inside of my left heel which also happens to be the middle of my feet (I keep my feet together, which elimanates the a varying ball position and helps to keep it constant from shot to shot and day to day). #3: Sweeping/picking blow. If you use a decending blow and your ball is sitting up in the rough, or you have a questionable lie, you'll make poor/inconsistant contact. Making a level sweeping blow mean you can make the same stroke/swing from chip to chip, and not worry about having to modify your shot when you have a lie where grass or ground gets between the clubface and ball. #4: Most the time I use one club and just vary the length of my swing (like you'd do when hitting putts different distances). Pitches: #1: Most of the time, but my lob wedge has more bounce than my sand wedge, so if I fear the club may bounce (depending on the lie) then I will use a sand wedge instead. It also depends on the greens I am playing. If the are firm and fast I am more likely to use the lob wedge, and if its slow and soft I'll use the sand wedge which will release a little more. Like Ernie Els I prefer to have the ball carry onto a flat spot and then release, not have have ball land on a slope (if I can help it). #2: No divots, like with chipping I want consistant contact and spin so I want the ball to be picked off the ground. (If you've seen Phil Mickelson hit flop shots over Dave Pelz head you may recall Mickelson saying that the only way to get it to work was to pick the ball. If he'd taken a divot the ball would have smacked Pelz). #3: I'll usually use a lob wedge or sand wedge depending on the lie, landing area, and spin rate I desire. for chipping: If you want the ball to stop quickly have the shaft straight up and down (no forward tilt or backward tilt of the shaft), but if you want the ball to release a little have it tilted just slightly toward the inside of the front leg (see Ernie Els as an example). (You will not see pros chipping with the hands way forward and the grip pointing outside the front leg like may amateurs who chip poorly). for pitching: Have the shaft pointed straight up (grip aimed straight up at the sky) not tilted forward. Your goal on a pitch is to carry the ball mostly through the air and have it land softly with little roll. (If you tilt it forward you will loose height, spin, and carry). Keep your legs solid (if they move you'll make poor contact, loose height, loose spin, and hit it off line). Keep your stomach and chest moving on the through swing. If your body stops moving your arms will tighten up, and/or your arms will rotate turning the clubface off line. You may also find some of the tips from Greg Norman's Instant Lessons helpful: http://www.shark.com/sharkwatch/instruction/

[andre112]

I'll start with answering your questions:

great explanation in details!

some questions about pitching do you choke down? any wrist cock? is it just like a really long chip but with shaft pointing to the sky at setup?

[Kuvasz]

If I'm just off the green, on the second cutting or even light rough, I'll often chip with my 6-iron, using it as I would a putter, since it has a similar loft to a putter. If I happen to be close to the hole, I would use my 8-iron.

- k

[Hustle]

Always make sure that your head rotates with your hips. I actually carry (4) wedges in my bag, and I swing them all the same. Knee's slightly bent- slightly open- and I am looking at my intended target the very moment the club passes thru the ball.... (Notice I did not say "HIT THE BALL")

[Avid Golfer]

great explanation in details!

Yes, I do choke down (to where the shaft extends out of the grip) on most shots. If the safe spot to error is long then I may opt not choke down. With the short distance the shot is traveling, and the low swing speed of the shot gripping down does not effect the distance the pitch travels by very much.

I generally allow the wrist(s) to hinge naturally (and don't focus on cocking or hinging the wrist(s). If I need to elevate the ball quickly out of the rough or I want to put more backspin on the ball then I will focus on setting the wrists sooner and to a greater degree. Two things that I do differently for a pitch than a chip is to make a bigger swing, and to have a wider stance (to provide support for the bigger swing).