Chipping.....Phil Or Pelz??

[Leftygolfer]

My question and thread topic is chipping. I am sure many have watched the Secrets of the short game by Phil and have read the short game bible by Dave Pelz. They are polar opposites in way of technique. I have been practicing the "hinge and hold" and can not carry it only a yard or two with this technique. I will use the Pelz way for shorter chips from a good lie and will use the Phil way for longer chips and pitches. I think the angle created is so much better for chipping hinging the wrist and then holding the release but there is too much energy at times.

I have success with both methods and thought it would be an interesting discussion. I have also not read any of the Utley books so I would love to hear about his technique as well.

[clubchamp]

The first thing I ever learned about the short game was to get the ball rolling as fast possible. I have always stuck by that theory and it seems to work for me. I use a chip and run on 75% of my chips. If the shot calls for spin than I will do it but I don't ever just try to land one right by the pin and have it stop.

[Clambake]

You point out something I found interesting as well: Pelz and Phil's methods are completely opposite from each other. Given that Phil is such a big advocate of Pelz and that Pelz always holds up Phil as his star student, I've thought this rather odd.

Like you, I've found a hybrid seems to be working for me. For chipping, I use more of a putting stroke and address the club similar to how Pelz teaches, but for pitching I've found that Phil's "hinge and hold" works very well.

[Amused]

  Clambake said:

Like you, I've found a hybrid seems to be working for me. For chipping, I use more of a putting stroke and address the club similar to how Pelz teaches, but for pitching I've found that Phil's "hinge and hold" works very well.

Same here. For really short chips, I tend to use more of a putting stroke, and for anything longer than 6-7 yards, I "hinge and hold". I've tried the Utley technique for both long and short chips/pitches, but I found it harder to control.

[imtomtomim]

I know it's not the conventional wisdom but I like carrying my chips most of the way and getting it to roll out. I usually chip greenside with a open 56* and I pick a spot and watch for the roll out. For some reason, it's just the most comfortable shot for me to visualize. I also can expect the same results all the time as the open clubface makes it check and release to the right a bit. Gives me a little option to sometimes let it fight up against a hill.

[wedge player]

I would take phils method.I think theres a reason he has one of if not the best short game on tour.

[TN94z]

I love Phil's method. I had lost the spin and consistency in my chips and pitches until I started using his method. Now every shot I hit has spin no matter how far it is. I still use my bump and run chipping if I don't have anything to carry but otherwise it is Phil's way for me.

And he seemed to trash the "clock" method of chipping...

[wedge player]

I always prefer to carry the ball as far as i can with lots of spin.

[BASHERBAKER69]

Ive got Pelz's Short Game Secret manual and it is very useful although some of the material is quite complicated and difficult to put in to practice without lot of practice.

[CG031]

I believe Phil's is more of a feel approach to the short game, as oppose to Pelz's approach is more mechanical?

If I am correct with that statement above, I'm far more confident/better when I feel the shots around the green. I'm not mechanical in really any approach to my game, but chipping and pitching is probably the best part of my game, and I'm far more of a feel player. I don't really care for statistics and probabilities around the greens. I know which shot is a higher % shot and when trying a flop shot can be really just flat out stupid, but I just play the shot I play and I just feel my way around from inside 100 yards.

[Motley01]

I went to a Dave Pelz 2-day short-game school, about 3yrs ago. It was everything with 100 yards and in.

Learned putting techniques, chipping, sand/flop shots. It really helped trim down strokes around the green.