Chipping distance control - what's your swing thought?

[chriskzoo]

Not sure what the general consensus is, whether it's to just go on feel, or what, but here is what has worked for me:

Assuming I have a clean lie on the fringe/fairway or I can cleanly pick it from the rough, I usually take my 7 or 8 iron and use my putting grip. Then, I'm just thinking of it like a putt "If I was putting this, how hard would I swing to get it to go this distance?"

Unless I stub it, I'm pretty much within 3-4 feet every time on clean lies using this thought, since everything I do make it nothing more than a lag putt.

[RC]

That is a good method. I frequently use a modification in which the club is more vertical so that only the toe is soled behind the ball. Then it really is a putting stroke with a fairly low probablility of "stubbing" it (or missing it.)

[Harp]

i do the same putt style with my 7 or 8 iron but i keep a open stance and play the ball off my back heel. when i need to get the ball in the air, i pretty much use the same stroke but with a wedge obviously. i keep most of my weight on my left leg, play the ball back, and really try and hit down on the ball. lots of touch is involved as with anything around the green, but playing the ball back helps me hit ball first and eliminate the possibility of duffing it.

EDIT: i always choke way down on the club too.

[danieldrieberg]

I use one of my 3 wedges----very familiar friends---52* 56* 60*. I decide on the trajectory and roll out. Play the ball forward or back in my stance to achieve a working loft. Finally with a line chosen its all feel. Like a putt.

Why do I use my wedges rather than other irons in the set? My wedges are matched in weight and feel. The transition between my PW or 7 iron to one of the specialty wedges does not have the same flavor in my hands.

[Fourputt]

Not sure what the general consensus is, whether it's to just go on feel, or what, but here is what has worked for me:

All I do is aim for the point where I want the ball to land. I'm usually pretty good and hitting that spot. If I pick the right spot, then the roll takes care of itself.

[right handed phil mickelson]

I always use my 58º for every shot around the green so I know exactly how it'll perform. I have a certain swing that I use for my go-to shot, which is a fairly low shot with a lot of spin. I take the club back and steep, and come down fast and steep with hands well in front of the ball. I'm an all-feel player, and use my experience of chipping the ball a lot to gauge the distance of the shot. I'll probably average a chip-in every 2-3 rounds. My average distance to the hole from say a 15 yard chip is about 2 feet.

[Randy4h]

I'm of the opinion that you should get the ball rolling on the green as soon as possible, for consistency. For that, I use what has been called the Rule of 12. Basically, it's finding where on the green you want to land the ball, then judging how far the ball will roll. I first heard of it about 10 years ago from a mini-tour pro, and it certainly made me a better chipper of the ball from anywhere around the green. The guys I have shown it to have also improved. One used to use his lob wedge for chips, and always left them short. Anyway, I will explain it in more detail if anyone is interested.

[mirv]

with chipping, i basically use the exact same stroke every single time, but with different clubs. for example, if a pin is about 10 yards away and the surface is level, i'll chip with an 8 iron. if it's uphill, i'll use a 7 iron. downhill, 9 iron. i don't try to hit it harder or softer to vary distance, i almost always flub the shot doing that. i found one stroke that almost always works and i just went through the bag and figured out how far each club will send the ball using that stroke.

[RandomRaiderTTU]

If it's in front of the green on fairway (or similar situation), I'll use the 7-iron with putting stroke.

Other times it is usually my 54* wedge. I play it in back quarter of stance, weight on left foot, keep right elbow connected and it's all feel from there.

There are very few instances where I use the putter stroke with my wedge, but it does show up occasionally.