Controlling spin while chipping

[inthecup]

I have been working on my chipping and I can't control the spin. With a 52 or 56 degree sometimes is spins sometimes not. I can't control distance. Any tips or suggestions.

[Zeph]

Then you are not making good impact all the time. Some key notes:

1: Weight on your left foot, you can push the hips a bit forward so you don't have to tilt as much to the left.
2: Don't take the club straight back and through, let it rotate around your body like any other club.
3: Hold the right wrist angle! Don't ever let the wrist gain hinge on the backswing, or release any on the downswing. That motion is for a flop or pitch shot. On a chipping shot you preset the hands forward to the the desired launch angle, from there, take it back and swing down without moving the wrists in any possible direction. They are completely locked. That goes for the entire swing, from address position to the finish after impact.

Don't set up with the hands in the middle of your stance if you plan to have them farther forward at impact. Set them up like you want them to be at impact and lock the wrists. No hinge, no release.

[DavidFehertysBike]

Try taking a lower lofted club (8i or 9i) and go with a shorter stroke. Your margin for error is better going with a short iron to chip than with a wedge, IMO. If you do flub it, youll most likley still get a decent roll towards the cup. Something i do is that I chip and pitch with my putting grip. Reverse overlap. It locks my wrists down more and i dont flip the clubhead as much.

[Fairway_CY]

I have the same issue. It seems like I've got ZERO spin on my chip shots. I'll hit the shot with my pitching wedge (48 degrees) and typically play for about 15-20 feet of roll. Sometimes, it rolls out well... other times, it seems to roll TOO far. I almost NEVER get the ball to check like I see happen with some other guys. I've tried working on it... but there's really nowhere for me to practice this. The only putting greens in the area are ONLY for putting... no chipping or pitching is allowed.

I HATE when I'm just off the green in regulation and then I chip the ball 15 feet by and I end up taking a bogey because I can't get the ball close enough to the hole.

CY

[WUTiger]

Make sure you know which type of short shot you want to hit.

A chip shot is normally thought of as a chip-and-run . You want to pop the ball out of the grass and onto the green, and roll it toward the hole. It doesn't gain much height. This is the shot Zeph is talking about. Some people chip with wedges, but others chip with 7i or 8i - lower lofted, and with a bigger margin of error.

There's a pitch and run , in which you take a more lofted club, get some height - often coming out of bushy rough or going uphill - and still roll it toward the cup.

Then there's the pitch and stop , in which you take a lofted club, get height and backspin, and try to spin the ball to a stop about the time it hits. Average players can usually get this shot to mostly stop, and then release forward a couple of feet. Stronger players using control (like, ProV1) and "feel" golf balls can often land these shots past the pin and back them up towards the cup. Lobs and flops fall in this category.

Note: A good chip shot has a little backspin, sometimes called check-spin, which helps stabilize the ball as you hit it. But, this type of shot often gets more than half its distance from roll.

Hope this helps.

[saevel25]

Well i got a couple short game shots. The one i like is the chip - check - run, which i just got back. I lost it for about 7 years, but its back now, so happy. But, the key with my chip shot is.

Weight on left foot
Do not lift the club with arms only
I like to have a slight hinge in the backswing
Then i drive my hands forward as i rotate my hips slighly.
I try to hit the ball and the ground nearly at the same time, if you hit the ball first its alright, don't chunk it.
Do not flip your hands over through contact, but let the rotation of the hips drive the club head back to square. This will maintain the contact point and descending blow. The hips are a bigger muscle than the hands, so you maintain acceleration as well. The ball should bounce once check, then roll out.