Staying athletic on ultra touchy short chips

[bunkerputt]

I've started recognizing a huge weakness in my game: short chips. For example, a chip that had to fly 10 feet and roll 10 feet. Something about that distance for me makes it really difficult to maintain any kind of athletic motion. Usually, I end up taking the club back too far for comfort, my legs stall, and I either flip it by decelerating or dump it into the ground and the ball trickles off 3 feet away. It's incredibly frustrating because I'm really good at chipping other distances when I'm far enough away to swing freely and can pinch the ball with enough speed to fly and check. The only thing I can think to do is try a shorter backswing with a little more pause to get my legs into it, or just keep my wrists frozen in place and use a putting stroke. But I hate that kind of motion and much prefer some way to stay athletic when it doesn't feel like there's enough space to be athletic. Any advice from some good players who've worked through this particular issue would be appreciated. I'm sure it's a common one, otherwise people wouldn't hate short-siding themselves or not having enough green to work with.

[boogielicious]

I was working on this yesterday. What I tried was keeping the length of stroke the same, but slowing down the swing. The ball still popped off the face and got height, but in a more controlled manner and went shorter. I got the idea from watching the Players Championship and seeing what the Pros did on short chips. One of the commentators noted the slower more controlled swing on short chips.

Try really slowing it down and see what happens.

[drglew]

I'm not necessarily a "good player" but i'll give it a shot as i recently struggled with the same problem.
My solution was actually equipment; my old wedges (Cleveland DSG 588's) didn't have much bounce at all, so the clubs would dig too much, or I scooped knowing i tended to chunk them. Changing to CG14's with standard bounce seems to have fixed things for me. Yes, it could all be in my head but i don't think so. Note i rarely play on really dry courses, although in my experience i've never had issues with standard bounce clubs even off of hardpan. One other equipment fix if your ego could take it would be a Cleveland Niblick -- I toyed with getting one after reading other reviews.

BTW what wedge do you use for those short chips? I've found going to a higher lofted one (even if i had a fair amount of green to work with) allowed me to take a little more aggressive swing and not "baby" a shorter chip quite so much.

[JetFan1983]

Try really slowing it down and see what happens.

I dunno if I would agree with this, but then again, I'm no pro. Personally, I would probably think about the shot like I would a putt. I wouldn't use a putter obviously, but I would play the shot like a putt, with similar tempo in the stroke-- and no wrist action.

[Quinn07]

If we are talking about shots off the fairway try using one of your irons and just run it up there, or I often take my hybrid and use it like a putter and run it up there. I would take my 8 or 7 iron make a little swing and let it run up. Just concentrate on keeping your hands a head of the shaft and bump it up. I will often take the hybrid over an iron if the fairway is cut close. If it's shaggy, the ball might get caught up so an iron will get it on top.

[right handed phil mickelson]

If we are talking about shots off the fairway try using one of your irons and just run it up there, or I often take my hybrid and use it like a putter and run it up there. I would take my 8 or 7 iron make a little swing and let it run up. Just concentrate on keeping your hands a head of the shaft and bump it up. I will often take the hybrid over an iron if the fairway is cut close. If it's shaggy, the ball might get caught up so an iron will get it on top.

OP said something like 20 foot chips.

Personally I'd probably just putt it.....much better chance of getting it close, even through 10 feet of fringe.

[J_Bone]

I love this length....I usually use a putting stoke but with a wedge (gap/sand/lob, depends on lie). I will take a narrow stance and put 75% of weight on front leg, align the ball toward the front toe (usually) and use my putting stoke. The stoke is usually a bit longer as opposed to actual putting stoke but it keeps is consistent for me and I have holed it many times using this.
On the practice swing, I'm looking for a smooth stroke and distance but most importantly, where my ball contact will be and that is where I align the ball.

[The Recreational Golfer]

[QUOTE=bunkerputt;453128]I've started recognizing a huge weakness in my game: short chips. For example, a chip that had to fly 10 feet and roll 10 feet.

Not sure which cub you're using, but I'm money on this shot with a 54-degree wedge. Set your weight toward the hole and swing down on the ball (opposed to sweeping the ball), and DO NOT let your wrists break after contact. The clubface should end up facing the sky.

Looks like the Forum has given you several good options. Try each of them.

[bunkerputt]

I generally use a 60 degree with about 12 degrees of bounce for these kind of shots. I also tend to play long and slow strokes on most short game shots... especially putts. I think I'll try this a bit. I may just be taking it back too far and accelerating it too much, causing me to slow down before impact losing control. Thanks for the tips...

[zeg]

Various techniques have been suggested, so obviously we all have our own approach to these chips (I personally have been using my 56 deg wedge to pop it up). But I'll just point out that there's virtually no excuse for not practicing the heck out of chips in this distance range. You should be able to find somewhere near you with enough grass where no one is going to mind if you dink a few 20-footers every day. For me, I have to practice these every time I go out to keep the confidence that I can hit hard with a short stroke and won't shoot the green. If I don't practice that, I inevitably get the little 3-foot dink as I try to baby the shot instead of hitting it firmly.

[BallStriker]

IMO, short chips like this require very light grip pressure....I like to feel as if I am barely gripping the club, with almost all the "pressure" being applied by my top two left fingers....it is almost as if I am taking the clubhead back (with hands well in front of the clubhead) and then letting the clubhead "fall" into the ball, with the weight of the clubhead doing all the work.

It works very well for me

[mdl]

This is one of my best short game shots. I freeze the wrists and elbows, slightly open stance, though with toes square to the line, weight forward, feet shoulder width, ball back in stance but hands forward to about neutral. I guess you could say it's of the putting stroke style generally. But I've felt exactly what you're talking about when trying to do these super short pitches with a 15-40 yard style stroke. This way, I feel I can get a more athletic feeling, longer, more natural pace pendulum style stroke, but with the frozen wrists it will go the length I want.

And you can accentuate the ball back, weight forward, and steepness of the swing to the point where your club will basically pop and stop in the ground and you get max possible spin for such a short shot, without flying it over the green.