Changing Clubs When Chipping?

[ohiolefty]

I'm really good with a 60 degree wedge inside of 100 yards. For the most part, I'm hitting that for approach, pitch and chip shots, with some exceptions.

I will use a lower-lofted club for chip shots in poor lies or severe downhill lies. For the most part, with my 60, I can still chip the ball very low and I like the 'grab' I get. I know a lot of folks have a hard time using a high-lofted club and keeping the ball down (vital in chipping) so I understand chipping with other clubs. I just use the 60 because it works the best for me.

Downhill, or off of bad lies, I either will chip with a hybrid club or one of the clubs from my iron set (usually PW or 9 iron). I don't like to chip with my SW. I will also chip with my hybrid out of a thick lie when I've got plenty of green/fairway to work with, because with an iron out of a heavy lie I feel like there are a lot of variables I'd rather take out...which a hybrid does for me.

[AnthonyGraziano]

I find chipping with irons(rolling the ball) is better in the winter cause the grounds not easy to get through with a wedge, dont know if that helps anyone but it works good for me.

[lumpuckeroo]

INHO, I think chipping is a lot like putting, there are some basic techniques you need to adhere to but after that it is personal perference. Personally, I chip and pitch with one club, 52* gap wedge, about 95% of the time. Two basic reasons, less bounce on the gap wedge than a sand wedge and mostly because, in my minds eye, I see all chips and pitches as me standing behind the ball and tossing the ball under hand and trying to get the ball to roll into the hole.

With that vision, the 52* wedge has the ball flight that best fits my minds eye. So I practice and have become somewhat skilled in using only one club for my chipping.

[BARACUDA]

You must NEVER use the same club to chip/pitch with. All circumstances are different. Shot length, lie, elevation, amount of green (and rough/fairway) between your ball and the hole, and others. The best motto is to get it on the ground, rolling as quick as possible......therefore, using a less lofted club such as an 8 or 9 iron if there is only a small (couple yds) amount of fairway or rough between your ball and the green and there is say 7-10 yds of green to the whole. These distances are just examples. Now, if you have more than just a few feet of fairway/rough between you and the green and a short amount of green to the hole then of course you would use a more lofted club such as a sandwedge or lob wedge to loft the ball into the air landing it softly on the green near the hole.

You must practice this on the course before becoming more constistent.

Pick different shots while practicing on the course using different irons.

When using a less lofted club (9 iron to 5 iron) treat it much like a putt: Feet close together, choke down on the grip, and stroke it like a putt hitting it in the center of the face.

Imagine a clock and you are standing in the middle, your head being 12 and your feet/ball and club being at 6......now each stroke should be the same and the loft on the club changes the distance and loft of the shot! So, pick a stroke length: I recommend something like 8-4 with 6 being your center like the clock (or what they call the bottom of your 'arc')...so you take your club back to 8 o'clock and finish at 4 o'clock! If you are using an 8 iron then it will go a certain amount of yards and height, if using a 6 iron of course it will go farther and lower but the beauty is: You DONT have to change your 'stroke'

Now, this only applies to 'chip' shots around the green....once you get about 15 yds away and beyond this will not apply!
Please respond with any questions!

GOOD LUCK to all!

[iacas]

You must NEVER use the same club to chip/pitch with. All circumstances are different.

Not a fan of "always" and "never," particularly when you can use one club to hit "different" kinds of shots.

[TN94z]

I think it's whatever you can use most effectively. I personally like to have several different options for any situation. So I will use anything from an 8i to a 60* depending on what needs to happen. My cousin on the other hand (who plays around the same handicap) uses his 60* for everything. But he can manipulate it and hit most any shot he wants to with it.

If I had to pick one or the other, I would say practice with several different clubs just so you would have that many more shots in your bag.

[Slappy9]

I used different clubs for different chips but one thing I learn from a golf pro friend of mine is to learn which club 7-8-9 iron goes the same distance as your putter. I know my 7-iron will go the same distance as my putter will with the same stroke so I can play a bump and run to take the tall grass out of play on a 20ft chip.

[jamo]

You must NEVER use the same club to chip/pitch with.

I use one club for every chip/pitch. Name a chip/pitch, and I hit it with a LW.

[sean_miller]

I've played rounds using whatever iron gets me on the dance floor the fastest, visualizing the ball rolling like a putt. I've also spent enough time practicing with my LW and SW that I can get pretty close to the pin with them from a variety of lies. I find that it depends on the clubs in the bag, the course conditions, the ball, and what I've been practicing the most lately. A person who plays several shots with one club is no better or worse off than one who one shot with each club and changes clubs to fit the shot, as long as they're honest with themselves and put in the necessary practice.

[ohiolefty]

You must NEVER use the same club to chip/pitch with. All circumstances are different. Shot length, lie, elevation, amount of green (and rough/fairway) between your ball and the hole, and others. The best motto is to get it on the ground, rolling as quick as possible......therefore, using a less lofted club such as an 8 or 9 iron if there is only a small (couple yds) amount of fairway or rough between your ball and the green and there is say 7-10 yds of green to the whole. These distances are just examples. Now, if you have more than just a few feet of fairway/rough between you and the green and a short amount of green to the hole then of course you would use a more lofted club such as a sandwedge or lob wedge to loft the ball into the air landing it softly on the green near the hole.

You must NEVER make absolute statements about the subjective...err...wait a minute

[Chas]

Thanks for all the replies. I have heard both theories, multiple clubs (Golf Fix) vs. Single Club (Utley) and I have been struggling with the single club, mostly leaving it way short.

Interesting, I didn't know that Utley was a single-club chipper.

I strongly recommend the multi-club route. The action is essentially the same and you're going to do much better by running the ball on the green more when it's appropriate. At least that has been my experience. Not that I'm up-and-downing much at the moment though - to do that you have to actually PRACTICE.

[minger]

As a high handicapper the best way to develop feel around the green is to chip with multiple different clubs. When out playing drop one or two balls and play with a less lofted club to acquire feel around the greens. There is really no wrong answer to a one club or multiple club choice. Its all about what club do you feel comfortable with in your hands when you are around the green. If you are struggling with your chipping you should definitely practice shots using an assortment or clubs to develop good feel. This is a really compacted question and we could talk about lie, slope, and course conditions. To me its all about what club can I put in my hand that makes me feel comfortable with the type of shot I want to play. If that day it is always the 54* then I'm one clubbing it. But if another day it constantly changes then so be it.

[ERdiesel]

I use one club for every chip/pitch. Name a chip/pitch, and I hit it with a LW.

Same for me

[normdamarine]

I'm sorry but stating that you would chip with one club and one club alone is... Well, I am not sure how to say this other than "stupid"?

[Leftygolfer]

I'm sorry but stating that you would chip with one club and one club alone is... Well, I am not sure how to say this other than "stupid"?

Stupid? There are many tour pros that must be stupid then.

I find chipping with long clubs impossible for me to judge and feel much more confident and get better results changing the trajectory with one club instead of changing the club. To me this works. I've tried the multi-club approach for years and didn't get the results. Practicing with one club learning how to hit it high, chip it low, and everything in between has made me much better.

[ERdiesel]

I'm sorry but stating that you would chip with one club and one club alone is... Well, I am not sure how to say this other than "stupid"?

So I guess you think Stan Utley must be stupid for recommending to the average amateur golfer a single club for the short game. You may have all the time in the world to work on chips and pitches across all the clubs in your bag but my play/practice time is limited so I choose to play/practice with my 60* for most shots within 80 yards with sand shots being an exception depending on if I want to use my 56* with more bounce.

[sean_miller]

So I guess you think Stan Utley must be stupid for recommending to the average amateur golfer a single club for the short game.

For every instructor or playing professional who recommends the 1-club for all shots approach, there are many more who caution against it. Just sayin'.

[normdamarine]

I really do not want to offend anyone for using the "stupid" word so I will take that back. My point is there are way to many factors involved to just walk up to a chip off the green with one club. Again, that is just my perspective so please do not take any offense to it. To practice chipping with another club really does not take a lot of time. If you use the same motion/length of a chip and just change club it changes the amount of carry/roll. But to each his own, good luck...