Chipping vs full swing face rotation

[Rainmaker]

Recently I turned a major corner in my golfswing and this radically changed the part of my swing after impact.  In the past, when I would get to A8, my club shaft would be pointing to the right of where it actually should be and the toe would be pointing off to the right as well.  Now it's pretty close to where it should be and toe is pointing more straight up.  Ok . .good.  Except I recently played a round and I realized I have no idea how to chip now.  

I always used to chip with an open face, lined up way left and leaving the face open.  I would finish just past waist high with my clubface wide open.  I was not/am not a very good chipper - but during the round I found myself confused . .do I leave the face open still?  Do I turn it over so the toe is pointing up?  I played around with this during the round and, quite predictably, had the worst chipping day EVER.  Toe up and it would go to long . .face wide open and I left it short.  Clearly I need to go to the woodshed . .but when i do . .should I practice closing the face or leaving it open?  Obviously leaving it open gives a higher launch and a quicker stop.  I actually had a chipping lesson a long time ago where my teacher instructed me to leave the face wide open and line up way left . .but is this just because I was not closing the face right in my full swing . .or is this a good way to chip?

 

 

[phillyk]

Easy answer: stick with open-ish face and learn to hit a low runner and normal shot by adjusting shaft lean at impact (or how far ahead your hands are from the ball).  It's harder to hit both high and low shots with a closed/square face.  Harder answer: learn both, and know when and how to hit each shot.  I use both methods depending on how much green I have, the slope of green, and what my lie is like in fw or rough, etc.

[dchoye]

10 hours ago, Rainmaker said:

Recently I turned a major corner in my golfswing and this radically changed the part of my swing after impact.  In the past, when I would get to A8, my club shaft would be pointing to the right of where it actually should be and the toe would be pointing off to the right as well.  Now it's pretty close to where it should be and toe is pointing more straight up.  Ok . .good.  Except I recently played a round and I realized I have no idea how to chip now.  

I always used to chip with an open face, lined up way left and leaving the face open.  I would finish just past waist high with my clubface wide open.  I was not/am not a very good chipper - but during the round I found myself confused . .do I leave the face open still?  Do I turn it over so the toe is pointing up?  I played around with this during the round and, quite predictably, had the worst chipping day EVER.  Toe up and it would go to long . .face wide open and I left it short.  Clearly I need to go to the woodshed . .but when i do . .should I practice closing the face or leaving it open?  Obviously leaving it open gives a higher launch and a quicker stop.  I actually had a chipping lesson a long time ago where my teacher instructed me to leave the face wide open and line up way left . .but is this just because I was not closing the face right in my full swing . .or is this a good way to chip?

 

 

Why not compromise and have an angled hinge finish instead of Horizontal or vertical ?  Works for me if I want those spiny low chips that check up

Edited November 26, 2016 by dchoye

[Rainmaker]

On 11/25/2016 at 1:19 PM, phillyk said:

Easy answer: stick with open-ish face and learn to hit a low runner and normal shot by adjusting shaft lean at impact (or how far ahead your hands are from the ball).  It's harder to hit both high and low shots with a closed/square face.  Harder answer: learn both, and know when and how to hit each shot.  I use both methods depending on how much green I have, the slope of green, and what my lie is like in fw or rough, etc.

Thanks!  I see what you're saying . .makes sense.  I think I'll stick with the open face method, as you suggest, when playing and then start practicing chipping with a square face.  One thing I really need to improve on with all my clubs is trajectory control. I kind of got it to where it's consistent but . .altering it . especially by a specific amount .  . . HA!

[JxQx]

It might be best to just practice chipping with a square club face and implement it immediately as it will allow you to get more comfortable with it sooner. The setup you described sounds kind of like a flop shot setup which definitely has its uses but is probably not the best for every situation. 

[phillyk]

22 minutes ago, JxQx said:

It might be best to just practice chipping with a square club face and implement it immediately as it will allow you to get more comfortable with it sooner. The setup you described sounds kind of like a flop shot setup which definitely has its uses but is probably not the best for every situation. 

The idea with a slightly open face is that you are using the bounce to keep you from digging in the ground.  So long as the apex of the curve of the swing path is at the ball or just before, you won't get hozzle rockets and so long as you are hitting down, you'll get perfect contact every time.  It might take slightly more time to get used to, but the chance of a miss-hit goes way down.  Using a square face brings a few more errors into play.  Not to say that that type of chip is not the way to go, because sometimes I prefer it, like if the ground is super hard and grass cut super short. But, I think you have better odds, overall, in using a slightly open face and using the bounce properly.  

[JxQx]

45 minutes ago, phillyk said:

The idea with a slightly open face is that you are using the bounce to keep you from digging in the ground.  So long as the apex of the curve of the swing path is at the ball or just before, you won't get hozzle rockets and so long as you are hitting down, you'll get perfect contact every time.  It might take slightly more time to get used to, but the chance of a miss-hit goes way down.  Using a square face brings a few more errors into play.  Not to say that that type of chip is not the way to go, because sometimes I prefer it, like if the ground is super hard and grass cut super short. But, I think you have better odds, overall, in using a slightly open face and using the bounce properly.  

I agree it will be easier if the face is slightly open but from the sounds of it the face is completely open and is hitting more of flop shot which is a lot harder out of grass or tight lies.

[Rainmaker]

8 hours ago, JxQx said:

I agree it will be easier if the face is slightly open but from the sounds of it the face is completely open and is hitting more of flop shot which is a lot harder out of grass or tight lies.

No - more like Philly said . .I line up facing left, open the clubface and then make kind of shovey swing and don't close the face.  Typically my hands are well forward.  When done right, the ball launches pretty low, checks up and spins right.  I don't hit any high chips . .all low runners.  

But when I learned that way of chipping - that was sort of a miniature version of my full swing . .kind of a shovey, open face (with compensations) swing with little rotation.  

If I used my "new" swing - with much better rotation and I opened the face then it *would* be a flop shot . .but my historical chip swing is more like a shove/chop.