chipping lesson from Tiger

[Hacker James]

My short game is decent. Not good mind you, but decent. I can manufacture many types of shots, but I sometimes can not be as consistent as I would like to be. The other day I happened to notice a still photo of Tiger chipping and the first thing that caught my attention was how upright and close together his chipping stance is.  He has a little bend at the knees, but his feet are very close together. The next thing I noticed was he used a sort of rocking motion from his shoulders. He maintained a flat left wrist, a sort of modified hinge and hold but with a measure of fluidity to it. 

Curious, I looked at a few videos, especially his save at the Farmers'. I did not see a lot of rotation, but there was some.  In any event, I tried to replicate it (somewhat) and what I discovered was that I could find the bottom of the arc very consistently. I then could regulate the height for those close in shots by simply the amount of right wrist hinge on the take away and to some extent by ball placement. Most importantly, my accuracy has improved noticeably where shot after shot kept the line I was aiming at.

Now as with anything else, it could be short lived. What is a break-through today, may be non existent tomorrow. But, I will accept it - for now.

Edited February 12, 2017 by Hacker James

[Hacker James]

as an add on drill as I get more proficient. I borrowed a drill from antiquity wherein one takes the same club and hits from different distances.  I place four hitting mats (1 x 2) at intervals of 5, 10, 15, 20 yards and try to chip to each one. Its a fun way to practice and adds a purpose as many, many, have already experienced.

[Buckeyebowman]

What you've discovered is hardly revolutionary. Many instructors have recommended the exact same things for years! The most important thing is, does it work for you? If it does, keep using it. If it doesn't, find something else!