Sorry, another chipper question

[PaddyMac]

I’m probably bringing up an old topic/thread and apologies if I am any advice so I can get it clear in my head would be much appreciated.

I started to play last year and I struggle most now with my game just off the green. It’s the shots that require feel rather than a full swing. I have a 52 and 58 degree that I can hit well on a full swing but if the ball is just off the green on a tight fairway I sometimes cause the ball to jump forward a few feet or skull it to the back of the green.

When I was reading articles on here, the mention of a chipper came up and was advocated quite heavily by David in FL, so I started to think that maybe bagging one was a possibility. Yesterday when I went to local pro shop to possibly buy one, when I mentioned it to my local pro, after looking at my swing he said that I had the shaft leaned forward too much and the ball too far back in my stance decelerating too much in my hit for such a short swing with my 52/58.  

He agreed with the chipper but advised to use a 7 iron gripped down with the same putter stroke and that is in fact the same as a chipper so why waste money and bag a club that I already have.

I asked why they made a separate club then for chipping. He explained the bounce and loft are much the same and it was the putter stroke that was the key to a successful shot just off the green. He said that the idea was to keep the ball as low as possible and let it roll to the pin and the 7 iron with a putter stroke would solve all my woes.

Does this make sense?  And again apologies if I’m hashing out an old question.

[RussUK]

I used to have a chipper when i started but i just took up a space in the bag. Using the 7 iron with a putting stroke works really well, just put in the practice with it.

I kind of worked out my own way of chipping which looks silly (weight forward with knees leaning towards target, little wrist action) but works for me and i can alter the height and distance putting the ball forward/back and using my 4 wedges.

Dave Pelz has 2 good videos on youtube if you search for Dave Pelz lob wedge and Dave Pelz chiiping. The chipping one he has the ball of his trail foot, feet angled to the target and using an 8 iron delofted to approx 5 iron. Says it helps eliminate fat chips.

There are many ways of chipping, just need to find what works for you and the style of short game you have.

[MattM]

 No the 7I method is not the same as a chipper.  It does not have the same bounce in fct its far from it.  The chipper has a lot of bounce nd is mad to have close to the same lie as a putter.  If you have room im your bag I recommend it!

My advice is to look into the Cleveland smart sole C.  Its rferred to as a utility wedge which is the right term!  Im deadly with it in chipping situations, but when under a tree or something i can accurately hit a low shot 150 yards if need be...Its come in big in tournament play for me so far!  

[Keith White]

Believe it or not I have a mate who hits a chipper from 100yrds and in.  He loses a lot more than he realises in my opinion and it only works as he knows his home course very well.

I agree that the putter grip is key for the really short ones, I find it easier to accelerate and make a swing because the putted 7 iron is a duller reaction off the face so you can commit a little more to it.  Just be careful and make sure that your still going through the ball with the 7 iron or you can blade it, and if the ball is down in thick rough it probably won't work.  Just experiment, it's a simple effective shot that just needs getting used to.

[PaddyMac]

35 minutes ago, RussUK said:

Dave Pelz has 2 good videos on youtube

 

21 minutes ago, MattM said:

My advice is to look into the Cleveland smart sole C

 

19 minutes ago, Keith White said:

He loses a lot more than he realises in my opinion

 

Thanks for the advice guy's... I def check out the videos and to be honest the Cleveland smart sole looks like a runner (didn't know they existed) .. thanks again

[Hacker4life]

PaddyMac,

Chipping and Pitching for me has finally turned a corner and I can get up and down in a relatively consistent manner. I used to blade it, hit supper fat shots, I would use my putter four or five feet off the green. But for me I really experienced with different techniques. First is aim point. Most people when chipping and pitching focus on the pin. This is a bad aim point and most times people fly the ball the that location and it rolls out to much. For me when chipping and pitching it is pretty boring. I hit the ball on the front of the green and let it roll up. Before getting your chipper spend some time working on different techniques. Swinging the club the shortest distance leaves the least amount of room for mistakes. So if you are just of the green and have a lot of green to work with chip with a 7i. I like my PW for chipping around the green. I feel that I have a lot of confidence and can control that shot. I think step up and confidence is the key to these shots. Try putting your weight on your front foot, ball in the center stance and used the bounce of the club. Practice, practice, practice.   

[arturo28mx]

On 9/8/2017 at 7:27 AM, MattM said:

 No the 7I method is not the same as a chipper.  It does not have the same bounce in fct its far from it.  The chipper has a lot of bounce nd is mad to have close to the same lie as a putter.  If you have room im your bag I recommend it!

My advice is to look into the Cleveland smart sole C.  Its rferred to as a utility wedge which is the right term!  Im deadly with it in chipping situations, but when under a tree or something i can accurately hit a low shot 150 yards if need be...Its come in big in tournament play for me so far!  

I use a Cleveland smart sole chipper. It has 43 degrees of loft, slightly less than my AP2 pitching wedge at 45 degrees. (a 7 iron has 34 degrees of loft or less). The major difference I see is not loft, or bounce, or even a shorter shaft. The major difference is WEIGHT. My Cleveland chipper is much heavier than a 7 iron or a pitching wedge and this gives me a lot more control to produce the distance I want on fine precise shots. When I don't have the chipper I use my pitching wedge and I can still obtain good results, but I am not as precise distance wise.

[Lihu]

On 9/8/2017 at 5:13 AM, RussUK said:

I used to have a chipper when i started but i just took up a space in the bag. Using the 7 iron with a putting stroke works really well, just put in the practice with it.

I kind of worked out my own way of chipping which looks silly (weight forward with knees leaning towards target, little wrist action) but works for me and i can alter the height and distance putting the ball forward/back and using my 4 wedges.

Dave Pelz has 2 good videos on youtube if you search for Dave Pelz lob wedge and Dave Pelz chiiping. The chipping one he has the ball of his trail foot, feet angled to the target and using an 8 iron delofted to approx 5 iron. Says it helps eliminate fat chips.

There are many ways of chipping, just need to find what works for you and the style of short game you have.

Yeah, it seems like if there's enough bounce in a club it can pretty much be used as a chipper.

I used one for a while, but the double sided edge meant it took up two clubs, and was likely non-conforming anyway...

 

[chilepepper]

I had a chipper some time ago. It just ended up taking up space. Most of your iron can do double duty if you put in the time practicing with them. 

[Lihu]

I think chippers were useful when 7i had only 3* of bounce or something like that.

[RussUK]

3 minutes ago, Lihu said:

I think chippers were useful when 7i had only 3* of bounce or something like that.

Do you think Odessey were a bit off target when they re released their idea of the chipper?

Couldnt justify the price even if i had wanted one. You can get a custom made one through Hireko for a fraction.

[Lihu]

Just now, RussUK said:

Do you think Odessey were a bit off target when they re released their idea of the chipper?

Couldnt justify the price even if i had wanted one. You can get a custom made one through Hireko for a fraction.

Possibly, but OTOH, in thick Bermuda grass more bounce is nice. So, they probably have some market for players on those courses. My home courses have fringes made out of this stuff, but most of the time when you need that much bounce a putter isn't too bad an idea.

If there's thick rough, it seems like a chipper isn't going to be that much better than just using your favorite wedge.

I know quite a few golfers who use chippers, but the vast majority don't. My personal preference is I'd rather have one or two more clubs that can hit longer so I have more options on different courses.

[IrishAndy]

I bought my wife a chipper as she's having trouble getting the hang of chipping.  Great off of the tight stuff, but the issue comes with snarly rough around the green... the amount of commitment often needed to get through the rough with pop the ball out where it runs from one side of the green to the other.

My best solution to that has been to chip with my 64* with a pitting (ish) stroke and only the very toe of the club on the ground.  Even short-sided that seems to get through the rough and stop the ball reasonably quickly.  I think a chipper can be a good stop-gap but only from the right lies.

Back to the OP, personal opinion, but although 'feel' is indeed involved in these shots with less than full swing, it's probably not your feel that's really letting you down, but rather technique.  With the right technique you'll be able to be a little more aggressive through the ball and not be wondering it you're going to blade it 20 feet over the green.  It takes a decent amount of practice, but is so worth it, and it's a really satisfying feeling when you start having options around the green.

[PaddyMac]

2 hours ago, IrishAndy said:

Back to the OP, personal opinion, but although 'feel' is indeed involved in these shots with less than full swing, it's probably not your feel that's really letting you down, but rather technique.  With the right technique you'll be able to be a little more aggressive through the ball and not be wondering it you're going to blade it 20 feet over the green.  It takes a decent amount of practice, but is so worth it, and it's a really satisfying feeling when you start having options around the green.

Thanks for advice it turns out that I tried the chipper for a round and didn't like the results, (limited amount of options I thought off various lies as mentioned... and didn't seem to get airborne enough and stop as desired it kept rolling off the same as I was hitting the 7iron with putting stroke) I did however get a tip from someone that I was playing with , he said that he uses a 52/56/58 and gets really handsy with close chips as opposed to using putting stroke. I tried this and like the movement, so for the time being will stick with feet together and wrist/flip action next the greens.

Not sure if this is the best move but so far best for me... thanks to all for advice and comments.

[Lihu]

3 minutes ago, PaddyMac said:

Thanks for advice it turns out that I tried the chipper for a round and didn't like the results, (limited amount of options I thought off various lies as mentioned... and didn't seem to get airborne enough and stop as desired it kept rolling off the same as I was hitting the 7iron with putting stroke) I did however get a tip from someone that I was playing with , he said that he uses a 52/56/58 and gets really handsy with close chips as opposed to using putting stroke. I tried this and like the movement, so for the time being will stick with feet together and wrist/flip action next the greens.

Not sure if this is the best move but so far best for me... thanks to all for advice and comments.

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