When you miss the green you want to be able to
“get up and down” by chipping the ball close enough to one putt.
Here are some techniques that will help you in your chipping.
When you miss the green you want to be able to “get up and down” by chipping the ball close enough to one putt. Here are some techniques that will help you in your chipping.
Set up relaxed, with your weight primarily on your left side, and set your hands ahead of the ball. This helps to prevent one of the worst flaws of a chip shot – that of reverse pivoting and scooping the ball with the weight on your back foot. The set up favoring the left side helps to facilitate the more efficient crisp, downward stroke on the ball. Watch Tiger next time you see him chipping. His set-up will be relaxed, firm, and have the weight set-up to the left. You might not be as good as Tiger, but there’s no reason you can’t have his set-up.
Visulaize the spot on the green where you want the chip to land. Too often, the golfer gets pin-conscious and lands it too close to the stick, which causes it to roll too far past. Or the golfer gets too anxious and looks up to see where it’s going – the dreaded chili-dip. The solution is to find the spot where you want it to land, and to execute the shot that lands it there. Of course, you will leave room for it to roll to the hole once it has hit the ground. The important thing to remember is to have a target where your shot is to land. Gravity and momentum will take care of the rest.
On the downward swing, chip downward and through the ball with a firm left wrist. The way to consistently chip the ball well is with a stroke that crisply accelerates down and through the ball. The club is controlled by the muscles in the forearms (particularly the left), and at impact, the left wrist that is firmly in control allows the golfer to strike the ball with the same amount of force (approximately) every time. This allows the golfer to determine the distance he hits the ball by how far he takes the club back.
So, with a good set-up, a slow takeaway, and a smooth crisp downward stroke, you can achieve a consistent chipping stroke that will allow you to hit that chip shot close to the hole. Make sure you accelerate through the ball, and follow through with as much stroke as you had on your takeaway. Try these tips, and with practice, strokes will be shaved off your game.
Dave Tuttle is the First Assistant Golf Pro at Coyote Creek Golf Course. For information about classes, email dl****@*********ke.com or call 463-8024.
