One of the reasons the world’s best players are so good is that they have stellar short games.
Learning how to chip the ball well will help you save strokes, but it also has side benefits. After all, the motion you use to chip is really just a small version of your full swing. Once you learn to chip well, simply lengthen your swing into a pitch-shot length and then, with a little more motion, you have a full swing. Here are a few variations of the chip shot that will help you save shots around the greens, and maybe even help your full swing, too!
Hold Your Finish
One of the keys to good chipping is to control the length of your swing, back and through the shot. Since you’re hitting a low shot, make sure to finish with the club in a low followthrough. This will prove that your impact and contact positions were good. If you can learn to finish in this position and hold it until your ball rolls next to the cup, you’ll look like a pro!
The Bladed Chip
This specialty shot should be used when your ball comes to rest on the collar of the green but is up against the first cut of rough. (It’s very difficult to make good contact with a standard shot because of the lie.) This shot basically requires you to use a putting motion but with a wedge. Grip down on your sand wedge for control. Set up to the ball like a putt, with your weight balanced and the ball played slightly forward in your stance. Hover the club just above the top part of the rough and make a putting stroke. The goal is to make contact with the leading edge of your sand wedge on the top half of the ball. This produces a rolling shot. Even if you top the ball a little, it will bounce only once or twice and then roll out. This is a fun shot to play but you may want to practice it a little before you attempt it during a round of golf.
The Basic Chip
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The standard setup for a chip shot is quite simple. Using your regular full-swing grip (shorten the club for better control) set up with a narrow stance (your feet should be square or slightly open to the target). Play the ball in the center of your stance or a bit back of center and then lean your weight forward so the weight distribution is somewhere in the 70% (left foot)/30% (right foot) range.
The chip swing is very simple, as your setup has put you in a great position to hit down into the ball. As you swing, your arms and club should swing back to your desired backswing length (this will help determine how far the ball will go). As this occurs, if you feel a little wrist set on the backswing, that’s perfectly okay. Although your hands should be fairly quiet, they shouldn’t be stiff or locked in your backswing. The club should feel like it’s swinging back fairly vertically (your weight distribution at setup will put you in that position). On the downswing, your arms and body should swing the club back to the ball. Your goal is to clip the grass underneath and in front of the ball. On the downswing, it’s important to keep your hands quiet so you hit firmly into impact. The finish position should be low (low shot = low finish).
Downhill Chip
One of favorite shots is a chip shot from a downhill lie. It’s a great shot to learn because the elevation change actually forces you into a chipping setup position and encourages a very descending blow into the ball. Just like all other downhill lies, it’s important that your body lines are parallel with the slope so you can make crisp contact. Lean your weight forward to accommodate the hill, even if it feels like you may fall forward. This position with your weight forward encourages a swing that works from high to low. Finally, the key to good contact is to swing down into the ball. If your wrists “flip,” you’ll top it from this lie. The ball tends to come out “hot” from this lie, so concentrate on controlling your backswing and making good contact. The ball also will come out lower than normal. You may want to use your lob wedge or open your clubface a little to help the ball come out a bit softer. Taken together, these factors will help determine how far your shot travels in the air and on the green.
The Bump-And-Run
It’s not unusual to see the bump-and-run shot at the Masters or British Open where the area around the greens is extremely “tight.” It’s the perfect shot if you’re uncomfortable lofting the ball onto the green. It gets the ball running on the ground and rolling toward the target.
Consider the situation you see me in here. It’s a good bit below the target and afraid to loft the ball to the hole. (If You hit the ball even a little short, it will roll back to me; if You hit it a little long, it’s going to roll away from the hole.) Use an 8-iron here, and just hitting a chip shot into the hill so the ball will slow down as it climbs the hill. This shot takes a little practice to gauge how hitting into the hill impacts your ball’s speed, but it’s a shot that will help you tremendously when you fear hitting the ball in the air.
Bonus Drill: One Foot Back
Set up with a closed stance (pull your right foot back) and then lift your right heel so you’re up on your right toe. To balance yourself, you have to be careful to keep your weight forward and consistent throughout your swing. That’s it! Doing so will help you hit it solidly all the time.
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