THIS MONTH'S TIP: Perfecting the chip shot

This is one of the most important shots in golf yet many golfers approach the shot with the wrong mind set,  poor technique and often the wrong club. When dealing with a basic chip keep it BASIC! The shots only function is to loft the ball over any uneven ground between where your ball lies and the putting surface. You want the ball to be rolling smoothly once it lands on the putting surface.

Proper set up is step one. Malcolm Campbell said it best "ball back, hands forward, and weight forward". This promotes a desending angle of attack.
 
Step two deals with selecting the proper club. The closer you are to the putting surface the less loft you need to get the job done, so select a club with lower loft. This is also true if you have a tight or bad lie. Most golfers play too many shots with sand wedges or lob wedges around the greens.
Step three is the actual swing. Hinge the right wrist on the take away. Keep the left wrist firm through impact. Keep the grip pressure light. Control the shot with a soft rocking movement of the shoulders.

A great practice drill is to throw a few balls down around the practice green and play chips shots to a target. Play the ball as it lies and use different clubs experimenting on what works best. After hitting a shot go and try to putt out to so your practice is more like the actual game.

If you have any questions about your game feel free to contact me at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it for more lesson information or click on the link below.