Chipping and Pitching
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Chipping and Pitching - Playing the Percentages Game  Pretty much everyone will tell you that the goal when chipping or pitching in golf is to get the ball to travel the least amount of distance in the air and have it roll along the green. Most beginners will aim a foot or two before the hole and then get upset when they hit a perfectly struck ball past the hole and off the back of the green. Yes they hit a great shot, but they did not account for how much the ball would roll once it hit the green.
The reason is that the green rules the ball. Very rarely do you have a straight, level path to the hole, which means that slopes and undulations on the green will affect the roll of the ball. The quicker the ball is rolling and conforming to those slopes and undulations, the better the chance you'll have of sinking of the shot. That being s...Read entire article |
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Number 1 Chipping Tip (Plus a Chipping Drill)  We've covered using different clubs (besides a pitching/sand/lobb wedge) for chipping in past articles, and that in and of itself is a great tip. However, the number one chipping tip in golf is to ensure that your hands lead the club face.
One thing you can do to try and ensure that your hands lead your swing when chipping is to position the ball pretty far back in your stance. I've even seen some golfers position the ball behind their back foot. It is literally impossible to swing the club with the ball positioned this far back in your stance without having your hands lead the way. This will also promote a "descending blow" when you make contact with the golf ball. It is the angle of the clubface in ...Read entire article |
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Golf Chipping Tip - One Thing NOT To Do  Chipping in golf is supposed to softly carry the ball to your target, as opposed to driving or iron-play which are most often accompanied by strong and fast swings. Chips are supposed to be approached with finesse to produce loft and "quietly" roll the ball along the green once it makes contact. Because of this, golfers often try to slow down their swing and end up making physical mistakes which will have a negative impact on the outcome of the shot.
In essense a chip shot in golf is like sub-section of your normal swing. True your stance might be slightly different or you may play the ball at a different location, but essentially you want to swing the same. The only difference is that you are only taking a small percentage of your swing. So the key thing to remember is that you do...Read entire article |
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Chipping Club Selection Based on Lie  Many golfers hear the term "chip" and automatically reach into their bag to pull out their pitching wedge. Don't get me wrong, I don't think their is ANY type of chip or pitch that could not be turned into a successful shot by using a pitching wedge. The pitching wedge is an absolute utility club, however you may find better results using "specialized" chipping clubs such as a sand wedge, lobb wedge, or other club.
The type of lie and desired shot should really determine the club you use to chip when around the green: Lobb wedge: I love chipping with my lobb wedge. It's just a regular lobb wedge, not a high lobb wedge, but I still get plenty of loft out of it. When I hit it just right, the ball floats effortlessly in the air, hits the green nice and soft, and usually has some...Read entire article |
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Flop Shot - When to Use It When Chipping  Rule of thumb when chipping or pitching in golf dictates that you get the ball onto the green and let it roll as far as possible so that it will succumb to the natural undulations of the green. In most circumstances this works and avoids many chips which shoot past the hole or end up off the green past the pin.
There are times, however, when a direct line to the green may not exist. There may be a tree, or a tree branch in you normal chipping arc line, or you may be several feet below the green if it raised significantly from the fairway. In these cases it may not be advantageous, or even possible, to try and hit your normal chip with hopes of the ball traveling along a more line-drive path. When these situations arise, it may be better to rely on a flop shot. In essence a ...Read entire article |
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Bunkers Shots - Chipping from Sand Traps  Nothing ruins a hole that seems to be going well like a short iron shot that lands in a sand trap next to the green. Just a little bit more distance, or a little bit more left or right, and you could have avoided the sand bunker. But, what's done is done, and now it is time to focus on a successful chip from the sand. Many golfers think a sand shot is an extreme alteration from a normal chip shot. While some techniques may differ slightly or may be more exaggerated, the basic goal is the same; get the ball in the air a short distance and let it roll with the green. The same short, compact swing is needed, and it is an absolute necessity you "chop" under the ball. One of the main differences between a normal chip shot and a sand shot is that the club-face should be a litt...Read entire article |
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Chipping Success - Eliminate Chunk Shots and Line Drives  Two of the most annoying chip shots that result when around the green are the "chunk shot" and the low line drive. The chunk shot is caused by hitting the ground before the ball, coupled with a decelerating swing, which usually results in a huge divot a ball that barely moves. The low line drive is caused by a fear of hitting the ground before the ball and results in the club striking the ball without hitting the ground at all and a line drive shot that skims across to the other side of the green (if you're lucky!). The chunk shot's main cause is a slow downswing. While striking the ground too far before the ball is definitely a problem, with a strong downswing the ball should go somewhere so long as you don't strike the ground too far before the ball. The real c...Read entire article |
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Golf Chipping Tip - Using More Than Just Your Pitching Wedge  Nothing beats having the perfect setup shot to use your pitching wedge to chip onto the green. Maybe you're 20 or 30 yards out and the pin is playing in the middle or back of the green. With a comfortable swing you can get a nice medium-high arc, hit the front of the green, and watch the ball bounce and roll within a few feet of the cup... The above is not a common shot when approaching the green. Most golfers find themselves farther away, or with an advantegeous lie, or in a bunker, or without a direct line to the green, or any other non-perfect example. In these situations it may be better to look to other clubs than a pitching wedge to hit a more successful chip. Take, for example, a longer shot, maybe 40 or 50 yards out. A pitching wedge would be too light of a swi...Read entire article |
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Tips for Better Chipping and Pitching  Chipping and pitching, otherwise known as your "short game" (minus putting), is one of the three most important areas of golf (driving and putting being the others). In order to play a successful hole, or to make up for poor driving or long iron play, you must be able to chip and pitch the ball well. The number one rule to remember when chipping and pitching is that the ball bounces and rolls after it hits the green (or first makes contact with the ground). Many golfers fail to take this into consideration and end up with a ball that goes far past the hole. Different types of chips and pitches result in different types of bounces and rolls. A flop shot, for example, will have several bounces that are close together and will tend not to roll as much due to the shot's hi...Read entire article |
