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Inside Golf - April 2004
Become a Better Chipper

Good chippers have the ability to strike the ball consistently every time, fly the ball the distance they would like and choose the right club for each situation.

Consistent Contact

We have all hit chip shots when we hit behind the ball or near its equator. To become a good chipper, you must develop the ability to strike the ball solidly. To accomplish this we need a good set-up and a solid chipping stroke.

SET UP
Our set up should discourage excess lower body motion and promote a descending blow on the ball.
· Your stance should be quite narrow
· Position of the ball opposite your back foot
· Grip down on the handle. This will give you more control over the clubhead.
· Your hands will be slightly ahead of the ball.
· You should have slightly more weight on your front foot.

THE STROKE
Your stroke should be a lot like a putting stroke. It should be an arm and shoulder pendulum motion with very little wrist hinge. The loft of the club will determine how high the ball flies, so you do not need to help the ball up with our wrists. This set-up and stroke will promote the descending blow necessary for solid contact. Notice in the photos below, my arms and club keep swinging right through impact. Many golfers struggle because their arms stop at impact and the club keeps going, causing their wrists to break down and the resulting poor contact.

DISTANCE CONTROL

Consistently solid contact will allow you to learn distance control by changing the length of your stroke. Developing this skill will let you land the ball where you want, on the green whenever possible.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT CLUB

In order to determine what club to use you must decide how much you want the ball to roll after it lands. Very simply, the more loft a club has, the higher a shot will fly and the shorter it will roll. As you practice, use several clubs with different lofts. In time you will know how much roll each club will give you.

Remember to always plan the type of shot you are going to play. Every shot should have a flight component and a roll component. You control the flight with your swing and the club you select controls the amount of roll.