Chipping is often something that pro’s thrive on while the average golfer often seems to struggle with. What appears to be a relatively simple shot can often have disastrous results and cost amateur golfers a significant amount of shots during the course of a round. So what do the professionals know that the amateurs don’t? The answer to that question is that thy know how to do the simple things right. The fundamentals of the shot are the key to its creation, and understanding those fundamentals is the most important part of playing this shot.
Start with the “Y”
As we look at Tiger’s set up from a face on point of view we can see a very distinct “Y” shape between Tigers arms and the golf club. This is a crucial part to being able to control your chip shots and becoming a consistent chipper of the golf ball. The “Y” should remain throughout the swing, and although the wrists may hinge a small amount if the shot is long enough, we should not see much fold in the elbows and the club really shouldn’t rise too much above the knee for this type of shot.
Tall and upright for more accuracy
With chipping most golfers make the mistake of assuming it is the same set up as the full swing, however this is often the most costly mistake you could make. Chipping is a far more controlled movement than the full swing and we should make adjustments to accommodate this. Standing tall at address and creating a more upright shaft angle at address will reduce the rotation of the club face during the swing. This will help you improve your consistency, your accuracy and your strike with every chip shot you play.
Low Means Low
A low running ball flight is key to producing great chip shots. How you finish your chip shots can tell us a lot about what will happen the golf ball after it leaves the club face. Ideally we want to see the left wrist stay quite flat throughout the shot, allowing the left arm and the club to finish almost in a straight line with a low club head position. Keeping the handle ahead of the club head allows the club to decrease in loft and maintain a very low flight for the ideal chip and run shot.
