CHIPPING
The #2 Swing:
The chip shot involves a very short swing and is designed to improve accuracy when close to the putting green.
Here are a few elements to help improve your score around the greens:
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Hold the club near the bottom of the grip. This will allow the ball to be closer to your feet and give you better control of the club.
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Place your feet slightly open (turned to the left) to the target and position the ball approximately opposite the left heel.
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Maintain the majority of your weight on your left leg during the entire swing (there is no weight transfer).
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Execute the stroke without breaking your wrists during the forward swing.
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Even though this is a short swing you always want to accelerate through the ball.
Address Position:
Your arms should be in a fully extended but relaxed position with your hands slightly ahead of the ball. Your feet should not be as wide as they would be for a full shot and the knees should be slightly more flexed.
Closer to the Ball:
Make sure your hands are low on the grip as this will position you closer to the ball. This position will promote a pendulum swing (straight back to straight through).
7 O’clock to 5 O’clock:
The swing is very short, from 7 o’clock to 5 o’clock as indicated by the instructor.
The backswing and the follow through (forward swing) are approximately the same length.
Finishing Your Swing:
Finish the swing with the arms extended and without breaking your wrists. Let the left arm and the club form a relatively straight line as indicated by the red line.
The swing is an upper body motion initiated by the shoulders with the majority of the weight remaining on the left side throughout the swing. Even though there is no weight transfer there will be a slight movement of the legs towards the target in response to the swing.
Practice and learn this motion and your accuracy will improve dramatically.
Different Clubs:
I will change clubs but I always use the same stroke for this shot. I prefer using a different club and trusting the same stroke to reach the desired distance.
Chipping:
This is a very short swing, again the fastest part of the swing is at the impact area, 6 o’clock.
The Wrists:
To play to your full potential, you must understand how to execute this shot so it becomes second nature. By doing so, your accuracy will improve and your score will drop dramatically.
As a teacher, I will help my students with the finish part of the stroke where the emphasis is on letting the hands lead the club head through the contact area.
I do not want my students to break their wrists at the end of their swing.
Poor Shots:
Here we can see the wrists throwing the club head in front of the hands. This almost always causes poor shots.
The Feeling:
It should feel almost like your arms, wrists and grip are welded together, working as one unit.
The next time you practice or are playing, focus on the follow through of the swing as shown in this picture.
The Chipping Drill:
Hold two clubs as shown in the picture.
Make your stroke from 7 o’clock to 5 o’clock without breaking your wrists. If you are breaking your wrists, the extra club will hit you on your side.
Do not worry about holding the club correctly, the main idea is to be passive with your wrists.
This drill has helped many golfers improve their chipping.
