Chipping is an important skill in the short game. It is just as precise as putting in that it requires precise distance and direction control. In addition, chipping adds the requirement to control trajectory and spin. Engaging the fingers can be used to influence trajectory and spin.
Club Selection
I prefer to choose one club for chipping. Just like choosing a putter, the goal is to find a club that you have complete confidence in being able to deliver the desired shot. This means the club must be able to produce the desired distance, direction, trajectory, and spin. The reason to choose only one chipping club is the fact that the chip shot needs to be just a precise as a putt. So, developing the feel for chipping requires a lot of practice. To use more than one club for chipping requires more practice time to develop the feel for chipping using multiple clubs. Professional golfers have the practice time to devote to chipping using multiple clubs. The average golfer does not.
I prefer to use a 56-degree wedge as my chipping club. The wedge provides the flexibility to create shots with a variety of trajectories and spin. I also prefer to treat my chip shots as mini pitch shots: more air time than ground time. The wedge allows the flexibility to control spin and trajectory. Lower lofted clubs like the nine, eight, or seven iron are less flexible and are treated more like a putter. I find it more difficult to get consistent and precise distance control if I just get the ball on the green and let the ball roll to the hole.
Method
The key to using the wedge to chip is to use the bounce of the wedge. The bounce is the lower, rear portion of the club head. The bounce is lower than the leading edge and is used to hit the ground behind the ball in the descending path of the chip shot. Using the leading edge in a descending blow causes the club head to dig into the ground. The bounce will not dig into the ground, but it will compress the ground behind the ball and allow the leading edge to go under the ball without digging into the ground. Opening the club face at least ten degrees will allow the bounce to hit the ground before the leading edge.
I focus on where I want the ball to land on the green and then roll to the hole. Depending on the trajectory and the amount of spin the landing; closer to the hole with more trajectory and spin and farther from the hole with less trajectory and spin.
The motion that I use is mainly in the hands. I use the hands to provide control of the distance, trajectory, and spin. The grip is mainly in the fingers and the grip pressure is very light in order to feel the swing motion of the club head. The rhythm of the stroke is the same as the full swing and putting rhythm. The motion is initiated by the hands, but I allow the arms and body to react to the swing of the club. I try to keep the right elbow stretching down.
Controlling Trajectory
For a low trajectory chip that runs out the most, use the arms instead of the hands. Position the ball one inch behind the center of the stance, stand closer to the ball so that the heel of the club is raised off the ground, and open the face of the club a little. Feel the top of the right triceps stretch up. When the appropriate length of back swing is felt, feel the top of the right triceps “bounce” up to release the club down toward the target. This produces the least amount of spin.
For a medium trajectory “draw” chip, position the ball one-half inch in front of the center of the stance. Stand a little away from the ball, position the feet slightly closed, and open the face of the club at least 15 degrees. To start the back swing, feel the top outside corner of the palm pad stretch up to the outside right. The length of the back swing determines the length of the shot. When the appropriate length of back swing is felt, feel the top outside corner “bounce” down to the outside right to release the club down toward the target.
For a higher trajectory “cut” chip, position the ball a little more forward, stand the normal distance from the ball, and open the body a little bit. To start the back swing, feel the middle of the top of the palm pad of the right index finger stretch up and feel the inside of the palm pad stretch down. The length of the back swing determines the length of the shot. When the appropriate length of back swing is felt, feel the outside of the palm pad continue to stretch down and feel the middle of the top of the palm pad “bounce” up to snap the club down toward the target. At the same time, feel the bottom inside corner of the palm pad of the left index finger stretch down to the left.
For a maximum trajectory “mini lob” chip, set up like the cut chip. To start the back swing, feel the finger nail of the right little finger stretch up and feel the third knuckle of the left little finger, stretch up. The length of the back swing determines the length of the shot. When the appropriate length of the back swing is felt, feel the finger nail of the right little finger “bounce” up and feel the pad of the tip of the left little finger snap up.
Spin
Spin is created with an open club face and club head speed. Using the hands, instead of the arms, to swing the club creates more club head speed needed to create spin. Using the hands described in the medium and high trajectory shots causes the club head to quickly cut across the back of the ball with an open club face to generate the spin. The quicker the snap on the down swing, the more spin is generated. Using a ball with a soft cover can also help to create spin. Having a new wedge with sharp grooves is the best way to create the maximum amount of spin. That is why tour pros change wedges every two weeks!!! They get their wedges for free from the golf club companies. The average golfer is not that fortunate. As the grooves lose their sharpness, less spin is generated. Do not expect to get the spin the tour pros get unless you change your wedge frequently. It is easier to add trajectory to minimize the amount of roll in the chip shot.
Just as in putting, experiment to discover a technique that will result on a method that gives the best chance to chip the ball close to the hole.
Chipping from Long Green Side Rough
One technique to experiment with is the chip from the long rough around the green. This technique involves using the “mini lob” chipping technique to move the club. This means using the right hand in the manner that is used in the “mini lob” chip. Set up with the ball forward in the stance, inside the forward foot. Open the club face and position the hands so that the shaft is vertical, not tilted to the left.
Feel the finger nail of the right little finger stretch up and feel the pad of the tip of the right little finger stretch up. The amount of wrist cock will determine the distance of the chip shot. When the desired amount of wrist cock is achieved, feel the finger nail of the right little finger “bounce” up to “stick” the club head into the ground behind the golf ball. This action brings the club back down behind the ball to pop it up out of the rough. This technique demonstrates how much power there is in the right wrist. Experiment with varying amount of wrist cock to control the distance of the shot.
Here is a link to a Lee Trevino video showing how to play various chipping situations:
Lee Trevino Chipping Situations
Here is a link to a Tiger Woods chipping lesson:
Here is a link to a video of Tiger Woods during a short game practice session: