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If you are confident in your
chipping stroke then all of a sudden the pressure is off your longer
shots to the green (approach play). If you miss the green then you
can recover in one shot anyway. Watch the professionals on TV and
picture in your mind the feel and visualization they use. The chip
stroke can be played with any club from 3 wood to lob wedge. Many use
only the lob wedge for chipping. You can get the ball up in the air
with a little spin and develop a good feel; however, there are other
clubs that will really turn your game around.
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8 Iron
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9 Iron
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| Pitching
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Sand wedge |
Assuming you have a decent stroke then
you need to practice to develop a feel for the chip shot, you
should also:
Watch the pros on the TV and see just how
many practice swings they make with their short shots. More than
their full swings - why?
The pros know to the yard how far they can
hit each club with a full swing; however, because a chip stroke is
not made anywhere near maximum power the distance is
unpredictable.
The practice strokes you see them making are
actually a visualization or experiment of the shot they are about
to attempt. They are
visualizing:
- height
- length of flight
- bouncing point (first)
- roll
Once the shot is clear in their minds they
simply repeat their experimental practice shot - they have no need
to look after the shot early.
Notice the similarities between your
chipping and putting strokes and bear this in mind when assessing
the length of the stroke you use.
Follow the simple
guidelines to successful chipping which follow for rapid
improvement in your scores!
1. Club selection
Because the ball
position is further back towards the right foot and the
hands are forward the clubface is less lofted so it hits
lower and further.
remember:
the more loft on the clubface, the longer the strike
must be which gives more time for error and misjudgment
select the club which has just
enough loft to clear all the rough stuff but land the
ball quickly on the green so it can roll for longer.
(see illustrations)
2. Chipping
theory
a chip stroke is only necessary
when you have rough ground to get over (carry). This is
when you can't putt to the hole, without going through
rougher grass than the green.
(see illustration)
the idea of a chip is to jump the
ball over (carry) any rough ground and land it on the
green as quickly as possible - then let it roll up to
the hole
- Set up for
chipping as follows:
- Move your hands
a little to the right of the grip to show 3 knuckles
on the left hand
- Slide your
hands a little lower on the rubber grip
- Position the
hands opposite the left thigh
- Position your
feet only 4 - 5 inches apart
- Position the
ball opposite the right big toe
When playing the chip shot remember to:
- Rock the shoulders rather than
turn them
- Keep the club head very close
to the ground
- Take only a short back swing
- Accelerate the club through
the ball (make it go faster until after it has hit the
ball)
- Rock the shoulders back and
through to the final pose position. (note - the
wrists have played no part in the stroke
- Never move your head during
this whole action
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