Want to be a better chipper? A new philosophy
 

Conventional wisdom is it is best to land the ball near the edge of the green and let it run the rest of the way to the hole. I completely disagree with this approach. If you are 24 yards from the hole and have a lot of green to work with and use a 6 iron with a 1:6 (carry:roll ratio) and land the ball 1 foot beyond the correct landing spot you will be 7 feet long. Now if you have a 1:1 carry to roll ratio with a SW and you land it 3 feet beyond the correct landing spot you will be 6 feet beyond the hole. I don't know about everyone else, but if I chip with a 3 iron it is extremely easy to miss a spot 2 or 3 yards in front of me by a couple of feet, with a 1:10 carry to roll ratio this becomes a serious issue.

I don't believe the solution is to chip with the highest lofted club in the bag, but rather to figure out if you are good at carrying the ball short distances and letting it roll out, or if you are better at carrying the ball further and rolling it less. If you take out 3 or 4 clubs, say a SW, 8 iron, and a 5 iron and pick 3 targets, 10 yards, 20 yards, 30 yards and alternate the order you try each club you can start to get an idea of whether you are better with the longer irons or the shorter irons. Once you do the test, you might be surprised to find that you have been chipping with the wrong clubs. For me, a 9 iron with a 1:3 is ideal and a 6 iron is horrible when I spot chip, but it is quite good once I just look at the target and pretend I am putting rather than spot chipping.

I personally think it is nearly impossible to be good at chipping with 4 or more clubs without a lot of practice. It is easy when you are chipping to not have a feel for precisely how hard to hit a 7 iron to carry it 4 yards for example, particularly when your last 3 chips called for a SW. I think for most players mastering two clubs like a SW and a 9 iron for most chips will yield an excellent gain. Tiger chips almost exclusively with his LW and Annika went from chipping with 3 clubs to only 1! Maybe the shortcut is mastering 1 or 2 clubs rather than 6 or 7. Only through testing can you get an objective answer for yourself.

Matt

Right on Matt, that is exactly what I chip with; a SW or a 9 iron. Cool.

I use a PW or 8i depending upon the shot (uphill, downhill, etc) including the landing area. It is easier to practice with 2 clubs as noted than practicing with the entire bag. Am going to add the hybrid this year.

I've found that the same thing works for me. As much as the talking heads advise multiple chipping clubs, that approach seems much harder to me. Also, I find that more spin on a chip is more forgiving if the gun goes off in my hands.

Educated hands and controlled clubhead lag pressure and you can chip, pitch, lob with any club you want.
Remember the beauty of The Golfing Machine is its flexibility!!!

Todd

Chipping
 

matt,
my own philosophy has always been to chip with a sw, pw, or 9 iron. i vary the position depending on how much roll i want. i agree with not having to practice with too many clubs.

regards,
jim:)

I pretty much agree. But in addition to lag pressure, it IMO is very important to control the (amount of) lag itself - and the more so the more lofted the club is. Hitting soft landing 10 - 30 yarders with a 60* can produce very reliable carry distances and roll distances. On my home course - which doesn't have PGA sized greens. I use PW until I need more loft. Then I move to GW, SW and eventually LW. On large green on a links course - and a lot of roll between me and the hole I may be down to a 6 iron - and out of my comfort zone I must admit.

I chip with my 7 iron and will attempt to use my putter as much as possible (even from rough and long distances.)

The more I play, the more I buy into the fact that the above is the attitude I must have to produce consistency and precision. Conditions of greens and surroundings can change greatly, and I must have the flexibility to adapt. For example, damp, and therefore slower greens might present the opportunity to roll the ball with less loft to a tucked hole location (where you wouldn't want to take a chance of "flying" the ball over the hole).

Since learning lag and aiming point, I chip most of the time with a lob wedge, unless I need a significant amount of run. My chipping has never been better. I agree that with the proper technique, you can chip better with one club. If you are using a chip-putt, then it makes sense to vary the club selection.

Add some thrust knowledge and control distance with every club.

Comfortable Stroke
 

I vary club selection from LW to maybe a 7i depending on many factors: green speed, green firmness, slope, mandatory carry, etc... . A key for me is to pick a club, given the circumstances outlined, which allows me to make a comfortable stroke. Sort of the Goldilocks approach. The stroke isn't too short to make it twitchy nor too long requiring lots of body motion, but just right.

I think everyone has a comfortable chipping stroke which is most repeatable. You can find it by picking a distance to chip and going through all the clubs until you find the one you get closest the mostest. That stroke should be applied as often as you can by just switching clubs as the circumstances change. I have tried this approach and it seems to work well.

So.. what are everyone's thoughts on tempo on chipping?

Let the CF take over? a lag pressure chipping?

Very limited -if any- CF in a chip.

so.. control/maintain/monitor the lag pressure you think?

It is a scoring shot, isn't it?

CF needs maximum speed to be useful.

You can still Turn then Roll the hands back and use Horizontal Hinge if you like, with a Non- Automatic Release and Hands driving to their visual Impact location.

or just Hit.

Zero out #3 by either putting grip in cup of left hand or setting up with high hands. Then PULL it through.

I think it is better to get the ball on the ground as soon as possible when you are around the green. My thought is based on the premise of putting. We roll the ball when we putt. Why? Because the ball can be controlled to a greater degree (through touch and feel) and it is more likely to fall into the hole when it is rolling than when it is bouncing (high shot). Prove it to yourself. Take five balls and putt from 30' or more from 5' off the green. Now take your favorite club from the same place and see the results. If you are better with the lofted club you are a rare bird and probably should use that club often. But if you are like most golfers you'll find that you were better and more consistent rolling the ball with the putter.
When I have short shots around the green I see two shots a high one and a low one. What will the low shot look like? What does the high one look like?
I'll try to go with what looks best to my eye at the time. The worst mistake you make is trying to play the "correct" shot but not having the confidence to play it. Go with what you see and you'll be pretty good. But practice the chips, the pitches, the bump and runs, the lobs, they are all important!

Pat

the real question is what is your technique? the answer should be, open stance, ball WELL FORWARD...off your Left toe, and slice the ball to the hole...Consider that for a while, better yet, try it.

Oh, that the clubs of choice are gap through 5i. You only need a SW if the ball is in mid- to deep rough and you need....speed. Sam set-up and ball position though.

Always vertical hinging, outside-in cut.

Ball back is for links golf or hacks.

300:
Are you left handed? How can a ball be positioned forward and be off your Right toe? Also, the lie dictates the ball position and the club to use, don't get caught into playing a textbook shot out of an untextbook lie.
Concerning spin, the less spin the better, as the ball and it's bounces are more predictable. Tom Watson had a great career on not spinning his pitches and chips. You need to know how to hit it high and with spin, just don't let that become your bread and butter shot...Your thoughts?

Pat

Thanks, I corrected my posting error, I meant Left toe.

My experience is, clean lie or in the rough, ball well forward, with a slicing action, yields best results. As my instructor says, "TRY IT FIRST", then conclude.

Out of the rough, SW or GW is needed since you have to generate speed to get it out and near the hole, where, speed with a 7 iron will blow it well past the hole.

Interesting topic. I have three clubs that i use around the green: a 54, 58, and 64. I try to hit them with the same motion and let the club do the work. For the sake of this discussion lets pretend we are on a level green that is raised up 4 feet. my standard club is the 58*. I try to use this most of the time because i can hit it within 10 feet of the pin and it will release close with a solidly struck shot. the 54* is used when lets say the pin is back and i mis-club and have to pitch from the front edge of the green. and finally the 64* is used when i short side myself and miss the green close the flag. i can hit the ball in the air and the ball releases a foot or 2. its a point and shoot club.

My struggles lately have been when im chipping across some break to a pin that is up on a shelf with a landing area the size of a rug. im hesitant to fly the ball close to the pin because if i come up short then i have a major uphill 20-30 foot putt and if i go long then im off the green and chipping back up. Now obviously i can chip left or right of the pin but when you chip it 15 feet to either side of the hole it defeats the purpose of leaving yourself a chance to make par.

insight to you guys strategy would be nice.

Slope Rating
 

I may not be imagining your scenario accurately, but I can share an approach that has been helpful to me when dealing with multiple tiers. I have found it helpful to pick a spot at the foot of the incline, seldom if ever pitching it into the bank. Essentially to get the ball rolling up the slope and guaranteeing a fairly predictable bounce. If the gradient is severe go to a lower hotter shot.