Chipping Success
By Matt Keel
I am approached nearly every day by students who struggle severely with chipping the golf ball. A chip is one of the shortest shots we make on the golf course, but causes dread in so many golfers that they will put away their wedge and putt through fifteen feet of fringe instead. Although a chip has a low ball flight and rolls out to the hole, the ball still needs to become air born. If a chip stays on the ground the entire time, it might as well be a putt. More often than not, students struggle most with chipping the ball in the air.
Most golfers I see who struggle with chipping are trying to lift the ball into the air rather than using the loft of the club head to get the ball air born. Trying to lift the ball into the air will cause the club head to
work upward creating top spin on the golf ball which causes the ball to stay on the ground. The objective for a chip, just like any other iron shot, is to get the club head down to the bottom of the golf ball creating backspin which will cause the ball to become air born. The truth is that a chip is a very simple shot as long as you set yourself up to win.
Setup
Keep your stance narrow and position the golf ball in the center of your stance as illustrated in picture #1.
Lean your target side shoulder toward your target. You should feel like you can lean your shoulder into a wall, but your hip wouldn’t be able to touch the wall. See picture #2.
Press your hands forward so your hands are positioned in front of the golf ball as shown in picture #3.
Now you are set up in a position that allows your body to make a swing that will impact the ball near the bottom. From this set up simply rock your shoulders back and through like you’re making a putting stroke. See pictures # 4 and #5. It is important that your lower body remain as still as possible through the chip. Keeping your lower body very static will allow your shoulders to create the motion for the chip. Try focusing on a good setup, and in no time you’ll see much better chips.
Matt Keel is the Lead Golf Instructor at Wildfire Golf Club located at the JW Marriott at Desert Ridge. For any questions or information about golf lessons email Matt at Mattkeel@pga.com.
