The chip shot is one of the money shots in your golf arsenal.This
little shot can take you from fifty yards out to within inches of
the pin and save you stroke upon stroke. Practice it and your score
card will thank you from the bottom of its heart.
How to play a chip shot.
The way to regularly put the ball close to the hole is to be able
to judge the ball speed and be able to control it. Only a reliable
and repetitive technique can allow you to do this and of all the
shots you play the chip shot will respond most to practice. First
and most important is a solid set up. Make your stance narrow and
slightly open, that is facing left of the pin, you can flare your
front foot a bit, as this will help clear your hip out of the path
of your hands. Keep your shoulders and the club parallel to the
target line. Place the majority of your weight on the forward foot,
left foot for right handed players and place the ball back in your
stance, even as far back as your right heel.Your spine should feel a
little tipped to the left i.e. towards the target. Your hands should
be just ahead of the ball with the butt of the club over your left
thigh. Overall you are in the impact position and you may feel a
little unbalanced but persevere.Practice this pose in front of a
mirror, see how it looks and more importantly ingrain the feeling.
As you do this practice pushing your knees towards the target.
The Hands
Your grip should be fairly firm and a touch on the strong side.By
this I mean you want to have about three knuckles showing on your
left hand, this will help you to keep your hands together without
breaking down on the swing.
The Swing
The swing is created mostly by the turning of the body. Bring the
club back by rotating the trunk and cocking the wrists a little.This
is where the hours of practice pay off as you will learn the amount
of turn and degree of cock to apply to get the ball to where you
want it.On the down swing accelerate the club through the ball
taking a small divot from in front of it. Remember a divot should be
no larger than the palm of your hand, anymore and you are ploughing!
The follow through is quite short, the club rising no more than 45
degrees.Hold that position. This will help your action. A good drill
for this is to place a club shaft a couple of inches behind the ball
and practice the stroke without hitting the shaft. This will train a
descending strike into you which is exactly what you want for this
shot. Let the loft of the club do the work.
The Club
You can play a chip shot with any lofted club from a sand wedge
up to a three iron. The amount of loft will determine the amount of
release when the ball hits the turf.A nine iron will roll out about
as much as the length in the air while a seven rolls about twenty
per cent more. Practice with different clubs to see the difference.
Note that air time should be as short as possible, just enough to
get your ball over the rubbish and the roll out will take you to the
hole. As I stated before this shot will cut your stokes and impress
your playing partners but it needs practice.
