Little Wrist and Left Arm Controls the Shot
Many golfers have the problem of being able to get the ball 400 yards, from the tee to beside the green, in relatively few shots, only to waste vital strokes by mis-hitting their chip shots. Follow these chipping tips and start knocking them close!
First thing is to choke down on the club a couple of inches.
Next use a narrow, open stance. Open the clubface up, but make sure it is still square to the target.
You want to use the same swing for the pitch and the chip shot
When you are chipping, you want to be standing tall. Raise the hands up to pick the heel of the club up and get the toe of the club down. This is going to allow for crisp shots.
Next you want to be playing the ball off of the right foot.
Have the angle of the shaft leaning toward the target.
Now don't forget open stance and the shoulders are going to control the swing.
You want to make sure you keep the left arm against your left side.
Then let the clubhead swing to the left of the target after impact.
You don't want to be rushing the downswing with some jerky moon and getting quick.
You want to ensure that the shaft is leaning toward the target at impact.
To avoid hitting chips and pitches fat
You don't want to be soleing the club when you address the ball
Use a narrow and open stance
What you want to do is to keep the arms connected to the chest and rotate the body rather than sliding the hips laterally and then you will jab at the ball with your hands.
Try to focus your eyes on the front of the ball.
Have the majority of your weight on your front foot
And don't forget the wrist are ahead of the ball at impact
Finish with a complete follow thru
Use arm and shoulder swing, not hands, for short chips.
Let gravity do most of the work on downswing.
Let left arm control club throughout swing with little wrist action.
Play ball back in stance with hands and weight towards target.
For high pitches, start downswing with legs.
You want to open your stance, but square your shoulders.
The club should go straight back and straight through
Rock (like clothes hanger on a hook)
Don't turn the shoulders
You want the arms to start the downswing
Try to use a very light grip
What you want to do is have the clubhead trail and not lead your hands and wrist at impact
Use an inside out swing path and make sure you pivot
The main thing is to not "scoop" the chips and pitches, you want to keep the wrist ahead of the ball at impact.
In pitches, ball and shaft should be centered and weight should be divided evenly.
For distance control, don’t let right hand take control of clubhead speed.
Control the distance on short shots by limiting your backswing.
To avoid thin chips, don’t try to help the ball into the air.
Try to use a low running shot when you can and conditions permit
Now for the low running chip, you want to use a very narrow stance
Again play the ball off of your right foot.
Keep the hands firm and swing straight back and straight thru
For this shot keep you hands finishing low
For a short pop chip
Use an open and narrow stance
open the clubface
You want to play the ball in the middle of your stance
Try to hit the ball from out to in
Don't flip your wrist
When chipping, keep butt of club pointed at belt buckle.
For short shots, move feet closer together and take shallow divots.
Keep lower body still on short chips just off the green.
For long chips, keep lower body relaxed and let it react naturally to actions of arms and upper body. Start downswing by shifting knees toward target.
To improve your rhythm, make your backswing and forward swing equal in length.
If you think about it, judgement of speed is the most important part of a great short game. Being so close to the hole, accuracy is never going to be that much of a problem. At least it shouldn't be. Anyway, so grip down and home in on that flag.
As you could see with these chip and pitch shots, you don't want those wrist to break down. You want the hands to finish ahead of the ball and not scoop the shots. With some practice you will improve.
Here is a quick drill. Grip way down on the club when you are taking your practice swing, say 3 or 4 inches down. Now take your practice swing. If the club handle is hitting your arm then you are flipping your wrist. That is just a little trick I learned that I thought I would share with you. Try that when you are taking your practice swings for your chips and pitch shots.
You will be amazed at the results that you get. Try it out and let me know what you think on my blog. Just put a comment. I would love to hear from you. Puttlightsout blog
So good luck with your short game practice. With a little practice you will be chipping like a champ in no time. You are going to hit those tricky pitches and chips, having more confidence and freedom and you will get much better results.
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