Golf Tips Short Game can really help lower your golfing score. Isn’t it amazing how a good chip shot can quickly turn a possible disaster into a reasonable hole?
Chipping close to the hole and tapping in a putt can also maintain a positive attitude towards your round and keep you in a good frame of mind for the next hole.
But golfers rarely visit the golf tips short game. They would rather rip drivers to all parts of the range than work on their short game.
Chipping may not be the most glamorous part of the game, but it is a key component to shooting lower scores.
Chipping covers the shots you will play where the ball carries no more than about 10 yards. It is a shot that has a short amount of air time and spends most of the time on the ground.
So how do you effectively practice your chipping?
Your practice should be broken into two equal parts: Technique Practice and Performance Practice.
Technique Practice for Golf Tips Short Game on Chipping
During technique practice you will be hitting balls to no set target.
Rather, the focus is solely on reproducing a sound chipping action that consistently produces a ball-first contact.
- Your feet should be set close together with 60% of your weight on the lead foot and the ball positioned one club head length inside of your lead foot.
- Take your normal full swing grip, but at the bottom of the grip. The club shaft should be leaning slightly towards the target.
- Once in this set up position, make a putting stroke with the club brushing the ground where the ball is sitting.
- Your weight must stay on the lead foot.
- Your hands stay in front of the club head. This ensures a ball-first contact that will result in better distance, flight and spin control.
- Altering the club and the length of the swing, controls changes in distance and flight.
- You should try to land the ball on the green as soon as possible and then let it roll out to the hole.
Performance Practice
During performance practice, the focus moves to games that simulate what you will encounter on the golf course. This will help to sharpen your chipping to where you can alter your shot distance and flight to suit varying situations.
These golf tips short game drills will help you achieve this.
Same target different clubs
Choose a hole on the far side of the chipping green.Play 10 chip shots with your most lofted club, and then 10 with your next most lofted.
Continue this through your clubs until you can no longer land the ball on the green and get the ball to finish at the hole.
Notice the relationship between the amount of flight and roll for each club.
Nearest the pin competition
Play against a friend around the chipping green where you take turns at choosing a hole.Score a point for whomever gets closer, with a bonus point if the ball goes in the hole!
First person to 10 points, wins.
Leapfrog Drill
Find a long section of the putting green that you can chip balls across.Starting with your most lofted club, chip a ball onto the green with the ball finishing as close as possible to the edge of the green closest to you.
With your next ball it must finish past the previous ball.
Continue this across the green, changing clubs as the chips get longer and see how many balls you can leapfrog across the green.
If you come up short on a chip you must start the entire process again.
Work through this practice routine the next time you are practicing your golf tips short game on chipping. I am sure you will find the performance practice fun and over time you will see the improvement in your chipping.
As always, we’d love to hear from you, so leave a comment below with any golf tips or questions you may have!
February 16th, 2010 at 6:41 am
hey this blog is great. I’m glad I came by this blog. Maybe I can contribute in the near future. PM ME on Yahoo AmandaLovesYou702 Thank you day151
March 15th, 2010 at 11:39 am
Your tips on chipping are great, but I am having trouble pitching the ball. From about 50 yards in, I’m starting to shank the ball. I try to square the face of my club, but somehow it still happens. WHAT’s MY PROBLEM???? HELP
March 17th, 2010 at 2:07 pm
Carol – From your message it sounds like you are trying to square your club face to stop the shank. The face being open at impact is not the casue of the shank as it is possible to hit the ball with the hozel regardless of whether the face is open or closed.
There are a couple of ways to hit a shank:
1. You are standing too close to the ball at address.
2. You are moving closer to the ball with your upper body during the swing.
3. You are swinging out towards the ball too much in the downswing, causing your arms to become dicsonnected from your body.
4. You path to the ball is too much from the inside.
Check these few things, but your best option may be a lesson. If you would like to do that please call me at 860 312 2149.
April 9th, 2010 at 6:47 am
There is obviously a whole lot to know about this. I feel you produced some very good points in Attributes also.
May 31st, 2010 at 8:34 pm
You have just provided great tips here. This is very helpful especially to those who are just beginning to learn golfing. Keep it up Derek!