Chip Tips – A guide to chipping

Chipping is an essential part of the game and it is easy to become too complacent with it. The trap that many golfers tend to fall into is their stance, they become too rigid to gain control of the shot, but in actual fact control is actually lost.  Here we have a few tips that are sure to improve your chipping and your game.

Club Selection
The first problem to encounter is which club should be used. When choosing your line of clubs there are many things that need to be taken into consideration. For example, you need to think about where you hit the majority of your shots. For most golfers, having an extra wedge in their golf bag is far more useful that having a 3 or 4 iron. Golfers might be advised to bring along an extra wedge with them and sacrifice a long iron. The best wedge clubs to bring for chipping are a 52˚ gap wedge, 56˚ sand wedge and a 60˚lob wedge. All of these wedges will be able to play the basic chip.

Wrist Position
When chipping, players need to be careful about their wrist positioning. Be careful not to let your wrist become too stiff, the softer the grip the more feel you will have for the swing and able to judge the distance. To gain the perfect position, grip the club softly and hinge your left wrist as you take the club back.

Don’t be Rigid
As well as players keeping their wrists stiff when playing through the ball, they also keep their bodies stiff. The tip is to loosen up, let your body twist as you make the swing so that your chest ends up facing in the direction that you have hit the ball. This will help you keep the club moving at a steady pace to give you a more consistent swing.

Weight distribution
On all chip shots you should always consider your weight distribution. When taking the shot, try to distribute the weight evenly on both your left and right feet, but when taking the shot, allow more of the weight to fall on to the left side.

Knees
When going to take the swing, ensure that you have the right knee slightly bent. Doing this will help move the weight towards the target and promote the release of the upper body, giving you slightly more power and accuracy when making your chip.