Thursday, June 28, 2007

Golf Chipping Drills and Tips

Golf Chipping Drills and Tips

Chipping - How to:
When setting up for a chip shot you should have your feet fairly close together, about a foot apart, with your weight on your forward foot (left foot for right handed golfers). You should almost be able to lift your back foot right off the ground. Keep your hands ahead of the ball, and make a short back stroke and follow through (always keeping your hands ahead of the ball and no wrist break - like a putting motion). Keep your legs and upper body still - only your arms and shoulders should be moving during the stroke. If your wrists break and you try to "help" the ball up into the air this will de-loft your club and you will most likely "skull" the ball, getting no lift at all.

Chipping - which club do I use?
I always used to have trouble with my chipping - I didn't know any better and would use a wedge and try to land my chip shot close to the pin. My chipping became much more consistent once I learned the following:

You can chip with pretty much any club in your bag. For a more accurate shot, you want to get the ball rolling on the green as soon as possible, rather than have it flying through the air all the way to the pin. Here is how to choose the correct club for the shot you need to make:

Pitching Wedge - for every foot in the air it will roll approximately 1 foot.
9 Iron - for every foot in the air it will roll approximately 2 feet.
8 Iron - for every foot in the air it will roll approximately 3 feet.
7 Iron - for every foot in the air it will roll approximately 4 feet.
… and so on.


So, for example, if you are 4 feet off the edge of the green, and the pin is 4 feet in, you would choose a pitching wedge and try to land the ball just past the fringe on the edge of the green, and have the ball roll the rest of the way to the pin.

If you are 3 feet off the green and the pin is 12 feet from the edge of the green your best bet would be the 7 iron, chipping it 3 feet in the air so it lands just on the edge of the green.

Of course, these figures will vary depending on the speed of the green, and whether you are chipping up or downhill, but if you use this as a general rule of thumb, I think that you will find your chip shots getting much closer to the pin.

Golf Chipping Drills:

Target Practice
When chipping you want to get your ball in the air, just past the edge of the green and have it roll the rest of the way to the pin. Thus, the thing that is going to improve your chipping the most is distance control. This is something that you can easily practice in your back yard. Set up a small target laying flat on your lawn, and practice landing the ball on that target (pretending it's the edge of the green). Start from about 3 feet away. If you can make 5 balls in a row land on your target (landing before the target and bouncing on to it doesn't count!) then move back 1 foot and start again. Make sure to practice this with all of your clubs, not just your wedges!

Golf: Tips for hitting good wedge shots

Top 10 Wedge Tips from Dr. "FEEL"

1. Wedges are precision scoring clubs, swing with maximum 70% of effort.
2. Keep arms free, very soft and relaxed. Keep your chest turned away from the target during the wedge swing and let arms flow through the shot. Your shoulders will automatically line up to the target and your arms will follow the shoulder line right on target.
3. For greenside bunker shots, open the clubface and imagine throwing sand with your left arm all the way to the pin. The ball will float out, that’s all you have to do. It’s the arm swing only, slow and easy, same tempo back, same tempo through.
4. On all wedge shots, use a soft and semi-loose grip and just let the club flow through, do not try to guide it, just let it happen.
5. When shooting from the rough, the deeper the rough the firmer the grip must be. If the rough is 1" high, play the ball back in the stance 1-2" from normal position. If the rough is 2" high, play the ball back 2-3" from normal. If the rough is 3" high, play the ball back 3-4". If more than this, get King Kong as a designated hitter!
6. Align your shoulders with the slope for all shots.
7. If the ball is sitting up �", play the ball � to 1" back in stance. A ball sitting up increases the loft of the wedge, if sitting up 1", play the ball back 1".
8. For tight lies, and/or ball from a divot, play the ball 2-3" back towards the right foot from normal. This allows a steeper downswing and compresses the ball quicker.
9. The softer your arms are in the wedge swing, the more you’ll "spank" the ball and become a better wedge player.
10. Keep your right foot planted firmly on the ground on all shots when playing the wedges. Only after impact does the right foot want to come up slightly. The wedge swing is an arm and upper torso swing only. Never ever force the swing. Just let the arms flow softly.