What is a chip shot?

A chip shot is generally a short shot around the putting green that flies very low to the ground and rolls the majority of the distance to the hole. It’s a good rule to learn to chip with less lofted clubs like a 6, 7 or 8 iron. If you are playing more difficult greens it may be necessary to learn to chip with 9 irons, pitching or gap wedges.

Fundamentals needed to be a good chipper:

The ball should be positioned slightly back in the stance. This means a little behind the center of your stance.

Your weight should be more on the front foot in your stance. This is the foot that is closer to the target.

You should learn to lean the shaft a little towards the target, which will ensure that your hands are a little ahead of the ball at impact. It’s important to pinch the ball off the turf and not try to lift the shot in any way. As you lean the shaft towards the target, you deloft the club which helps you to hit the shots low to the ground.

Grip down on the club to shorten the club. Generally when you shorten the club you will gain a little more control of your impact.

The bottom of the swing arc should be past the ball.

Keep your chin up and keep your head still.

Keep your back shoulder taller throughout the shot. During the set up, in the backswing and very important in the forward swing make sure your back shoulder does not drop. If you drop your back shoulder during the forward swing you will hit the ground before the ball. Otherwise you need to pull your hands forward through the swing too much. When your contact is inconsistent it makes it very hard to control the distance of your shots because you don’t know how hard to swing from swing to swing.

Chipping as a general rule is a safer shot to use.

Chipping requires less of a swing, which basically makes the shot more consistent. There are fewer things that can go wrong with the shot. Learn to visualize and plan for the shots to land in the first few feet of the green and then roll out and release to the hole