GOLF INSTRUCTIONS for CHIPPING
Requiring the utmost authority in golf is a shot that is also one of the shortest in golf. Golf instruction chipping without authority can be thin, fat or even shanked shots. You name what can go wrong and it will. Hit your chip shots with authority, your chances of tapping in the next one will greatly improve.
A few things lead to poor or bad chipping and a lack of authority, they are fear, lack of strength, and indecision. Think of your club as a horse.(i know but stay with me here) confidence plays a big part, it has a knack of ‘knowing’ what’s going on and plays up. When you show it who’s boss, who’s in charge, the results are far more satisfactory.
Repetition is the best way to ensure authority. Bring authority back to your short game, take on these two strength drills now.
First Drill- Hold your club horizontally out in front of your body, then cock the wrists. These simple exercises will gradually build strength and flexibility into those wrists, repeat each drill for 10 repetitions.
Second Drill; Hold your arms outstretched with a weight, anything weighing about a pound or so, hand weights are good, and lift up and down with your wrists.
Increase Wrist Strength
Most of the time it can be a bit hard to hit a shot with some authority when the club feels heavy in your hand. The chip is a firm wristed action, so the wrist must secure the golfclub to make sure you’re in control of your swing. Spending some time with these drills can assist many golfers, particularly beginning players with weak wrists, it won’t hurt.
Always be decisive
There are countless articles covering club selection and type of chip shot for a particular situation. Eliminate doubt, whatever your decision, convince yourself that it is the correct shot.
Practice repeating the same golf shot over and over again on the practice green.
If you’ve got some time at home, place a basket or bucket in the backyard and practice chipping the ball into the target. If you can regularly hit the target, you’re decisive and have strong wrists, then you’re well on the way to hitting plenty of chip shots close.
Learn the proper chipping set-up; weight on lead side, ball slightly back of centre in your stance, eyes and hands closer to the target than the ball is at address.
Hinge the club slightly during the backswing with your favoured or dominant hand, learn to hinge and to hold.
Then, in the follow through, hold this position post impact. That is, don’t let your clubhead pass under the lead hand before impact. The back of that lead hand must be nearer to your target than the golfball is at impact. After reaching impact, you may release the club a little.
Don’t tense up. What is the number 1 problem when chipping for amateurs? trying to scoop a chip shot into the air, getting to wristy.
Golf Instruction Chipping Tip- Bet on the percentages
When you increase the loft on a greenside chip, it might look fancy but beware, there is a higher risk of error. Extra loft decreases the margin for error at impact and decreases the size of the landing zone on the green.
The second bounce check-up is one of the hardest shots to play in golf, so it’s best left to the pros.
For amateur golfers I suggest going for more roll and less air time, always remembering to land on the green.. When faced with a chip around the greens, relying on a simple formula means using less lofted golfclubs. Of course, primary to this for any golf shot is some on course management. As is a brush up on the finer points of golf instruction for a balanced posture
Golf Instruction Chipping – The Method
Focusing on your landing spot as your target, and not the flag when chipping. Several factors will influence this like the condition of the green, and loft of club chosen. Use the following ratios, start with a five iron and increase the loft depending on the amount of the green available.
- 5 IRON
20 percent flight, 80 percent bounce and roll. ?
- 8 IRON
33 percent flight, 67 percent bounce and roll
- WEDGE
50 percent bounce and 50 percent roll.
Use an 8 iron to chip and master the bump and run, then and only then move onto your wedge.
Here is a great golf instruction chipping tip I learned a while ago, try this. In your normal stance for a chip shot, grab a ball and throw it underarm at your target to gain a feel for how hard you will need to swing the club.
Imagine how much strength is needed to fly the golfball onto the green and roll it up to the flag, by throwing the ball about two thirds of the way back to the hole. To gain a feel for the shot this is a good technique.
I hope these few golf instruction tips will help you to improve your short game and reduce the number of shots in your round the next time you go out on the course.




