The key to chipping is making solid contact. If you hit the ground, the club won’t be moving fast enough to go on. Instead, it will be chunk halfway. Opposite of that, if the ball is caught thin, it will skip over the green. You don’t want that. Instead, for chipping to work, you want to have the right amount of contact.
As someone who had to start golfing alone, without too many articles that could help, I had to learn everything by experience. While this might be the best way to get knowledge, sometimes we just want to make things go a little bit faster.
This is why I have decided to gather everything I know and help you learn what took me years to realize. Just because many people had to learn the more challenging way, doesn’t mean you have to.
In this article, I’ll go over several methods of chipping golf balls. I’ll also explain some of the important terms you need to know for further understanding.
Without further ado, here’s how to chip the golf ball the right way.
How To Do High Chip Shots
These types of shots require the loft club and some getting used to.
To do it the right way, your body should be held in a neutral position. The handle has to hit the club sole. If you hit behind or forward the ball, it won’t be completed the right way. These shots are a great choice for when you need to quickly stop the ball.
Performing Low Chip Shots
This type of shot is different from high chip in that the ball runs a bit longer after landing. To do it the right way, you should use a club that isn’t too lofted.
When it comes to making this type of chip in golf, you should simply use the opposite technique to the one you’ve used for the high chip shot. To ensure a perfect shot, ensure the handle is kept towards the forward of the golf ball.
Do You Know How To Chip In Golf?
Chip is an important shot during a golf game. This is why it’s important to know how to chip the golf ball the right way.
For this shot, you have to lift the ball in the air. If you’ve done everything the right way, the ball will get a good long roll once it touches the ground. This is a great shot to use when the ball is buried inside the grass or when you need to navigate it down a slope.
All players have to know how to chip the golf ball perfectly. This is crucial for anyone wanting to be a good player.
Here are a few tips for chipping a golf ball:
Swing The Whole Upper Body
This is essential for a good chip. If you swing your wrists only, you will limit the force and the control you have over the hit. You’ll know you did the right chip if your entire body moves. Just make sure your legs and feet are stable.
Swing Downwards.
This is how you should make contact with the ball. One of the most common mistakes beginners make is hitting the ball in an upward direction. This is wrong. You should always aim down if you want your chip to be successful. Only when the club comes in contact with the golf ball you may aim for the upward swing.
Raise The Club After Impact
As we’ve mentioned, only when you’ve maximized the control by using the downward swing you can raise the club and hit upwards. This will give the ball the power it needs to leave the grass. Just make sure you’ve combined this with the previous step in the right way and that the entire movement is fluid.
Follow The Motion
For the perfect chipping, it is not enough to just create the impact with the ball. You have to follow the motion of the swing all the way and focus to maximize the force. It would be best if you could complete the entire swing in just one single motion. This will ensure the ball goes just the right way.
Look At The End Of The Ball
If you’ve chipped the golf ball the right way, the ball should fly for a short distance, then begin rolling. While by now you probably know you must always keep your eyes on the ball’s landing no matter the shot you’re playing, this is especially important in the chip shot. While you can’t change the outcome after the hit has been made, this can help you understand the shot and mistakes you might have made during it.
How To Precisely Hit A Chip Shot?
Getting your chip shot just right can seem like a challenging task, but it’s actually quite straightforward once you’ve caught the gist of it. In fact, with just a few techniques, you should be able to know how to chip shot properly in no time.
First off, you should always consider the area you’re playing the game in. Practicing in a vast golf course or even in a local driving space might be beneficial. This will help you track your progress.
Here are a few steps you’ll need if you want to know how to chip the golf ball perfectly.
Position The Ball Close To Your Back Foot
This is the best position for low chip shots. To make everything perfect, you should always try to place the ball in the correct line. This way, you’re creating backspins, which will help the ball roll further once it touches the ground.
Set-Up Your Feet
Feet positioning is extremely important, as well. Your feet should be close, but you should open up the lead foot up to a certain degree. The weight should be on that foot. If the club angle you’re looking for is vertical, stand close to the ball. Make sure you’re standing tall but bend your knees a bit. The back foot should be kept at a 90-degree angle with the direction that you want to hit the ball in.
Be Careful With Partial Swings
The swinging movements should be perfect if you want to make a perfect shot. Everything should be smooth, so the ball can go longer and you’ll have control over it. Remember, all the movements should come from the upper part of your body.
Change The Approach When Making High Chip Shots
When choosing to make high chip shots, you need to change your approach a little bit. First off, the ball should be close to your body, at the center position. Your feet should be kept further apart than during the making of low chip shots, and your weight should be balanced. Bend your knees a bit more, and try to make your entire shot athletic.
Keep Your Forearms Straight
While your entire body should make the movement, the forearms should be kept straight and tight. If you hinge or break the arms while playing it, you’ll do it the wrong way and the ball won’t travel as long as it should.
Improve Your Chipping Method
Compared to most other shots, a chip shot is quite more technical and strategic. This makes it somewhat tricky. Because of this, you need to look at the entire situation. Does it even require a chip shot or not? You should choose some other, typical shot whenever you can.
Of course, if you’re trying to improve your method, this doesn’t apply and you should try chipping as much as possible.
Choosing the right club can be essential for the good chip shot – but more on that later.
Another important thing is your stance and proper positioning. The ball and sternum should be aligned all the time, especially during practice. Your chest should be upwards and your arm should be pulled back. Believe it or not, this small change in posture can do wonders.
How To Perfect Your Chip Shots?
Just like with any other skill, you can’t improve if you don’t train and do all you can to learn more. The same rule applies if you want to know how to chip the golf ball correctly.
Practice every week, as practice makes perfect. This will also help you understand your body and where you need to improve more. Not to mention it will make you stronger.
Sure, some techniques can help you perfect a chip shot, but this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t experiment. Maybe you’ll find that some other stance is giving you more control. Everyone has their own playing style, and you should find it.
Sadly, the chip shot is something many players don’t dedicate time to. However, it can truly help you improve your game – if you do it the right way. Not to mention that practicing it will help you practice your focus, which is something you need for any shot or playing style.
Doing The Hinge-And-Hold Method
The hinge-and-hold method was named by pro golfer Phil Mickelson. To do it, you should hinge your wrist in a backswing, then keep that hinge through the downswing all the way into the ball.
This is probably the best way to chip a golf ball for beginners, but keep in mind that even the professionals use it in one form or another.
If you do this technique together, it practically ensures delivering the clubface to the golf ball at a consistent loft. This gives you trajectory, making it very effective. Just make sure not to release the club too early, as this will decrease the effectiveness and increase the chance of bladed shots.
While doing the hinge-and-hold, accelerate through the ball. Otherwise, the clubhead will catch up to your hands. Also, you should focus on making solid contact with the ball, just as you would with any other full iron shot. This takes some practice and patience, but once you master it, you’ll see just why is this method so popular.
What Are The Best Clubs For Chip Shots?
Choosing a good club has a lot to do with a good golf chip. There are better and worse clubs for this, so we should look at some of the right tools for this.
Short wedges and irons are most commonly used for chipping in golf since they are a perfect balance between rollout and trajectory. Shorter irons will typically produce a shot with less rollout but a higher trajectory. This is why most people choose 9-iron, gap wedge, pitching wedge, or some similar type of club.
A pitching wedge is overall a good choice for novice golfers. Once you’ve improved your skill, you should be able to change the club type.
Sometimes, golfers might use woods or even hybrids on the field if the situation demands it. For example, if you’re far away from the pin with plenty of green, you might want to use a strong lofted iron for lower trajectory and more rollout. You could even use a wedge with a bit more loft and throw the ball farther with a fuller swing.
In the end, the most important thing when choosing the right club is your own preference.
Takeaways
Several things can help you understand how to chip the golf ball perfectly. The most important ones are your posture and the type of club you’re using. A chip shot is quite a technical shot, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t improvise a bit and try to find what works the best for you.
Chip shots can be extremely useful for helping you be a pro. Don’t neglect them. You should always aim to improve all skills, and chipping is one of them.
