Pro-Tips – Chipping

Over the previous entries, we have discussed portions of the full swing that many golfers can improve.  These fundamentals will help each of you become a more consistent player.  This time I thought that we would cover a part of the short game that has helped many of my students over the years.  The “bump and run” chip shot is one that has a much larger margin of error than many other short shots around the green.  It is one that you can practice and perfect one swing and change the club you are using to alter your distances. 

Many of my students come to a lesson with the impression that the closer you get to the green the shorter the club they must use and all shots around the green are played with wedges.  This leads to the players trying to judge distance, flight, spin and roll out.  Many times a bad shot can be really bad, with the player blading the ball across the green or chunking the ball short.  Either way, they are chipping again.  With a more direct route across the ground, there is a much higher percentage that the ball will end up on the green and have a chance at a putt to get up and down.

The basics of the “bump and run” chip are fairly simple.  Take a standard stance with your feet shoulder width apart and slightly open your stance to the target line by moving your front foot back.  Next move the majority of your body weight to the front foot.  The ball is positioned toward the back of your stance and your hands are pressed toward the front.  The key to this shot is not letting your front wrist break down through the swing.  Many people try to help the ball in the air and their front wrist cups leading to bad shots.  You want to keep the back of your hand and the forearm in line through the swing.  There is just a little bit of turn involved to help the flow of the swing.

When it comes to distance and club selection, breaking down the green into thirds works the best.  Sand wedge, pitching wedge or 9-iron can be used for the front third.  8-iron or 7-iron could be used for the middle third.  6-iron or greater including your hybrids may be used for the back third of the green.  Practice by hitting many shots from one place with different clubs.  Take an average of how far each club runs out and put that into play when you are on the golf course. 

This is a great shot to take a lot of the feel out of chipping around the green and works well even from distances off the green in the fairway as long as there is nothing in the way. Hopefully this helps you get on the green more often with a chance to make a putt and save a par. 

– Chad J. Maxim, PGA
Head Golf Professional