Solving Chipping Problems

At one point or another, we have associated our short game to terms like thin, chunky, bladed, fat, or duff. It certainly takes some time to feel comfortable hitting shots around the green however when it comes to chipping it can be quite simple if we have a clear idea about what we should be doing. From a physical standpoint at Joey D Golf we are always promoting the best movement patterns for golfers to apply to their swing and when it comes to golf instruction just as in physical training, “Less Is More.” Simplifying your strategy when hitting chip shots can be quite rewarding.

Let me explain with the help of my student, Fiene Nagtegaal:

One of the oldest tips regarding chipping has been to bring the ball back in your stance, lean the grip end of the club forward, hinge your wrists going back and you’ll have a pretty decent chance of hitting it close to the hole. There is no arguing that many of the greats in the game have had success doing this but then again, we’re talking about the greats. For a beginner or novice golfer or simply someone who doesn’t get much practice, being great or even decent around the green can be a challenge. I believe that understanding and taking advantage of the equipment that’s out there these days can be of great help.

Very often I get asked what bounce is and how do you use it. Without getting too complicated, the bounce is the angle between the sole of a wedge and its leading edge. Many times I see golfers incorporating the leading edge of the club too much by leaning the shaft towards the target. This reduces our margin for error especially if we are chipping into the grain. If contact isn’t precise we can easily run the chance of digging into the turf too much and seeing our ball go 2 ft in front of us or even blading the ball over the green. However, if we can incorporate its bounce through impact our margin for error increases and we’ll be making it much easier on ourselves to get the ball close to the hole.

Bounce on a club can be our best friend if we know how to use it. No matter what grain we are faced with, the club won’t dig if we just so happen to mishit the shot, instead the club will just bounce off the turf or slide smoothly through impact. So next time you’re out on the practice green. Give this a try!

Let’s see how Fiene sets up….

Stance

Set up with a narrow stance, narrower than usual with your weight favoring your lead side. Place the ball in the middle of your stance or just a bit forward. Have the butt end of the grip facing your belt buckle. This sets the shaft up in a vertical angle allowing you to have the bounce part of the club making contact with the ground.

Takeaway

During the take away the hands do little to nothing staying connected to the shoulders and arms with your lower body staying very stable.

Impact

At the moment of impact, the hands will look very similar to the way they did at address. Letting the bounce of the club do all the work. The lower body has begun rotating as well through the impact zone.

Finish

Through impact, the same connections remain in the shoulders and arms with the hands very quiet swinging through. Lower body should be facing the target at the finish.
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Less is usually more, so by simplifying and using the bounce of the club to your favor you’ll find it much easier to chip around the green. Guaranteed!

Marvin

Marvin Sangüesa is a PGA Professional Golf Coach at the Joey D Golf Sports Training Center & a Custom Golf Club Fitter at ClubCraft Golf both based in Jupiter, Florida.
More information about Marvin Sangüesa is available on his Youtube channel where he posts regular instructional videos. You can also follow Marvin online on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram.