advice for a positive attitude to chipping please

hi all
for a few weeks now i've been struggling badly around the greens. it started with a fluffed chip back in mid june in our club champs which led to a further 13 over the course of the 36 hole qualifying. since then my confidence on the course has been rock bottom which, because most of the rounds i play are counting, has done considerable damage to my scoring and handicap. i've spent a lot of time on the practice green and i think my technique is fairly solid. there just seems to be a mental issue when i get out on the course i start decellerating into the stroke and end up fluffing it, or thinning it. fortunately my putting is very reliable or i'd be in real trouble, but the issue is causing a slump in my scoring that i'm keen to reverse. any suggestions?

Make sure you have a nice positive set up with at least 65% of your weight on your left side. I would also weaken your grip ever so slightly when using your short game. With your weight forward and hands ahead of the ball you are in a really positive position for a descending blow and shot with a bit of bite.

When making the shot remember, as with all golf shots, the movement of the body is a rotation and not a sway. Ensure when chipping however that your body, hips, legs and arms all rotate at the same rate. You do not want the feeling of coil like you would get on a full shot. So when you follow through there should be no feeling of resistance.

It is also important to stay over the ball when you chip, you do not want your sternum coming out and pointing up and away from the ball at impact. Really concentrate on the ball and keep the head in place until after impact, like you would with a putt.

The positive set up and strike designed to impart control and spin will only work if you then commit to the shot. With any length of chip/pitch no matter how short always aim for a full follow through. Unless of course you are in an adverse lie. This should almost eliminate the duffed chips.

Ban, good chipping is much like good putting, smooth tempo required and make sure you're accelarating through the ball.
Chipping is my main strength and I find that most people who struggle aren't following through enough.
I also chip with the same club (52) for virtually everything, as this improves my touch and feel, except when I need a flop shot.

Don't forget to get behind your ball on a chip to see the break of the green. I'm amazed how many people just get up there and hit without even considering how it will react once it runs out.
Practice with just 10 balls at a time, it's then easy to work out the percentage you got within "gimme" range and you can see easily how you improve, plus it stops you getting bored with the pitch you are facing. I often see people chipping with 50-100, you simply can't tell how well you are doing as balls cannon off one another and you aren't fully focussing on each shot.

bb

I really empathise with you, I'm going through exactly the same thing. The shorter the chip, the more I'm struggling. I played yesterday and shot 76 with 3 fluffed chips, a case of what could have been.

Likewise, around the practise green everything is fine, problem only occurs out on the course so it is clearly a mental issue for me.

I've even considered some form of hypnotherapy to try to get through this!

Try to break your wrists as quickly as possible and be positive with the shot. As you get more aggressive, you'll find that you can control the spin and run out better and it'll improve your up and down stats.

sharrison01 wrote:Try to break your wrists as quickly as possible and be positive with the shot. As you get more aggressive, you'll find that you can control the spin and run out better and it'll improve your up and down stats.

Interesting one Sharrison
My chipping is ok, not great but ok. It's recently improved quite a bit as i've stopped breaking my wrists at all and keep the same angle through the whole chipping motion. Basically trying to keep the back of my left hand facing the target the whole time.
I figure it's such a short motion, the more moving parts, the harder to get back in the right place!

I think attaching too much technical information could make things worse, like putting it's a pretty simple action, which people can over complicate.
All you really need to do is get yourself in a comfortable position where you can swing smoothly and it should be as intuitive as a putt.

MPB, I just find that way of chipping a bit restrictive and more difficult to be accurate with. When you come in shallow by essentially "putting" your chips, it's easy for the clubhead to get ahead of your hands and bring in the famed "thin." A wrist break helps you to be aggressive through the ball and keeps your hands in front at all times so you cannot really "thin" it and as you are being aggressive into the ball even if you catch a bit too much of the ground the result will be okay.

Chipping a bit more rigidly may seem to make sense by quietening everything to keep it simple but it doesn't promote a positive and aggressive action and when trying to be positive and aggressive with this style your hands and arms tend to move more quickly and you are fighting a wrist break which is very unnatural.

Fair enough Sharrison

Interestingly i tend to find almost the complete opposite. Breaking the wrists leads to get a bit flippy, causing a thin.
I keep the wrists steady but don't play it especially like a putt. The clubhead comes inside a little and i strike down on it. This causes the odd duff but i'll still usually get enough of the ball to get it on the dancefloor.

Isn't that the beauty of this game!

Seems you are talking about the chips as high flying shots.I would advocate taking the club which gets the ball on the green as soon as possible and with a low a flight as you can.ideally 8 iron.Slightly closed clubface reduces the risk of catching the heel on the floor,weight slightly forward and hands a little ahead and accelarate.
Know what you mean though If the first one is Ok the rest seem to follow.to an extent practiscing this pre tee off is more important than putting cos decent chipping will make my score.

MPB, indeed it is! I think that the "flippy" hands are where players try to break their wrists back at the ball on the way though. I used to play with someone that was a pro at this - thins, fats, double hits, you name it!

sharrison01 wrote:MPB, indeed it is! I think that the "flippy" hands are where players try to break their wrists back at the ball on the way though. I used to play with someone that was a pro at this - thins, fats, double hits, you name it!

If we get together for a game you can then boast you've played with the World #1 at this

I'll dig out his number - you can have a chip off!

The funniest I saw with him was a round we played where on the first tee he claimed that he had solved his chipping problem. He was my partner in a doubles game with friends and he chipped amazingly for 17 holes, stiffing everything and even holed one. We got to 18 all square where he had a shot and he was greenside in 2. His third was fatted into a bunker, fourth thinned into the water, 6th stayed in the bunker, 7th thinned into another bunker, duffed one just out for 8, played a double hit and then 2 putted for a 12. Serious rib ache all round...

After going in the water why did he drop back in the bunker??

MustPuttBetter wrote:After going in the water why did he drop back in the bunker??

He was too embarrassed to be thinking straight and we were laughing too much to stop him. It was a lateral hazard as well so he would have dropped pretty much on the fringe!

Another thing to bear in mind, and why a wrist cock is essential is the feeling of holding the face a little open through impact and into the follow through.

Feet close together and firm wrists through the impact area. Your rhythm and timing will follow suit. "Simples"!

Mac, lets not get into club face position or how much weight you put on your left foot. Such things are entirely dependent on the type of shot required.

Too much information is confusing. The key to short game is to keep things simple.

super_realist wrote:Mac, lets not get into club face position or how much weight you put on your left foot. Such things are entirely dependent on the type of shot required.

Too much information is confusing. The key to short game is to keep things simple.

Yes totally agree, maybe face angle is a little too much but the weight distributio is key to stopping the duffs.

If you putt the ball back a little in the stance (about 2-3 inches from the middle) and put plent of weight on the front foot it is nearly impossible to hit it fat. It may come out a little low put just allow for greater roll out.

sharrison01 wrote:MPB, I just find that way of chipping a bit restrictive and more difficult to be accurate with. When you come in shallow by essentially "putting" your chips, it's easy for the clubhead to get ahead of your hands and bring in the famed "thin." A wrist break helps you to be aggressive through the ball and keeps your hands in front at all times so you cannot really "thin" it and as you are being aggressive into the ball even if you catch a bit too much of the ground the result will be okay.

Chipping a bit more rigidly may seem to make sense by quietening everything to keep it simple but it doesn't promote a positive and aggressive action and when trying to be positive and aggressive with this style your hands and arms tend to move more quickly and you are fighting a wrist break which is very unnatural.

i agree with all of this. the rigid approach for me personally leads to kind of a jerking motion with my arms and it verges on chipping yips.
the steep wrist man sausage (see phil mickelson's Hinge and Hold technique on Youtube) encourages an attacking shot and the more agressive approach. for me personally it stops me being defensively and makes me commit

Once again Mac, it depends on the shot you are trying to play, you aren't always chipping over a flat area, or you may have little green to work with but a lot of thick grass to chip over, therefore a low runner because your weight is on the front foot won't be much good.
Duffs in chipping come as much from lifting the head, decelaration or no follow through as much as they do by poor weight distribution, not to mention lack of touch and low confidence.

Hi Lads,

I originally seen this clip on Sky during one of their PGA event rain delays during the year. I found these pointers from Big Phil very helpful. I think its a very simple techniquie which is easy to replicate. I'm not saying i've masterd chipping or anthing but this has helped and who better that Mr. Mickelson to advise. if you can ignore the cheesy "Hinge and Hold" title its actually pretty good.

Also the great thing with Phil is that he's a lefty so you are essentially looking at a mirror image of what your swing should look like.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4DevROGzXM

Super, as I stated it will come out lower. Further I do not disagree that poor chipping is caused by all the factors you mention but what I said above will almost certainly eliminate the chunk. Which is what the poster asked for. Could be a fine place to start building the confidence from.

Yes, but you don't always want it to come out lower.
I'd add that the most lofted club you have in your bag is almost never the right club for the majority of chips.

I was struggling a bit with my chipping earlier this year and went to the early wrist hinge. As long as you don't reverse it back through the ball it works well, and I certainly feel like I've got much more control over the club and therefore the shot. As such, that's what's given me a positive attitude - that and a bit of practice.

super_realist wrote:Yes, but you don't always want it to come out lower.
I'd add that the most lofted club you have in your bag is almost never the right club for the majority of chips.

I clearly stated it would come out low but here we have a player needing to get his confidence back. I have described one fail safe shot where he can begin to do this. If he can be confident that he can play one type of chip the confidence will soon build up around the greens, and as we know golf is all about the mental side. No where did I advocate this for all positions around the green. It may be standing hitting the shot I describe for an hour will bring all the confidence needed and timing required to fix the problem. It is unlikely he needs to rebuild all his short game technique.

McLaren wrote:

super_realist wrote:Yes, but you don't always want it to come out lower.
I'd add that the most lofted club you have in your bag is almost never the right club for the majority of chips.

I clearly stated it would come out low but here we have a player needing to get his confidence back. I have described one fail safe shot where he can begin to do this. If he can be confident that he can play one type of chip the confidence will soon build up around the greens, and as we know golf is all about the mental side. No where did I advocate this for all positions around the green. It may be standing hitting the shot I describe for an hour will bring all the confidence needed and timing required to fix the problem. It is unlikely he needs to rebuild all his short game technique.

Will you two just kiss and make up? It's this pointless nitpicking and arguing for the sake of it that's running this place into the ground.

Just goes to show the dangers of asking people for 'technical' advice!
Some say hinged wrists and open clubface, some say firm wrists and close the clubface...........

Best advice as ever - go and see your pro!

Must putt better

I will alleviate some of the dangers; the no wrist man sausage advice should not be taken on board. Even a little runner of the back foot with a 7 iron needs some wrist co ck. It will result in disaster to have no wrist co ck as a mental image.

I can just picture Mac examining his man sausage when chipping from just off the green

Davie wrote:I can just picture Mac examining his man sausage when chipping from just off the green

Davie, I'm laughing out loud at that one.

Mac, i thank you for your wisdom, however i disagree as i play all of my chips with minimal or no wrist hinge and it rarely results in disaster.
Which is my point.
You ask for technique advice on here and will ask always get a variation of responses

Davie

Wrist Cock is a technical term, can we please apply the common sense the beeb failed to do?

MustPuttBetter wrote:Mac, i thank you for your wisdom, however i disagree as i play all of my chips with minimal or no wrist hinge and it rarely results in disaster.
Which is my point.
You ask for technique advice on here and will ask always get a variation of responses

Well maybe no wrist hinge is ok for the level you play at but if you ever want to get up and down more than 50% of the time then you will need to employ the proper techniques. I assume the OP is looking for the technically correct way of doing it not the bodge job that someone has somehow got to work.

McLaren wrote:Well maybe no wrist hinge is ok for the level you play at but if you ever want to get up and down more than 50% of the time then you will need to employ the proper techniques. I assume the OP is looking for the technically correct way of doing it not the bodge job that someone has somehow got to work.

Condescending much??
One day i'll master all techniques like you have.......you must be better at everything in golf than me if your handicap is lower. Good luck improving yourself with that attitude.
I can't be bothered with getting into an argument with you so will dismiss your comment with the amount of attention someone with such arrogance deserves

Mac, please stop reacting as if someone has doused your chips.
There is no definitive way to play any chip. I play chips many different ways some with wrist co-ck and some without. (and I'm better than you
There is no such thing as "technically" correct. It's horses for courses. If I don't want check on the ball I won't break my wrist, likewise if it's a big downhiller. Simple, and I get up and down in excess of 75% of the time.

McLaren wrote:

MustPuttBetter wrote:Mac, i thank you for your wisdom, however i disagree as i play all of my chips with minimal or no wrist hinge and it rarely results in disaster.
Which is my point.
You ask for technique advice on here and will ask always get a variation of responses

Well maybe no wrist hinge is ok for the level you play at but if you ever want to get up and down more than 50% of the time then you will need to employ the proper techniques. I assume the OP is looking for the technically correct way of doing it not the bodge job that someone has somehow got to work.

If everyone would actually read the OP, he's looking for advice on how to have a positive attitude, not on how to chip. As such, orthodoxy or otherwise of method is irrelevant here. I offered my own experience of adopting a wrist hinge as an example of what helped me feel positive about it.

McLaren wrote:Davie

Wrist Cock is a technical term, can we please apply the common sense the beeb failed to do?

Mac - I know that. The problem is that the filter is an automatic process (not a human going around picking up on words). The way it works means that there will always be amusing side effects of it. Relax and enjoy the humour.

Or spell it as wristcock - that should get through OK

SJ, and i offered my advice on a method i find reduces fats and thins and thereby enables me to be positive.
I did not expect that advice to be ridiculed by a guy who thinks he's Tiger Woods and as i clearly am not, my contribution is not 'correct'.

The same guy who's upset people are leaving. Ha no wonder!

"Everyone's welcome - but don't post anything King Mac deems incorrect"

Numpty

Ok

By your logic if someone said it is ok to drive with a left hand low grip you would be happy to see that advice go unchallenged?

If so then fine but I would rather people knew that the advice given on here is properly analysed.

Mac, MPB and SJ were saying nothing of the sort, but you said that if you ever want to get up and down more than 50% then you HAD to have a wrist break.
There is more than one way to skin a cat.
I would have thought that someone who professes to be a links expert would be aware of the variety of shots required to get the ball in the hole.

King Mac

a) that's completely different as i don't know anyone who would do that whereas plenty of books and videos show chipping with firm wrists

b) even it the ridiculous driving question you've made up did happen, i would expect someone to say 'hey i disagree for these reason', not 'your level is rudey poo so what do you know'

What is your handicap out of interest?
I'm assuming you're not Tiger Woods so there must be plenty you do technically 'incorrectly' and therefore by your logic shouldn't really be posting yourself should you?

What is your handicap out of interest?

Currently 18, although I should be off 12 if I ever played well.


Out of interest how do you play a higher floated ship from the short side without breaking your wrists?

MPB, even the best have a lot they do incorrectly, hence why they have coaches.
Mac is a man who plays at a muni with balls he picks up at jumble sales.
Says a lot.

Hilarious

I'm off 17 and i do not consider myself to be a particularly good golfer.
You're off 18, talking like you're a pro and ridiculing my advice based on my 'level'

I'll leave the advice threads alone from now on and let you get on with it. Then, if they're lucky, everyone can learn to play golf at your level. Which is worse than my level.

Enjoy peeps!!

ban_bam wrote:hi all
for a few weeks now i've been struggling badly around the greens. it started with a fluffed chip back in mid june in our club champs which led to a further 13 over the course of the 36 hole qualifying. since then my confidence on the course has been rock bottom which, because most of the rounds i play are counting, has done considerable damage to my scoring and handicap. i've spent a lot of time on the practice green and i think my technique is fairly solid. there just seems to be a mental issue when i get out on the course i start decellerating into the stroke and end up fluffing it, or thinning it. fortunately my putting is very reliable or i'd be in real trouble, but the issue is causing a slump in my scoring that i'm keen to reverse. any suggestions?

Improve your iron play so that you don't miss the green in the first place? Not sure anyone can help you with it if it's a mental problem, maybe you'll just have to get through it and until then be thankful it's not your livelihood at stake.

I have the same problem with bunker play. No problems when practising, plenty of problems on the course. I'd rather play off a concrete path than go in a bunker but you've just got to try and accept it and take your punishment I guess.

Agreed Super
If we all did it all correctly we wouldn't be on here! We'd be in Canada or Scandanavia

Dear oh dear

Well I said nothing about firm wrists on the backswing only through the impact area. Hinge is the wrong word to describe the backswing anyway. I would describe it as a little bit of 'give' just enough to allow timing to kick in. Without this then you might as well take yer putter!

I have always found that when my chipping goes awol (usually through lack of play) then this is the tried, tested and successful method which ALWAYS puts me back on track.

Ban_bam, with all due respect, are you absolutely certain your technique is sound? If, however, this is not the case then perhaps you should practise your chipping without trying to aim at a target. You only then have to concentrate on timing it properly without the worry of whether or not it's gone the correct distance.

Who knows what Mac is off, I've heard him claim he's a 4 before, although maybe that's just on the Doak scale.

Before I offer a short good-intentioned word, I should disclose that I am a high-ish handicapper...

I mentioned on another thread a while back that I've come across a book whose author seems to suggest aiming at a point about 4 inches ahead of the ball on everything from a chip upwards. It might sound mad, but having given it a try, I think it's helped me hit chip shots with a bit more consistent pace. Really don't know how "universal" the advice is, but I can sort-of intellectually understand that it might at least discourage the fatal deceleration (and perhaps encourage a good path) at impact.