25.5, 6, 7, 8, 9, WEDGE, OR SAND WEDGE – CHIPPING – The Guide To Golf

It can be a 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, wedge, or sand wedge. It doesn’t matter that much. A great player, Phil Mickelson, likes to use his sand wedge in just about every case. He will play it far back in his stance, with his hands way ahead to bump it.

On the other hand, Corey Pavin often uses a 5-iron around the green. He just “taps” it and the ball goes scurrying across the green with a lot of topspin.
These are extremes, however. You should pick a 7, 8, or 9-iron. I, personally, like to use a 9-iron for chipping.

I know how the ball is going to come off of the club because that’s the one I practice with all the time. I have tried using a 7-iron on longer chips, but the ball seems to explode off the club face because I am not sure the proper force that I need to use.

The art of chipping is hard enough without having to master four or five clubs. Practice with a couple at first. You should hit short “bump and runs” from the fringe and then longer “bump and runs” from in front of the green.

From there, decide which one you like better, which one you can control the spin better with, and ultimately which one that you can control the distance better with. Then, put the other one in the bag, and practice with the one you chose. Master this one club approach and your chipping will improve dramatically.

You will want most of your weight to be focused on your lead foot. For right handers, that would be the left foot. Your swing should be in a pendulum motion with no wrist action. If you break your wrists on a chip shot, your ball is going to shoot to one side or you may overshoot the hole altogether.

As we’ve said, you often won’t want to take a full swing when chipping. Gauge the distance you are away from the hole and then estimate how hard you’ll have to hit the ball to get it to the hole – or at least close to the hole!

Here are some general tips on chipping that can really help:

 Keep your hands ahead of, or even with, the club head on the follow-through.

 Grip the club firmly so that the rough doesn’t twist the club on the swing.

 Get the ball rolling on the green as soon as possible; this will make it easier to control the shot

 In deep rough, angle the club so the toe is the only part touching the ground.

 In windy or downhill conditions, or on fast greens, always chip the ball instead of pitching it.

 Repair all divots taken.

 Be careful not to hit the ball too hard; otherwise it might roll off the other side of the green.

Chipping should not be confused with pitching. When you chip a ball, you are going to be just off the green and you want the ball to easily roll across the green and toward your target. A pitch shot is a lofted shot that flies more than it rolls.

A pitch is usually used when you are a little further off the green but you still are close enough that you won’t want to take a full golf swing.