“Give luck a chance to happen.”
—Tom Kite
One of the greatest—and most annoying—things about golf is that every shot counts the same, whether it’s a 300-yard drive or a tap-in putt. This equality places an emphasis on an effective short game. And nowhere is your short-game execution more critical than in chipping situations, where your ball is just off the green. Watch the professionals prepare for a chip shot on TV, and you’ll often hear the announcer say, “He’s trying to make this one.” That’s not an exaggeration.
Perhaps there’s no more famous chip than the shot Larry Mize made on the 11th hole at Augusta National Golf Club for his playoff victory at the 1987 Masters. Augusta National, with its closely mowed fairways, is a great chipper’s course. Few holes allow the lies necessary to hit a flop shot, and the greens are fast and undulating, favoring the player who can minimize air time and get the ball rolling as soon as possible. Mize’s chip is a textbook example. He had missed the green to the right, leaving himself a slippery, right-to-left breaking shot. Had he chosen to pitch the ball in the air, he would have had to hit the perfect shot simply to keep the ball on the green. Instead, he chipped the ball so that it landed just short of the green and rolled smoothly as a putt all the way into the hole. Ironically, the golfer Mize beat in that playoff—Greg Norman—has a wonderful chipping game and once defeated Paul Azinger in a playoff at Doral by holing a chip shot for an eagle on the first playoff hole. The moral of these stories is that a good chipper is never out of the hole or the tournament.
Chipping, next to putting, is the simplest stroke in golf. Anyone can become a good chipper. In this chapter I’ll show you the fundamentals of club selection, the basic chipping stroke, advanced chipping and specialty shots around the collar, and how you can turn some of your missed greens into birdie chances.
One of the questions I hear from many golfers is, “When does chipping end and pitching begin?” As a rule, you can play chip shots from just off the putting surface to about 15 or 20 feet from the surface. If you need to carry the ball much farther than that, you will need to use a bigger swing and more of a pitching technique. The chip is designed for minimum air time and maximum ground time. The idea is to get the ball onto the green as soon as possible and let it roll to the hole. The landing area for most chip shots is about three feet beyond the edge of the fringe. This takes the fringe out of play, decreasing the chance of an unpredictable bounce.
There are two reasons why you should use this type of shot whenever you can. First, it’s easier to hit a target closer to you than one that is farther away. Stand several paces away from the practice green and chip balls into an imaginary three-foot circle just a yard beyond the fringe. Now move the imaginary circle about ten yards beyond the fringe. Which shot is easier to hit?
Regardless of the overall length of the chip, the landing area stays the same.
The second reason is that the ball holds its line better on the ground. The higher and farther a ball flies, the more unpredictable it is when it lands. It could check up too quickly, release and travel too far, or hit an imperfection on the green and bounce off-line. A wellexecuted chip shot rolls almost like a putt and is very predictable and repeatable.
When it comes to chipping, there are two schools of thought about club selection. The first is to use the same club for chips of all lengths. There have been great chippers who followed this philosophy, but I believe that most golfers perform better when they vary their club selection according to the shot, keeping the stroke and landing area constant. When you use only one club, you must compensate for distances and terrain by opening or closing the clubface or somehow changing the stroke. Worse yet, the landing area changes from shot to shot. This decreases your consistency and takes away from the simplicity of the shot.
So, how do you select the proper club for a given chip? You should use everything from a sand wedge to a 5-iron, depending on the length of the shot. First, you need to realize that there are two distance factors involved in chipping: the distance from the ball to the landing area—three feet onto the green—and the distance from the landing area to the hole. To pinpoint club selection, you can use a simple mathematical formula that serves as an excellent reference point. Here is the carry-to-roll ratio for the chipping clubs:
| Club | Carry : Roll Ratio |
| sw | 1 : 1 |
| PW | 1 : 2 |
| 9-iron | 1 : 3 |
| 8-iron | 1 : 4 |
| 7-iron | 1 : 5 |
| 6-iron | 1 : 6 |
| 5-iron | 1 : 7 |
This may seem complicated at first glance, but it’s actually very simple. Remember, you are going to use the same landing area with each club. Pace off the distance from your ball to the landing area. For this example, say it’s three paces. Then pace off the distance from the landing area to the hole. Let’s say you’ve counted off 12 paces from the landing area to the hole. So the carry-to-roll ratio would be 3 (paces from the ball to the landing area) to 12 (paces from the landing area to the hole). The calculation 3:12 reduces to 1:4. So you would generally need an 8-iron for the shot.
Use these ratios as reference points. Chipping is not an exact science. You’ll need to make adjustments for the lie of the ball, special conditions and your personal style. For uphill shots or extremely slow greens you may use a less-lofted club than the ratio indicates. For downhill shots or very fast greens, a club with more loft. But these references can certainly help in your club selection process. Develop a feel for the carry-to-roll ratio of different clubs by first estimating the distances and then by practicing and pacing off the actual distances you get from each club. Make notes and modify the carry-to-roll table to reflect your own chipping tendencies. By doing this, you’ll sharpen your skills and become more accurate in choosing the proper club.
Prior to selecting your club, you should devise your strategy for the shot. Assess the lie of the ball. A ball sitting down in the grass, for instance, will tend to come out a little hotter than a ball sitting up. Evaluate the landing area—what will the ball do when it hits the green? Look at the carry-and-roll distances and the slope and speed of the green. Since chipping is much like putting, your preshot routine should closely resemble your routine for a putt. If any questions remain about the distance you must cover, look at the shot from the side for a better perspective. This provides better depth perception than a straight-down-the-barrel view. Read the green from the low side and pick a target that allows for the break of the shot. Now you’re ready to select your club.
Once you have selected the club, take one or two practice strokes. The amount of energy required for a chip shot is about the same as for a putt of comparable length. As you take your practice strokes, rehearse the length and pace of the upcoming shot.
You should also determine whether to leave the pin in or out as you chip. I generally prefer to leave the pin in. If the ball is traveling too fast, like it is in most downhill chips or on very fast greens, the pin could be a great asset. If the ball is traveling slowly enough to fall into the hole on its own, the pin shouldn’t be in the way. Some golfers say that they take the pin out if they’re trying to hole the shot. If you feel that having the pin out helps you zero in on the target, then the mental edge you gain may outweigh any physical disadvantage of not having the pin to serve as a backstop. Be sure to check to see if the pin is leaning in the cup and remove it if it is.
Chipping is a stroke, not a swing. Step into position for a chip shot as if you were stepping into any other shot. First, align the clubface to the target. Use your regular grip. Grip down on the club you’ve selected until you have shortened it to the length of a putter. This means that every club will be effectively the same length. Stand closer to the ball so that the clubshaft is more vertical, allowing the clubhead to work up and down during the stroke. Bend from the hips and let your arms hang directly beneath your shoulders. Your eyes should be positioned just inside the target line. Align your shoulders parallel to the target line, since they will dictate the path of the stroke. Your feet should be close together to inhibit lower-body motion. The proper stance is slightly open, allowing freedom for the arms to swing. Play the ball a little right of center to encourage a slightly descending blow and set the majority of your weight on the left side. Use a slightly lighter than normal grip pressure for added touch, and set your hands just ahead of the ball, toward the front pocket of your pants.
Now make a one-lever motion. Perform the chipping stroke with your arms and shoulders, keeping your lower body still. The stroke is the same length back and through, with an even rhythm. Take the club straight back with minimal wrist break. With the ball back in your stance, and your hands and weight forward, the club will work up and descend into the ball, creating crisp contact. Lead with the handle of the club and finish with the clubhead low to the ground. This should be just enough to get the ball onto the green and headed toward the hole.
Set up for the running chip by gripping down and standing closer to the ball so that the shaft is almost vertical. This allows the clubhead to work up and down through the ball. Position weight on the left side, the ball back with hands set ahead of the ball. Make a one-lever stroke with a low follow-through.
Sometimes you find yourself in situations that require you to modify the basic chipping stroke. For instance, the ball may be sitting down slightly in the rough, just beyond the collar. In this case, you’ll need to get a little more loft on the shot to carry the collar. Drop down a club. If the ratio system suggests an 8-iron, try a 9-iron instead. Then play the ball another inch farther right in your stance to make sure you hit the shot with a descending blow. This adjustment will de-loft the club, turning the 9-iron into an 8-iron. Likewise, if the ball is sitting up, you might want to position it in the center of your stance to encourage cleaner contact with a shallower stroke.
The best chippers have great imagination. Say your ball winds up in a relatively thick collar just a few feet from the green. The green is sloping away from you, meaning the ball will run quickly when it lands. You can’t play a standard chipping stroke because you need to be more aggressive to get the ball out of the grass.
In case you haven’t recognized it, this is precisely the situation Tom Watson had on the 71st hole of the 1982 U.S. Open. On top of the difficulty of the shot, he had Jack Nicklaus just a single shot behind him. Watson chose a sand wedge, knowing that all he had to do was fly the ball to the putting surface. He gripped down on the handle of the club, opened up the face to get the loft he needed and took an open stance with the ball positioned in the center. This shot requires a more descending blow than a normal chip shot, meaning he had to break his wrists a little more on the backswing. Still keeping his lower body very quiet, he swung back along the line of his shoulders and then down and into the ball, letting the ground effectively stop the clubhead on the forward swing. The ball popped up, landed just on the putting surface and rolled straight toward the hole, tapped the pin and fell in for a birdie. Watson went on to win his only U.S. Open title.
To hit the “pop” shot, break your wrists more sharply to create a more descending blow.
That shot shows you all you need to know about advanced chipping. You won’t be able to use the ratio system when you need to carry the ball the majority of the way to hole. Instead, experiment with the loft of the clubface, the position of the ball and the position of your hands at address. Keep the follow-through short and low to the ground at all times. In these cases, stick with your sand wedge and learn how the various setup and swing adjustments will affect the shot. Being able to improvise a simple shot for a tough situation is what great imagination on the golf course is all about.
Vary the carry of the shot by experimenting with the loft of the clubface, the position of the ball and the position of your hands at address.
As course conditioning has improved over the years, more and more courses now encircle the greens with a collar of thick grass. Sometimes you’ll find your ball nestled up against the collar, making a conventional chip shot almost impossible. In the past, golfers would try to overcome this situation by using a bellied wedge, or by making a chipping stroke with the intent of hitting the ball with the leading edge of the wedge. This isn’t a bad shot, but there’s virtually no room for error. Instead, you should turn to a shot that you’ve no doubt seen on television over the past few years—the utility wood chip. Utility woods have a nice flat sole and a lot of mass to help ensure solid contact. Don’t worry if your friends and playing partners accuse you of showing off when you pull out the wood. This is a simple and effective golf shot, and those are the best kind.
Grip down on the club all the way to the end of the grip, so that your right hand is actually on the shaft. Now stand closer to the ball so that the shaft of the club is nearly vertical. You don’t need any hand action for this shot. Play the ball one inch back of center and position the hands slightly ahead.
A utility wood can be a great tool when you’re against the collar. Play the ball back, gripping down to the shaft with your right hand, and then make a putting stroke, letting the clubhead work down into the ball.
Because of the position of the shaft, the clubhead will work more up and down than it would in a traditional chipping stroke. Stoke back and through the same length and pace, with your hand and the club’s handle leading the head through impact. The shot should come out just fine, rolling from the start.
Golfers use the term “Texas Wedge” to refer to a putt from well off of the putting surface. Naturally, the shot originated in Texas, where sun and wind left the fairways hard and fast. I like a shot that rolls along the ground when you’re playing from a tightly mowed area with no collar or other inconsistency to carry between your ball and the green. But once again, use a 3-wood or a utility wood rather than attempting this shot with a putter. A wood gives you a lot of mass behind the ball. And the 13 or more degrees of loft you have with a wood, compared to the 4 degrees you have with a putter, means you’ll get the ball started consistently because it will have some slight lift off the clubface.
Use the standard chipping setup but position the ball just to the left of the center of your stance. Be sure to lead with your hands as you stroke through the ball, again using a one-lever stroke of equal distance and pace back and through.
When you hit the ball, it will go a few feet in the air and then land with enough overspin to carry the ball toward the hole. Experiment with this shot to see how comfortable you are. I think you’ll be surprised.
Use a regular, full-swing grip and align clubface squarely to the target
Lighter grip pressure
Grip down to the top of the shaft to shorten the club to putter length
Stand closer so eyes are just inside the target line
Keep your feet close together and take a slightly open stance
Align shoulders parallel left of the target line
Ball position back, opposite the instep of your right foot
Hands positioned ahead of ball
Majority of your weight on the left side
For club selection: divide distance from the ball to the hole into a carry-to-roll ratio and use the chart on page 117 as a general guideline
One-lever stroke with the arms and shoulders, keeping lower body still
Stroke is the same length and pace, back and through
Because the shaft is vertical like a putter, the path is straight back and through—not around the body, which can cause “fat” chips
Let the club work up a little going back so it can return to the ball with a descending blow, creating crisp, ball-turf contact
Lead with the handle on the forward swing, keeping the clubhead low at the finish
A chip is designed to produce minimum air time and maximum ground time
For greater control you want to get the ball on the ground and rolling as quickly as possible
Approach a chip like a long putt—read the green, pick your landing area, rehearse the stroke and try to chip the ball so that it rolls close to or into the hole
Landing area for most chips is three feet (or one stride) onto the green
The landing area changes only if you can’t land the ball onto a relatively flat surface
The landing area and stroke remain constant—the club (and different amounts of loft) is the variable. Less loft equals more roll, more loft equals less roll
Adapt the chipping ratio to suit the situation and your personal style—e.g., an uphill chip with wet grass may require a less lofted club than the chipping ratio suggests
Ball back, hands forward, weight forward
Let the club work down into the grass on the forward swing
The practice chipping green is a great way to familiarize yourself not only with the mechanics of the chipping stroke itself, but with the club selection method and the carry-to-roll ratio in this chapter. You can practice pacing off the carry distance from your ball to your landing area (always three feet onto the green) and the roll distance from the landing area to the hole. Reduce the paces to a carry-to-roll ratio and check the chart. With a little practice, you’ll become familiar with what a 1:4 carry-to-roll ratio looks like, for example. You can test your skills at eyeballing the carry-to-roll ratio from the side, then pacing it off to gain confidence in your decision making. You want to become familiar with this approach during practice so that when you get to the course, you have a strategy to execute a successful chip, while still keeping pace of play.
Go to the practice chipping green and place a tee or coin to identify your landing area about three feet or one stride onto the putting surface. Go through your bag, hitting your even clubs the first day and your odd clubs the next time. Hit five chips with each club with a focus on hitting crisp, solid chips that land near the tee or coin. Concentrate on keeping the same tempo and length of swing on the backswing and the forward swing. As you’re developing a consistent chipping stroke, notice how far the ball rolls after it hits your target landing area. You’ll be able to start tailoring the carry-to-roll chart provided in this chapter to your own chipping style. Finish by choosing a few chips that are a little more uphill, downhill or sidehill to see how the terrain affects your ability to execute a chip with the right distance.
The five-ball drill is an excellent way to improve your chipping. Choose a chip shot around the practice green. Select a club for the shot and pull over five balls. Your goal is to chip balls within a clublength of the hole to score points before you can choose to chip to another target. There are three scoring levels for this game: level 1, beginners should strive for three of five balls within a clublength; level 2, intermediate players should try for four of five; and level 3, advanced/prolevel players must get five of five within a clublength. You can make it even more challenging by making the target within the leather. You get three attempts to score three points out of five balls. If you should chip a ball in the hole, it counts for two points. Only when you’ve scored three points can you choose another target or move to another exercise.
