03/06/2015

Without doubt the best golfers on the planet play on the PGA Tour. Often times the amateur golfer finds himself idolizing these players. They see them as possibly better than they really are, believing they hit every fairway, green, and hole every putt.

Many people are surprised to realize that the best players hit only 2 out of 3 greens they play. That leaves them plenty of opportunities to chip the ball. Amateurs have more chances to chip the ball since they hit fewer greens in regulation than the pros. In this article we will give you three simple ways you can practice your chipping and lower your scores.

Step 1: Practice your technique

Hitting quality chip shots requires a certain level of technique. With poor technique the following steps are virtually obsolete. So what is the minimum one must do to hit proper chips?

Simply practice getting the bottom of the club to the bottom of the ball. Having some weight forward and positioning the ball slightly behind your center are good ways to start. The purpose of your technique is to consistently have the low point of the swing hit the turf below the ball.

The great news is you do not even have to go to the golf course to practice this. Place a quarter on the ground and learn to make it move with your chipping swing. This will train you to find the low point of your motion and thus hit solid chips on the course.

Step 2: Practice hitting chips in the air a few distances

This is commonly referred to as the landing spot. Most golfers have an idea how to hit a 100 yard shot but rarely know how to hit a 3 yard chip. Take a sand wedge and start at 3 yards and place a paper plate down on the ground.

Then focus on having the ball land on the plate. Move on to 4 yards, 5 yards, 6 yards, 7 yards. It will be rare that when chipping you will need to hit the ball more than 8/9 yards in the air. If you can learn to land the ball the on the plate you are well on your way to becoming a better chipper of the ball.

Step 3: Select 3 Clubs to use for Chipping

Sand wedge, pitching wedge, and an 8 iron will suffice for the 3 clubs. Then, assuming your technique is sound practice hitting each club to the various paper plates. This exercise will enable you to change the trajectory of the shot without altering your technique. Changing the trajectory of your shot will allow you to hit chips to any flag location on a green.

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Now the fun part….

Go to the practice green and practice these three steps. With sound technique you can consistently hit your landing spot. Take note of how far each chips travels with the various landing spots and various clubs.

Then select the best option for the shot at hand and enjoy shooting lower scores.