For chip shots fly the ball less, roll it more.
A solid key idea to remember when chipping is to fly the ball less and let it roll more. This is something can can really help keep your golf score from soaring.In doing this you will need to know and understand some ratios for the amount of time the ball should be in the air and on the ground. For chipping you can use almost any club in your bag but to get the best result and end up as close to the hole as possible, remember the formulas in the chart below.
We are making the assumption for a normal paced level green. (Try and find that on your course.) If you have an uphill chip shot go up one club, is you have a downhill chip shot go down one club. The same would apply to fast and slow greens, fast - go down a club, slow - go up a club.
If you are using a 6 iron for your chip shot, expect it to fly 1/4 the distance to the hole and roll the remaining 3/4's of the distance. An 8 iron will fly about 1/3 and roll about 1/3 for the distance. Using your PW it should fly about 1/2 of the way and roll the other 1/2.
| Club | Level | Uphill/Slow | Downhill/Fast |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 iron | Fly 1/4 - Roll 3/4 | 4-5 iron | 7-8 iron |
| 8 iron | Fly 1/3 - Roll 1/3 | 6-7 iron | 9-PW iron |
| P Wedge | Fly 1/2 - Roll 1/2 | 8-9 iron | L Wedge |
A couple of other key points to remember;
- At address, most the your weight is on the front foot and the ball postion should be in the middle of your feet. The hands should be slightly ahead of the ball
- Make sure the forward wrist does not bend during the chipping motion. If it does then the loft of the club changes which affects the fly and roll of the ball. If the wrist bends your arms might also making for a shot that could go scooting across the green.
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