whats the difference?

[jskd82]

Between pitching and chipping? I know this is probably a stupid questions but they seem like the same to me. Sorry for the noobness

[Sandpiper3]

chipping is hitting short game shots that stay lower, pitch shots are higher more delicate shots.

[jskd82]

oh ok so both are short game but just at different height levels..... So chipping you would keep your hands in front of the club face which would de-loft the club and hit the ball at a low trajectory and a pitch would be holding the club vertical and let the loft of the club do the work.....does that sound correct? lol Thanks.

[Eracer]

Originally Posted by jskd82

oh ok so both are short game but just at different height levels..... So chipping you would keep your hands in front of the club face which would de-loft the club and hit the ball at a low trajectory and a pitch would be holding the club vertical and let the loft of the club do the work.....does that sound correct? lol Thanks.

Yes. A chip is a short shot that spends more time on the ground than in the air. A pitch spends more time in the air than on the ground.

[SilverUberXeno]

That is true, but that's not the definition of a chip/pitch, I don't think. A chip, I believe, is a shot that is less than 40 yds, where a pitch is a shot that is between 41 and 100 yds. I'll see if I can find the source of that information.

Of course, longer shots stay in the air longer, and are generally fuller wedge shots than shorter (<40yard) shots, which makes you guys indirectly correct.

[JEFF4i]

What they said.

[Sandpiper3]

Originally Posted by SilverUberXeno

That is true, but that's not the definition of a chip/pitch, I don't think. A chip, I believe, is a shot that is less than 40 yds, where a pitch is a shot that is between 41 and 100 yds. I'll see if I can find the source of that information.

Of course, longer shots stay in the air longer, and are generally fuller wedge shots than shorter (<40yard) shots, which makes you guys indirectly correct.

Nah man, you cant really chip the ball to a tight pin just over a bunker now can you? (well you can, but u wont get it close).

Theyre both short game shots, theres no "yardage specification" for certain shots.

[Bignose]

Originally Posted by SilverUberXeno

That is true, but that's not the definition of a chip/pitch, I don't think. A chip, I believe, is a shot that is less than 40 yds, where a pitch is a shot that is between 41 and 100 yds. I'll see if I can find the source of that information.

Of course, longer shots stay in the air longer, and are generally fuller wedge shots than shorter (<40yard) shots, which makes you guys indirectly correct.

Yeah, like Sandpiper said, this is a purely artificial definition and doesn't take into account the situation. If you limit yourself to only pitching from 40+ yards out and only chipping from closer than 40 yards, you are probably costing yourself shots.

In general, a chip is performed with a strong forward press at setup and at impact, and the ball will fly lower. Usually it is hit with a sharp downward blow. Like was said above, the goal is to get the ball on the ground and roll it. By contrast a pitch is performed with the club vertical at setup and impact. The blow is not nearly as downward, because the goal of a pitch is get the ball in the air and let the ball flight stop the ball -- combination of backspin and higher trajectory.

Again, sandpiper's example is a good one, if you are behind a bunker and just over the bunker is a tight pin, even though the pin is only 15 yards away, if you can pull it off, the best choice is a pitch to fly over the bunker. I put the qualifier "if you can pull it off" because knowing your game has to be part of the decision making process, too. If your chances are really low at hitting that pitch correctly, the best choice may be to chip over the bunker at the middle of the green, and then two putt. 3 strokes to get down may be better than landing in the bunker, then having to splash the ball out and then 2-putting, and 3 strokes to get down is definitely better than skulling the ball over the green into a stream or woods or O.B. So, knowing your game is important, too. And, there are completely opposite examples, too. If you are on the fairway 50 or even 100 yards out and the fairway is mowed right to the green and the pin is accessible, the best play might be a chip/bump-n-run. It could be a very gusty day, for example, or the greens might be rock hard. The bump-n-run is a necessity if you play a lot of links courses. In those cases rolling the ball up is probably the best choice.

So, I don't like locking yourself into strict definitions based on distance. Sure, it is true that in general you will chip a lot more than pitch from 40 yards in, and pitch a lot more than chip from more than 40 yards out, but you do need to realize that every situation is unique based on lie, conditions, and your own ability.

edit: Here is a short excerpt from Stan Utley's book The Art of the Short Game "I define a pitch shot as a shot where you're using the bounce on the bottom of the club (instead of the leading edge) and then releasing your hands through impact to make the ball fly up in the air. [He means that the bounce of the club hits the ground first because a pitch is more rounded at the bottom of the swing as opposed to a chip shot where the leading edge comes down sharply on the back of the ball and then into the ground.] You can hit a pitch shot from right next to the green to a pin that's only five or six yards on the putting surface, just like you could play a 30-yard chip shot from in front of the green to keep the ball under a really strong wind. It's a difference in how you hit the shot, not in how long it is.
... You're not always going to have a direct path along the ground to hit a chip shot -- you might have to carry a bunker, or go over a finger of rough that cuts between one corner of the green and the other. A pitch shot really comes in handy on greens that have a lot of undulation. I'll hit one and completely take out a slope or tier, so I don't have to do as much figuring out what a shot hit lower along the ground would do in terms of break."

[SilverUberXeno]

I was misinformed, then. I'll post where I got the information from should I come across it again.

[cypressperch]

chip or a pitch. I remember a small article that said you can keep things simple by making a chip with the ball positioned almost off your back foot, and making pitch shots from the middle of your stance. You would then make pretty much the same stroke, however the ball position with the chip would result in a downward blow with the wrist angles still intact. With the middle of the stance position, your wrists now have time to release so that the clubhead passes under the ball allowing the loft of the club to create a higher, softer landing shot. The downward blow of a chip gives a crisper feel or sound from the contact.

The above mention of bounce coming into play with pitch shots rather than chips is true, however, you might have a lie so tight that you will not be able to pass the club under the ball if the club has much bounce. You would angle the shaft toward the hole delofting the club and rely on a certain amount of run, more than usual, to get the ball to the hole. If you are in a dry state like parts of Oklahoma or Texas, you will often be unable to hit shots using your bounce because the grass is thin, the ground is hard, and the greens are often elevated. The Texas wedge can be your only hope of getting the ball close at times. So, I would say that there are some pitch shots that might not use bounce that much.

I use my putting stroke for all shots that I call chips. I will put anything from a hybrid to a wedge into my putting grip, carry the ball to a certain distance just on the green, and let the club determine how far the ball will role to reach the hole. I like the idea of getting the ball on the green and rolling as early as possible. The landing area is usually flatter close to the green's edge so that you avoid landing on slopes that throw your ball off line. You just play the role like it was a putt. My wrists are very quiet.

If someone uses a foward press on their chips that might help them with their rhythm. They may or may not allow the wrists to break going back. Such a person has delofted their club and might have the same loft working with a wedge that I would have using perhaps a seven iron. I have chosen to use my putting stroke for chips, and I think it has simplified my short game and added consistency. But if I were using a different method successfully, I can see no reason to change.

The chip where you deloft a club is very similar to what I would call a punch shot. I am not sure that this shot is actually a chip or a pitch. It is a very useful shot, however. It checks up pretty quickly, especially from not so lush lies, so that if you can develop feel with it, you hit a spot, the ball bounces maybe once, and then stops.

And then there is the lob and the flop. So many shots to learn, but every one of them has its uses from time to time.

Cypressperch

[Clugnut]

This is not a stupid question at all, and the answer can get a little blurry at times, especially when one plays both shots with a lob wedge, as I do.

[Wi-Golfer]

No difference between the 2 at all, I suck equally at both.

[jskd82]

lol thanks for the answers and I have been practicing both today and I now see the difference. As cypressperch stated about the ball poisiton, after experimenting I found that I can hit nice controlled pitch shots with the ball in the middle of my stance and I also open the club face slightly so that my left arm is in a comfortable position to get the club vertical. With the chip shot I have the ball in-line with my back foot and keep my hand in front of the club face with the face square.

[LeftyHoges]

I was told very early on that any shot that requires a break (****ing of) in the wrists is pretty much a pitch. Pretty much anything with quiet hands is a chip.

Works for me....