Quickest way to shave shots

[Eracer]

Originally Posted by gpo

Eracer,
You just have to trust it. Let the club do the work for you. If you swing hard enough the ball will go. Just play the ball back in your stance and putt it with the 8.

The better chipper you the more you use your wrists and hands. It is kinda natural. The thing is your partner probably rarely chunks it or hits it thin. He makes good contact. The great thing about a 7 iron chip that is hit thin most likely the grass will slow it down enough and the distance will probably be ok. Plus with a 7 or 8 and the ball back in your stance it is almost impossible to chunk it.

He makes wonderful contact. The ball jumps off the clubface, flies the right distance, and settles next to the hole - whether he's 30 feet out or 30 yards out. No divot, just a nice brush of the grass. The sad thing is...he can't hit a full shot to save his life. He slices, he hits the ground 8 inches in back of the ball...but get him in chipping range and he's deadly.

He tells me to chip with my 8-iron. I tell him to swing his driver like he swings his 8-iron. Neither one of us listens...

I love this game.

[cabinessence]

Originally Posted by gpo

Overall I don't necessarily agree with the idea that chipping is the quickest way to shave strokes. It requires a lot of time to practice to get good at chipping. Although one good thing is it is free.

Every golfer is different and everyone should assess their game to see where it is best to shave strokes. I will say most of the time the short game is deficient for most players.

I dunno. If you can hit a golf ball with a full swing halfway solid, you can hit it with a quarter-swing fully solid. Obviously one hour won't make you Paul Runyan though.

[ezra76]

Hinge and hold. Pick a spot where to land it and hit it past that spot. Whether that spot is 6inches in front of you or 8ft. in front of you, if you hit your spot you should have a tap in or a hole out. I know if I holed one as soon as it comes off the face most of the time.

Again, hinge and hold. Chili dips? I've had about 20 hole outs for every even remotely fat chip since going to this method. I'd say I miss 75/25 long vs. short on chips as well. All it is is a putt that starts in the air, think of it as a putt from your landing spot. Once you have a feel for the wedges, it gets pretty easy. I chip with my 50* GW probably 75% of the time, 10% 55*, 10% 45.5* PW and 5% something else, if that. I think I've holed 1 maybe 2 with the 55* and I don't know how many with the 50*, I'm at about a chip-in every 27 holes now.

[cwo2lt]

Originally Posted by Eracer

None of this addresses my problem. And it's all about me, me me...!!!

Buy Stan Utley's book.

[twofast2s]

for me, chipping and pitching brought down my cap significantly, even w/ my poor putting. i'm more of a feel player, so this came easier for me once i started to practice more.

putting becomes feel, but also mental, and i'm lacking the mental side of it.

utley's book is good, but you just gotta go out there and practice w/ focus and intent of getting better.

[zaphod]

Used to have issues either blading or fat chips. I once I figure out I was scooping (breaking left wrist at or before contact) the problem was to visualize keeping the loft after contact.

Solution-----I keep the distance between my hands and club head constant at and after contact. I order to do so I visualize the club head pushing my hands through the target. In order to do this my hands AND shoulders HAVE to be soft and compliant to the motion.

Another help was was to practice changing trajectory and spin of the chip by controlling the loft at and through contact. Winter time I hit chips from the carpet to different levels of carpeted stairway.

Eracer ---sounds like nasty tension is adversely affecting your gamer chips. Try purposely relaxing those big and fine control muscles to a fault. After all what have you got to lose. Another fat chip???? Another way of saying "let the club do the work".

[Dave Ireland]

Originally Posted by Stanters

I don't think anyone is laughing at them - more that we can't quite see what you mean.....striking a match....think I know what you mean there but I must confess that chipping under a bench leaves me puzzled - what do you mean here? Bumping the ball under 2-3 feet high, something to do with the club, sorry just lost.......

Genuine ask, any help with chipping is gratefully received.

Yep Stanters that was the thrust of my reply also ... I try to visualise the shot as a simple point A to B process, analogies to striking matches, under benches etc to my unimaginative mind would cloud the mechanics ... but whatever gets the job done for you at the end of the day..