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Chipping

Bubble Head

Well-Known Member
Oct 14, 2006
231
1
What do you use to chip with? Last weekend I was in the second cut, 3 to 6 feet from the green 4 times. I used a 24* hybrid. I choked up a bit and used a putting stroke. Controlled direction great. Had trouble with distance.

If I am too far from the green that I am not going to land on the green I pitch instead of chip.

What clubs to you all use? Is there anything that I can do to get better to control distance, other than practice, practice, practice?
 

lildudejds

Shut up ya dumb beaver...
Supporting Member
Aug 2, 2005
661
0
Depending on the lie or how much green i have to work with ill use a PW most likely. If i need to get it up and over a slight hill or don't have much green, ill use a 56. If i have a lot of green and am in the fringe, ill use like a 7 iron.
 

ezra76

Well-Known Member
Feb 5, 2006
12,412
16
I primarily use my gap wedge. Open or shut it down for more run, more airtime. I also use a close, open, close stroke to run it out more. One thing I have no qualms with bragging about is my chipping. I can honestly say I've probably never played with anyone better than me, my #'s were actaully better than scratch at the end of last season. I just got this new Vokey 50* and love it. 4 rounds, 3 chip-in's already.
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IMO use one club as a primary and other's in more extreme situations. I'll use a higher loft if I really need to get it over something and slow it down quick and a lower loft if I need to run a long one uphill.
 

ezra76

Well-Known Member
Feb 5, 2006
12,412
16
Just saw your sig. Try the 52* SV. Use an open stance, weght on front foot, hinge wrists, do not break. Have the face looking slightly shut and just followthrough, accelerating through the ball. Catch is crisp and it will shoot out low, land, skip, check and roll out. Like I said, I will use the face more open to hit it longer in the air, less rollout and shut it to run it out.

Hope you can use some or any of that. :) I look at chipping like a putt, except chipping is easier... if I can control my landing spot I get to choose where to "putt" from. My rollout being the putt.
 

Highdraw34

Well-Known Member
Mar 27, 2006
300
0
I bought a Solus 56 degree wedge late last season and it is great. I use it for anything 115 and in. I can spin it like nothing else I've ever owned.
 

FKA19

winter ho'in
May 21, 2006
1,202
0
52* for sure. low bounce gap wedges are very versitile for chipping.
 
OP
Bubble Head

Bubble Head

Well-Known Member
Oct 14, 2006
231
1
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #8
So use a 50* plus wedge to chip? I always thought of chipping as a low flying bump and run. Maybe 6' of flight and 18' of run.

When I use a wedge, they go up, down and stop. I usually stick (In Oregon winters I plug) anthing with more loft than a 7 iron.
 

lildudejds

Shut up ya dumb beaver...
Supporting Member
Aug 2, 2005
661
0
What i do for chipping(probably the normal technique)- Put the ball in the middle to back of the stance, this makes it easier to get consistent contact, open up stance so that left foot is actually pointing away from the target. Square the face with the target, keep weight on left side, hinge wrists(all arm motion).

Also, to help with your distance control - seeing as your green reading is decent don't focus on the whole at all. Focus on about a 2-3 foot radius on wear you want your ball to land.
 

dave.

Well-Known Member
Mar 20, 2005
5,926
2
I use the lowest loft I need,if thats a 5 iron then fine.Rarely use a wedge,spin is inconsistent.Chipping is far easier not using any bottom half and no wrists,hitting the chip like a putt with the weight forward and hands in front.Simple.I only use a wedge when height is required
 

cypressperch

Well-Known Member
Jun 24, 2006
681
3
Toledo Bend Lake, Louisiana
Country
United States United States
There are two basic philosophies concerning

the short game. One philosophy is to use one club for all shots. Following this will require that you have different swings and/or positionings of the ball to be able to hit the required variety of shots with that one club.

The second philosophy is to use one swing with different clubs. The different lofts of the different clubs give you the different shot shapes.

I actually have three swings for the short game. One is my putter stroke, and I use the putting grip with this stroke. This is my chipping stroke. I keep the wrists firm and a rocking of the shoulders provides the power. Main point, make a downward blow and hit the ball first by having hands ahead of the ball at impact.

The second short game swing is with the ball back in the stance. Stance is open. Weight is on the left foot and stays there. Wrists break going back, but they then stay in the new position with a distinct angle in the right wrist. Again, the blow is downward hitting the ball first, hands leading. I hold the impact position after impact rather than releasing the wrists. The shot is a low trajectory shot. With a highly lofted club, it will check up fairly quickly (Of course, the nature of the green has something to say about this!).

The third short game shot is a short pitch. The ball is positioned in the middle of the stance. The swing is longer and more flowing than the previous shot. The hands are not too far ahead of the ball so that the club's shaft is near vertical. There is some weight shifted back and through. The wrists do break as well. The leading edge passes under the ball more because the attack angle is more shallow or less downward. After the impact the clubface faces the sky. The result is a high, very soft landing shot. With a tight lie, you cannot use a wedge with a lot of bounce on this shot! You can vary the trajectory by leaning the shaft more towards the target for a lower shot.

With these three strokes or swings, you just change clubs and make the same swing to get different amounts of carry, height, roll, or whatever the shot requires.

Again, there are two philosophies. It would not hurt to give them both a good try to see what works best for you. So many great golfers have used both of these philosophies successfully that it is not a question of which one is correct. They are both sound, and the choice is yours.

Sincerely, Cypressperch
 

dave.

Well-Known Member
Mar 20, 2005
5,926
2
Mickelson survives with just a sand iron.I think that sets a bad example to young golfers,he should be ashamed
 

Sandpiper3

Golf Course Designer
Aug 9, 2006
5,058
2
Mickelson survives with just a sand iron.I think that sets a bad example to young golfers,he should be ashamed

Well he has his SW and PW, i think that sets a pretty good example for young golfers. A LW does more harm than good to most players, me being one of them at the moment with my short game being in the shitter.

In reality its better the way courses are demanding those longer shots than a 3 iron, but too short for 3 woods (ie 5w, 3h, 2h, 2i, 7w etc).
 

Pa Jayhawk

Well-Known Member
Nov 15, 2005
7,196
62
Country
United States United States
Anything from a 23* hybrid to a 60* LW and even a putter on occasions.

Primarily I play on smaller or narrow greens of similar size and would say I do roughly even half my chips with a 52* GW. Maybe a quarter with my 8i, and the rest depending on the circumstance.
 

chemboy2

M634
Supporting Member
Sep 23, 2004
2,822
3
I'm with Cypress on this one. I have three different swings and use my 8i, 54-10, and 58-8. The 8i though is only used from the chip and runs from either the fairway or the fringe.

I think like most things in golf, there's more than one right way here. The key is practice because so much of the short game is about feel. I'm fortunate to have a courses with quality short game facilities by my home and office, but you really only need a small amount of grass and $20 chipping net.

It's funny, my short game was at its best when my daughter was still a baby. I take her into the backyard and hold her, alternating arms, while I did one-handed chips into the net. We'd spend a solid 30-40 minutes several nights a week doing that. She's a little too big for that now but she grabs her own clubs instead. :)
 

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