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Chipping

Greydawg

King Of All Hackers!!!
Dec 15, 2006
243
0
Damn Rookies!!!

As much as I'm embarrased to show my ignorance here...
But they say the only stupid question is the one not asked...
What's the difference between a "chip" and a "pitch"?
 

Pa Jayhawk

Well-Known Member
Nov 15, 2005
7,196
62
Country
United States United States
As much as I'm embarrased to show my ignorance here...
But they say the only stupid question is the one not asked...
What's the difference between a "chip" and a "pitch"?
Generally a Pitch is when you have more ground or even an obstacle to carry in order to get the ball on the green. In many cases a more lofted shot. Even up to 40 yards or so.

Where a chip is usually a green side shot. Short distance to the green. Many feel get the ball on the green and rolling quick and sometimes referred to as a Chip and Run.

edit 1 - Not that you wouldn't possibly be green side and pitch. You may be in a position where the most reliable shot is to carry too another tier of the green, or over awkward breaks in the green. Even seen Mickleson pitch from a green where the apex of the break on a putt would have been in the rough. Took a divot even, had he done that on my weekend foresome on my course I would have shot his @$$. They called it a remarkable shot, which it was.
 

Sandy

Well-Known Member
Aug 29, 2006
907
0
There's a good definition in the Golf Digest book 'Breaking 100, 90, 80' where they say that anything under a half-swing is a chip and anything from a half-swing to less than a full swing is a pitch.

For me, it feels like anything where the clubhead gets above knee-height is a pitch, anything below that I count as a chip shot.

The kind of shot the OP is mainly talking about is what I'd consider a bump and run myself, and I regularly used my hybrids for those kind of shots.
 

gwlee7

Ho's from Rocky Mount, NC
Supporting Member
Jun 15, 2005
1,402
1
Basically pitch = more air time and chip = more ground time.

A good visual for basic chipping is to imagine that you are trying to chip the ball under a bench. This creates the proper angle of attack without worrying a lot about positions or how you are doing it. Also, to keep from decelerating (certain death in chipping), imagine that you are "striking a match" under the ball. Your shots will then be nice and crisp once again without having to think about how you are doing it.

I will use anything from my 60* right up to a 7 wood depending on what shot is needed. This only comes from practice and experince.

The people I play with tell me that I am much more dangerous from just off the green than I am with a long putt and they are correct. I believe that I am going to make every chip I attempt and actually do make a lot of them. I rarely have more than a 2 to 3 foot putt left and many are kick ins that have just missed going in.
 

cypressperch

Well-Known Member
Jun 24, 2006
681
3
Toledo Bend Lake, Louisiana
Country
United States United States
If a person plays one course all the time, or the

vast majority of the time, that will probably be the determining factor in what style or methods he chooses. This would apply to all aspects of the game.

The more courses you play, the wider the variety of shots you will face. Whether you use one club with many different set-ups, angle of attacks, etc., or whether you use one or two swings with many different clubs, you will have to be ready for that wider variety of shots. If your course is truly challenging, it may offer a fairly wide variety of shots on that one course, but even then, there are still shots out there somewhere that such courses do not provide.

The comment that FEEL is what the short game is all about is very accurate. Only practice can develop FEEL to the degree that we can consistently make our ball land on that spot that makes the shot unfold as intended. In an effort to simplify things as much as possible, I have gone to the system I described earlier with a few strokes I can use with every club in the bag if I see the need. I believe this reduces the total amount of things that I must develop FEEL for because of so many clubs having built in loft. OK, I do have to remember how every club performs (how far the ball will carry) when used with one of those few swings, but I find that it easier to remember that than to develop FEEL for each club.

Concerning my three strokes, I can simplify. One is my putting stroke. Two is when I hold the impact position with the hands still ahead of the ball. Three is when I release the clubhead with the release of the angles in the wrists and allow the clubhead to pass the hands.

Lie is a big determining factor in what shots you will choose. Sometimes, the lie will not let you use a shot. Example: Hitting a high lob or flop shot from hard ground with little or no grass with a club that has a lot of bounce. Other shots would have a greater chance of success.

Sincerely, Cypressperch
 

Pa Jayhawk

Well-Known Member
Nov 15, 2005
7,196
62
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United States United States
If a person plays one course all the time, or the vast majority of the time, that will probably be the determining factor in what style or methods he chooses.
Sincerely, Cypressperch
Great choice of words. I find that I use far more clubs for chipping and Pitching on courses other than my home course. Where with my home course I can hone in on certain (few) clubs for more predictable results simply because of familiarity of positive results.
 

flomarilius

Nike staffer :)
Jun 19, 2006
648
0
When im greenside and im chipping I'll usually take my SW and never ground the club. Take it back and let it descend smoothly into the ball this way I force myself to make a descending blow not a putting stroke. If im in front of the green Ill usually take a 7 Iron and hit a little nipper if im like 20-35 yards out.
 

gwlee7

Ho's from Rocky Mount, NC
Supporting Member
Jun 15, 2005
1,402
1
Having multiple shots in your arsenal and knowing the course is important as has been noted. At a course that I used to belong to, I finally figured out that the best play on one of the holes from the 100 yard marker was to actually hit a 6 iron if the pin was up front. Yes, a 6 iron. This green sloped from front to back and was uphill, and also quite firm. Sand wedge would bounce very high and then release to the back and was only a good play to a middle or back pin. I could hit a long 6 iron "chip" that would hop up the hill and run out of gas in the front quarter of the green at least 80% of the time. People would look at me like I was crazy until they saw me knock it up there in birdie range. The "I bet you can't do that again comments" were soon put to rest as I could do it time and time again.
 

cypressperch

Well-Known Member
Jun 24, 2006
681
3
Toledo Bend Lake, Louisiana
Country
United States United States
Many, many experts would argue

that it is best to get the ball just on the green and then start to roll as soon as possible. Lofted clubs put enough backspin on the ball to impede rolling the ball. Some deloft the more lofted clubs to get a similar effect. I would argue, along with those experts that it might be more easy to just use your putting stroke with different lofts of clubs to yield different lengths of roll.

If there is a lot of changes going on in the green between your ball and the cup, a shot that would carry some of this "trouble" would probably be in order. Here will mention one of the few tips that I use to come from Peltz. If there is a valley between your ball and the cup, aim at the bottom of the valley. Why? If you are short of your mark, your ball hits the down slope and jumps foward making up for being short. If you carry too far, it hits an upslope and takes off some of the role. So, it is like you got three chances to get it near the hole.

Sincerely, Cypressperch
 

warbirdlover

Ender of all threads
Supporting Member
Jul 9, 2005
19,151
5,601
central Wisconsin
Country
United States United States
Up until I just bought a 56º Vokey spin milled I did ALL my chipping and pitching with my PW. I know that club like the back of my hand and my short game is as good as anyone's. (The rest sucks but a really good short game)...:laugh: . Long punches from under trees etc. I use my 3-iron....

This year I guess it's going to be my hybrid.... :laugh:
 

Sandy

Well-Known Member
Aug 29, 2006
907
0
Long punches from under trees etc. I use my 3-iron....

This year I guess it's going to be my hybrid.... :laugh:

You'll LOVE the results, WBL - I spent most of the winter working on hitting low punch shots with my hybrids (the rest I spent on the swing my teacher gave me and chipping/pitching) and finally got the chance to use them in anger last week, on the one day we had when the golf course around here were open.

The results were staggering! I think I played about 5 of them during the round, a couple from out in the bad ground around the trees, and they were 5 of the best shots I've ever played. The two I played up onto the green were perfect, and gave me one putt for par on both occasions.

For someone not particularly good yet, having this shot in my arsenal will be good for 3 or 4 shots a round I would think, and using the hybrid was just so easy it was laughable. I think you'll LOVE the results!
 

Fourputt

Littleton, Colorado
Sep 5, 2006
973
0
I do 95% of my chipping/pitching with my 45° PW and my 50° GW. The other 5% is my 56° SW. I practice with all 3 about equally, so none feels strange in my hands when I need it. I also practice occasionally with my 25° hybrid, although it's only a special situation club around the green, and rarely gets used for that in an actual round.
 

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