GOLF INSTRUCTION – Top Tips for CHIPPING

One of the shortest shots in golf is one that requires the most authority. Golf instruction chipping without authority can be thin, fat or even shanked shots. Whatever can go wrong usually will. Hit your chip shots with authority, your chances of tapping in the next one will greatly improve.

There are a few things that lead to a lack of authority- including fear, indecision, lack of strength – and all lead to poor chipping. Think of your club as a horse.(i know but stay with me here) confidence plays a big part, it has a knack of ‘knowing’ what’s going on and plays up. Far more satisfactory results are achieved if you show it who is boss, who is in charge.

To ensure authority, the best way is by repetition. Bring authority back to your short game, take on these two strength drills now.                                           
Drill 1; Hold the club horizontally in front of your body and cock the wrists. Get some strength and flexibility into your wrists, repeat these simple exercises for 10 repetitions and build up gradually.

Second Drill; Hold your arms outstretched with a weight, anything weighing about a pound or so, hand weights are good, and lift up and down with your wrists.

Wrist Strength
To hit a golfshot with any authority it’s hard to do so if the golfclub feels heavy in your hand. To ensure you are in control of your swing when chipping, the wrist must be firm, and it must secure the golfclub. For many beginners, weak wrists can be a problem, however it won’t hurt all golfers to spend some effort on these drills.

Be Decisive
You will find any number of articles covering club selection and what type of chip shot for particular situations. Eliminate doubt, whatever your decision, convince yourself that it is the correct shot.
Spend the time on the practice green repeating the same shots over and over again.
Placing a basket or bucket in your backyard at home and practice chipping into that, can really hone your skills. If you consistently hit your target, that means you’re decisive and have strong wrists, and you are on the right path to hitting plenty of chip shots close.

Learn the proper chipping set-up; weight on lead side, ball slightly back of centre in your stance, eyes and hands closer to the target than the ball is at address.
Learn to hinge and hold; During the backswing use your dominant hand (right for right handed) and hinge the club slightly.
Hold this position post impact, in the follow through. That is, don’t let the clubhead pass under your lead hand before impact. The back of that hand should be closer to the target than the ball is at impact. You can release the golfclub after impact.
Relax. Getting wristy and trying to scoop a chip shot into the air is the number 1 problem of amateurs.

Golf Instruction Chipping Tip- Bet on the percentages

Fancy high loft greenside chip shots, might look fancy in the air, but there is a higher risk of error. Extra loft decreases the margin for error at impact and decreases the size of the landing  zone on the green.
The pros have perfected the second-bounce check-up, it is one of the hardest shots to play in golf, so at this stage leave it to them.
I encourage any amateur golfer to go for maximum roll and minimum air time, remembering to land the ball on the green.. This means using less-lofted clubs and relying on a simple formula when faced with a chip around the green. However first, like any shot in golf a little course management is required. As is a brush up on the finer points of golf instruction for a balanced posture

Golf Instruction Chipping – The Method
When you are about to chip, focus on your landing spot as the target, not the flag. Several factors will influence this like the condition of the green, and loft of club chosen. Use the following ratios, start with a five iron and increase the loft depending on the amount of the green available.

• 5 IRON

20 percent flight, 80 percent bounce and roll. ?

• 8 IRON

33 percent flight, 67 percent bounce and roll

• WEDGE

50 percent bounce and 50 percent roll.

To master the bump and run shot, chip with an 8 iron and then learn to use a wedge.

Here is a great golf instruction chipping tip I learned a while ago, try this. In your normal stance for a chip shot, grab a ball and throw it underarm at your target to gain a feel for how hard you will need to swing the club.
Imagine how much strength is needed to fly the golfball onto the green and roll it up to the flag, by throwing the ball about two thirds of the way back to the hole. This is a great technique to get a feel for the shot.

I hope these few golf instruction tips will help you to improve your short game and reduce the number of shots in your round the next time you go out on the course.