By Rob Duca
The art of scrambling from off the green to save strokes is not really an art at all. It comes with practice. As Gary Player famously once said about his remarkable greenside bunker play, “The more I practice, the luckier I get.”
If you work on it and follow the proper technique, you can become adept at chipping the ball close to the hole. Consistently getting the ball up and down will save you lots of strokes, and will allow you to shoot much lower scores.
Here are a few tips for chipping it close.
- It Starts with Club Selection
Many golfers immediately opt for a sand wedge or pitching wedge when chipping from just off the green. But it’s important to consider what kind of shot is best for the situation. Often, a better option is to get the ball rolling on the ground as soon as possible, making the choice of a 7-iron or 8-iron a wiser option. By playing less loft, there is a smaller margin for error. Chipping, rather than pitching, requires a shorter stroke, which also reduces the margin of error. And don’t change your stroke if you need to chip the ball further; pull a less-lofted club and take the same stroke.
- Narrow Your Stance
Position yourself closer to the ball and slightly open to the target, with your feet closer together, no more than a clubhead-width apart. Place most of your weight on your lead foot, and keep your hands slightly ahead of the ball so that you’re swinging downward. Don’t tilt your body back too much, for that will lead to thin or fat shots.
- Grip Down
By gripping down on the club, you shorten it and gain more control. But make sure not to bend over too much, for that will result in poor posture and a lack of balance. Just move closer to the ball.
- Take Aim
Make sure the clubface is aimed at where you want the ball to go. Practice this with an alignment aid placed just outside your ball, with it pointing right of your target. Practice aiming the face so that the leading edge is perpendicular to this line.
- Imagine You’re Putting
You are attempting to roll the ball toward the pin, so read the green just as you would for a putt.
- The Swing
You want your chipping motion to replicate how you putt, which means to take the wrists out of the equation, while rotating your chest and shoulders. This will help prevent you from opening or shutting the clubface on impact and result in a clean strike. Make sure to let the club do the work. In other words, don’t try to lift the ball into the air. The club should brush the turf in a descending blow to ensure clean contact.
- Think Ground First
It’s crucial that upon contact the club should hit the ground on the target side of the ball. To ensure this, lean your upper body slightly forward toward the target, with your sternum just slightly ahead of the ball. If you don’t hit the ground, the ball will often roll unpredictably.
- Stay Balanced
Balance is just as important for a chip as it is with a full swing. Thus, make sure to hold your finish and remain in balance, checking that your stroke is even going back and forth.
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