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How to Develop a Consistent Chipping Swing

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By Todd Mann
User-Submitted Article
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The short game is what separates better players from the rest when it comes to golf. Golf courses are setup to be challenging and not even the best players in the world find the green most of the time.

To lower your handicap, you need to have a solid short game in order to save par more often when the ball finds the rough near the green. Being able to chip the ball close to the hole with confidence is a must if you want to be able to go low.

Developing a consistent chipping swing that you can count on will make a significant impact on your ability to get up and down.

Difficulty: Easy
Instructions

Things You'll Need:

  • Golf clubs
  • Golf balls
  • chipping green
  1. Step 1

    The first step to developing a consistent chipping swing is to put more emphasis on the short game when you practice before a round of play. Most high-handicappers spend more time hitting a driver on the driving range than they do getting a feel for the rough and the speed of the green on the practice green before a round.

  2. Step 2

    Practice to develop a chip swing that features a rocking motion of the shoulders that takes the club away on a short but steep path.

  3. Step 3

    A consistent chip swing should not be handsy or wristy. A little wrist hinge will occur, especially on longer chips. That is okay as long as it is natural.

  4. Step 4

    Always hit down on the back of the ball making clean, crisp ball contact.

  5. Step 5

    The downswing should be shorter than the backswing to encourage a low ball flight to get the ball on the green and quickly rolling towards the hole. Always accelerate through the downswing and never slow down or quit.

  6. Step 6

    Instead of using just one club, such as a sand wedge, learn to use many clubs to control distance. Implement every club from a 5-iron to the lob wedge in your chipping strategy.

  7. Step 7

    Practice hitting to various ranges on the practice green to get a feel for how the loft of each club performs. With a multiple club strategy, it will be easier to use one chipping stroke no matter the distance and allow the selected club's loft to control how far the ball carries and rolls to the hole.

  8. Step 8

    Always identify a landing area while chipping and practice with each club until you can successfully and confidently hit your landing area most of the time.

  9. Step 9

    Always access each chip by examining the undulation of the green. Up or downhill will have an effect on the distance the ball travels.

  10. Step 10

    Record the carry-to-roll ratio of each club. Knowing those values will prove to worth it when faced with a chipping situation on the course. Learn those ratios by walking off the distances. For example, you may come to expect that selecting an 8-iron will result in ratio such as 1:3. That is, for every 1 yard of carry, you could expect 3 yards of roll OR more expressly, if the total distance to the cup was 12 yards given that ratio with an 8-iron you could expect to hit the ball in the air (carry) 3 yards and expect it to roll an additional 9 yards and stop for a total of 12 yards.

Tips & Warnings
  • Always practice chipping with a purpose. Strive to leave chips within at least a 3 foot radius of the hole.
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