What is a chip shot in golf? A chip shot is a short approach shot played from near the green, usually with a lofted club like a wedge, designed to get the ball airborne a short distance before it rolls the rest of the way to the hole. Mastering the chip shot is perhaps the most vital skill for lowering your scores in golf. Many golfers spend hours perfecting their drive, but the real difference between a good score and a great score often lies in your short game golf shots. This guide will help you refine your chipping technique, ensuring you leave fewer shots on the green and save strokes around the green.
The Core Elements of an Effective Chip Shot
A good chip shot is all about control and consistency. It is not about power; it’s about precision. You need to hit the center of the clubface squarely and control how high and far the ball travels. This relies on a solid golf chip setup and posture.
Golf Chip Setup and Posture: Building a Solid Base
Your setup dictates the success of the shot. Keep it simple and repeatable. This foundation is key to all chipping techniques.
Stance and Ball Position
For a standard chip shot, you want a slightly narrower stance than a full swing. This limits body movement.
- Stance Width: Feet should be about shoulder-width apart, or slightly narrower. A narrow base restricts unwanted lower body rotation.
- Ball Position: Place the ball slightly back in your stance, usually toward the middle or just behind the center line of your feet. This helps promote a downward strike, ensuring clean contact.
- Weight Distribution: Shift about 60% to 70% of your weight onto your front (lead) foot. This weight stays there throughout the swing. Feel grounded and stable.
Grip Pressure and Club Face Angle
Grip pressure should be light—think “holding a tube of toothpaste without squeezing the paste out.” Too firm a grip restricts wrist action needed for finesse.
- Grip: Choke down on the club shaft about one to two inches from the normal grip. This gives you more feel and better control over the short motion.
- Club Face: For most chips, keep the clubface neutral, pointing directly toward your target. If you need a higher flight, you might slightly open the face, but start neutral.
Posture and Alignment
Your spine angle must remain consistent.
- Spine Tilt: Lean slightly toward the target. This helps ensure you hit down on the ball, a crucial element for solid contact.
- Shoulders: Keep your shoulders square to the target line, or slightly closed if you are deliberately opening the face for loft.
Selecting the Right Tool: Best Wedge for Chipping
Choosing the best wedge for chipping depends on the situation. Most players use one of three wedges for around the green golf shots:
- Pitching Wedge (PW): Offers the least loft. Excellent for shots where you need lots of roll, such as the bump and run chip shot.
- Gap Wedge (GW) or Approach Wedge (AW): Medium loft. A great all-around chipping club when you need a bit of air time but still want significant roll.
- Sand Wedge (SW): Higher loft. Used when you need to get the ball airborne quickly over a hazard or land it softly on the green.
Most instructors recommend relying on one wedge, like an 8-iron or a 9-iron, for the bump and run, and a Gap Wedge or Sand Wedge for higher chips. Consistency in club choice minimizes variables.
The Mechanics of the Chip Shot Swing
The chip shot is often described as a miniature putting stroke, but with more wrist hinge allowed (depending on the shot type). The primary goal is to maintain a stable lower body while allowing the arms and shoulders to control the swing arc.
Deciphering the Swing Path
The swing path for a chip must be controlled and concise. Forget taking a full swing takeaway.
The Takeaway
The takeaway should be quiet and smooth.
- One-Piece Movement: Move the club away from the ball primarily with your chest and shoulders, keeping your wrists firm initially. Avoid any quick wrist flick on the way back.
- Length: The backswing length dictates distance control. For a short chip (5 to 10 yards onto the green), the backswing might only go to your ankle height.
The Hitting Motion
This is where most errors occur. You must strike the ball first, then the turf (taking a small divot, if any).
- Weight Transfer: The weight should remain forward. Do not let your hips sway back toward the target during the downswing. Maintain that 70% forward weight from the setup.
- Arm Motion: Use your arms to swing the club down, keeping the triangle formed by your arms and shoulders intact as long as possible. The arms dictate the speed.
- The Release: The crucial difference between chipping and pitching is the amount of wrist action. For a pure chip, you want minimal wrist release. Let the loft of the club do the work.
Controlling Golf Chip Distance: Yardage Gapping
Controlling golf chip distance is the secret sauce. This relies on linking the length of your backswing to the length of your follow-through, keeping the tempo the same.
Tempo is King
Use a consistent tempo for all chips—a slow, steady rhythm, often counted as a 1-2 count (1 on the backswing, 2 on the forward swing and finish).
The Clock Face Method for Distance Control
A simple, repeatable method is comparing your swing length to a clock face:
| Backswing Stop Point | Approximate Swing Length Ratio (Backswing:Follow-through) | Resulting Shot Type |
|---|---|---|
| 7:30 (Ankle Height) | 1:1 or 1:1.5 | Shortest Roll (High Loft Needed) |
| 9:00 (Knee Height) | 1:1 | Standard Chip (Medium Roll) |
| 10:30 (Waist Height) | 1:1.5 or 1:2 | Longer Chip/Pitch (More Air Time) |
Practice swinging back to 9:00 and finishing through to 9:00. This forms your standard chip. Adjusting slightly shorter or longer while keeping the tempo identical allows you to dial in distances precisely.
Shot Variation: Adapting to Different Lies and Conditions
Not every chip happens on perfect, closely mown fairway grass. Short game golf shots demand adaptability.
The Bump and Run Chip Shot
The bump and run chip shot is the highest percentage shot around the green, especially when the green is firm or you have a lot of green to cover before the pin.
- Club Choice: Use a lower-lofted club, like an 8-iron or 7-iron.
- Setup: Set up almost like you are putting. Ball slightly back, weight heavily forward (75-80% on the front foot).
- Swing: Minimize wrist hinge entirely. Make the stroke very short, almost like a slightly longer putt. The goal is to get the ball rolling quickly, using the ground to control the final distance. This minimizes the chance of blading the ball.
High Lofted Chips (The “Flyer”)
When you must carry rough or land the ball softly near a tucked pin, you need more air time.
- Club Choice: Sand wedge or lob wedge.
- Setup Modification: Slightly open the clubface before you grip down. Move the ball slightly forward in your stance. Keep your weight forward, but allow a tiny bit more wrist hinge than the bump and run.
- Swing Focus: Focus on accelerating through the ball. The added loft means a slightly longer follow-through is needed to match the backswing length (use the 10:30 position mentioned earlier).
Fathoming Different Turf Conditions
- Tight/Firm Lie: Be very precise. If you hit behind the ball, you will likely thin it. Keep your weight very forward and ensure a clean strike.
- Fluffy Rough: You need more club speed to cut through the grass and reach the ball. Open the face slightly more than usual to prevent the grass from closing it during impact. Do not try to scoop the ball out; swing through it firmly.
Troubleshooting Common Chipping Errors
Even seasoned golfers struggle with chips. Most errors boil down to either striking the turf too early (chunking) or striking the turf too late (thinning).
Fixing Chunky Chip Shots
A “chunk” means you hit the ground way behind the ball, taking a huge divot and sending the ball nowhere. This is usually caused by deceleration or swaying.
Causes of Chunky Chip Shots:
- Swaying Back: Your weight shifts to your back foot during the swing, causing the low point of the arc to move behind the ball.
- Early Release/Casting: You actively “throw” your hands at the ball too early, causing the low point to move too far forward or steepening the angle of attack too much.
- Looking Up: Lifting your head to see where the ball went.
Solutions to Stop Chunking:
- Maintain Forward Weight: Consciously feel 70% of your weight fixed on your lead foot throughout the entire motion.
- Practice Pendulum Swings: Make practice swings focusing only on the arm movement, keeping the lower body completely still. Feel the clubhead returning to the same spot where you started the takeaway.
- Use Drill Balls or Tees: Place a tee just in front of your ball. Your goal is to strike the ball cleanly without hitting the tee. If you chunk, you’ll knock the tee out.
Avoiding the Thin Chip Shot Golf Problem
A “thin” or “bladed” chip shot flies low, often skids, and usually rolls way past the target because you didn’t get enough height.
Causes of Thin Chip Shots:
- Hitting Up on the Ball: You are trying to scoop the ball up off the grass, raising your chest or lifting your spine angle during the downswing.
- Too Much Wrist Hinge: You are adding too much flip or hinge late in the swing, lifting the center of the clubface into the ball.
Solutions to Prevent Thinning:
- Establish Spine Tilt Early: Before starting the swing, confirm your lead shoulder is slightly higher than your trail shoulder, tilting your sternum toward the target. This encourages a downward strike.
- Keep Hands Ahead: Ensure your hands stay slightly ahead of the clubhead through impact. This promotes shaft lean and a descending blow, even on a very short chip.
- Focus on the Bottom: Tell yourself the clubhead must brush the grass after the ball. If you feel you are brushing before the ball, you are trying to lift it.
Drills for Mastering the Chip Shot
Consistent practice with specific drills is the best way to internalize chipping techniques and achieve success with short game golf shots.
Drill 1: The Towel Drill for Stability
This drill forces your body to stay connected and prevents excessive arm movement, which often leads to mishits.
- Place a small towel or headcover between your arms, held snugly against your chest.
- Take your standard chip setup.
- Make small chip swings (around the 9:00 position).
- If you use your hands too much or separate your arms from your chest, the towel will fall. This drill ensures your upper body dictates the swing speed.
Drill 2: The Coin/Tee Target Drill for Precision
This drill helps train your eyes to focus on the landing spot, which is key for controlling golf chip distance.
- Place three tees or coins on the green representing three different landing zones: Short (1 foot onto the fringe), Medium (3 feet onto the fringe), and Long (5 feet onto the fringe).
- Aim to land your ball near the corresponding tee based on your pre-selected swing length (e.g., 7:30 backswing targets the Short tee).
- This drill reinforces the connection between your swing length and the result.
Drill 3: The Putting Gate Drill for Square Contact
This drill ensures you are hitting the center of the clubface consistently, avoiding the miss-hits that result in thin shots.
- Place two tees just outside the heel and toe of your wedge face—creating a narrow gate slightly wider than the clubhead.
- Your objective is to swing the club cleanly through this gate without hitting the tees.
- This forces a square swing path and prevents the clubface from twisting prematurely, which is essential for solid contact.
Integrating the Chip Shot into Your Strategy
Mastering the chip shot is not just about mechanics; it’s about strategy on the golf course. Every time you approach the green, you need a plan.
Assessing the Lie and Target
Before every chip, ask these three questions:
- What is the lie? Is it tight, fluffy, or wet? (This dictates club choice.)
- How far is it to the fringe/green? (This dictates the required carry distance.)
- What is the green speed? (This dictates how much roll you need the ball to have.)
If you have 10 feet onto the green and 20 feet to the hole, you generally want a shot that travels 10 feet in the air and rolls 20 feet. This usually calls for a standard 9:00 swing with a Gap Wedge, or perhaps a bump and run with an 8-iron if the green is very fast.
When to Choose the Bump and Run vs. Lofted Chip
| Scenario | Recommended Shot Type | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Plenty of green to work with | Bump and Run (Lower Club) | Highest success rate; minimizes air time errors. |
| Pin tucked tightly near the fringe | Lofted Chip (Wedge) | Must stop the ball quickly; requires air time. |
| Ball sitting in thick, heavy rough | Lofted Chip (Aggressive Swing) | Need speed to get through the grass; requires height. |
| Green is wet or soft | Lofted Chip | Lower clubs may skid too much on soft surfaces. |
By practicing these different chipping techniques and having a decision matrix in your mind, you move from guessing to calculating your results. This calculated approach is what separates good scramblers from great short-game players. Consistent practice focusing on tempo and weight distribution will help you control the outcome of all your around the green golf shots.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: Should I ever use a putter for a chip shot?
A: Yes, if the lie is extremely tight, or the distance is very short (just off the fringe), using a putter can be very effective. This is essentially a very long putt where you lift the leading edge of the putter slightly to clear the fringe grass.
Q: How much difference does the weight shift make?
A: A huge difference. If you allow your weight to shift backward during impact, you are almost guaranteeing a chunk or a heavy strike. Keeping weight forward ensures a descending angle of attack, which is vital for clean contact.
Q: Can I use the same loft for all my chips?
A: While some pros focus on one wedge (like a 56-degree sand wedge) and vary their swing length, for most amateurs, using different clubs (8-iron for bump and run, 52-degree for standard chip, 58-degree for lob) simplifies controlling golf chip distance by keeping the swing motion the same length for each club.
Q: What is the main difference between chipping and pitching?
A: Chipping is characterized by a shorter swing, minimal wrist hinge (keeping the triangle intact), and the ball spending more time rolling than flying. Pitching involves a longer backswing, more aggressive use of the wrists, and a higher trajectory with more air time.