An easy trick for perfect chips? It features the club handle

Skulls, thins and fats: the worst way to describe any chip. You can eliminate all by keeping a simple thought in mind:

Start with the butt of the club pointing at your belly and keep it pointing there throughout your motion.

It doesn’t matter what type of chip you’re trying to hit, or if you use a lot of wrist hinge for extra loft, or hardly any at all for more run. Sync your arm swing and your body turn so that the butt always points at your center.

It’s a great tip for golfers who hang back and try to lift the ball into the air or those who think they need a ton of shaft lean at impact. These are simple shots, folks. Make your approach simple as well.

Todd Sones teaches at Arboretum GC in Buffalo Grove, Ill.