Are you one of the many golfers who putt better than you chip? While putting might seem like a simpler motion since the club doesn’t need to hit the ground and ideally the ball doesn’t get airborne, the good news is that if you’re a solid putter, you can be a great chipper too. Many of the fundamentals that make you a good putter can be applied to your short game to boost your touch around the greens.
Good posture is key
Your putting posture involves a forward bend from the hips, allowing your arms to hang freely. This “bow” at the hips is essential because as your shoulders naturally fall forward, they create a smooth path for your arms to swing. This path is crucial for solid contact and will help you improve both direction and distance control. Applying this same posture to your chipping is just as important. It ensures that the clubhead gets down to the ground and increases your chances of striking the ball with the center of the clubface. A slight bow in your posture — rather than a squat or crowded stance — can make a huge difference in your ability to make consistent, center-face contact.
Keep your stroke short
One of the things that make both putting and chipping reliable is the small size of the stroke. Unless you’re attempting a trick shot, your backswing should never rise above or even reach hip height. A smaller motion with fewer moving parts makes it more forgiving. Even if you miss-hit the ball slightly, it’s usually still in play. If your chipping backswing gets too long, it can cause your weight to shift too much, disrupting where the club hits the ground. A longer stroke can also force you to slow down your forward swing, which can affect your contact and consistency.
Lean toward the target
When putting, your weight tends to be relatively centered. But when you’re hitting a low-running chip — also known as a bump and run — your body should lean toward the target. Be mindful to lean your body and the club equally. As your sternum moves forward, the club shaft should follow suit. However, avoid excessive shaft lean, as it can cause the club to dig too much into the ground. When you lean, your forward shoulder should drop slightly. This adjustment helps steepen the angle of attack, ensuring that the clubhead strikes the back of the ball first before making contact with the ground.
Your chip shot should have some airtime, even if it rolls more than it flies. Proper contact with the ground is crucial, and this is where posture and correct body lean come into play. While it’s sometimes possible to avoid hitting the ground — like when playing on very short grass — if you’re on courses with thicker grass around the greens, you’ll need to commit to hitting the ground in order to get the ball airborne.
Use your putting grip
Both putting and chipping are stroke motions, and that creates a lot of similarities. If you’re a great putter but struggle with chipping, consider using the exact same grip you use for putting.
One example of this is the cross-handed grip, which has been gaining popularity in chipping. Since I putt with a cross-handed grip, I find it feels natural to use the same technique for chipping. The cross-handed grip reduces wrist action and promotes a more stable, efficient stroke.
For golfers who tend to use excessive wrist movement while chipping, this change can drastically improve contact. The lower position of the lead hand can also improve shoulder alignment, making your natural forward lean more automatic. Matthew Fitzpatrick has been chipping cross-handed for some time now, and more recently, you can see it with Matthew Pavon, a student of short-game coach Parker McLachlin. This more shallow motion can be especially helpful for chipping off tight lies, making the shot more efficient and controlled.
With these tips hopefully you’ll make your chipping as reliable as your putting.
