How to perfect the high, soft chip around the greens

Not every golfer has the ability to stop the ball on a dime. Sure, every player would love to put PGA Tour-level backspin on the ball, but the reality is, it’s really difficult to do that. And just practicing such a shot will bring all sorts of frustration.

But the next best thing? Hitting a shot that softly (and safely) lands on the green. By doing this, you’ll be in better position for shorter putts, thus, more chances at lower scores.

To show you how to do this, let’s look to GOLF Top 100 Teacher Andrew Rice, who recently posted an Instagram video highlighting the keys to softly landing your chips onto the green.

In the video below, Rice talks about slowing the ball down when chipping. Even without a ton of backspin, players who can accomplish this often see their ball sit nicely on the green, leaving less roll upon impacting the putting surface. He then goes on to explain how to do this.

Rice stresses the importance of keeping the clubface open on these types of shots, which gets the club beneath the ball and provides a nice target for the shot to come off of.

“The clubhead is undertaking the handle, and the face is open — you’ve got to have the face open in order to do this. Really experiment with this, and see how soon you can get the clubhead to pass underneath the handle. That’s going to soften up those shots and perhaps save you a shot or two.”

By incorporating these tips from Rice, you’ll see improved chips, a softer landing on the green and more opportunities for shorter putts. Now get out there and start trying this for yourself!