One of my favorite drills to help with proper chipping contact (and to check your setup) is to place a tee on the target side of the golf ball and attempt to brush the tee off the ground after you make contact with the golf ball.
If executed correctly, the ball will get airborne and go over the tee, and in that split second of contact, the club head should then stay on the ground after the ball, also making the tee go into the air.
The forward brushing and scraping motion is how you produce perfect contact on chips, and this visual feedback will also help to keep your weight forward on your forward stroke, thereby enabling you to avoid any inclination to try to lift the ball.
A step-by-step guide to the perfect setup for can’t-miss chips
This smaller stroke will help to lower your scores and your stress, as it is a very low-maintenance shot choice. You can easily control distance with club selection and never need to use a big stroke. As you move farther from the target and need more roll, you can simply change your club selection to one with lower loft. It’s much more simple to change the club rather than the size of your stroke.
One thing that some players struggle with is judging carry versus rollout. Here’s a general idea of what you can expect with a given club:
Pitching wedge: 1/3 carry, 2/3 roll
So, if the ball carried five yards, it would roll another 10 for a total of 15 yards on flat, medium-speed greens.
9-iron: 1/4 carry, 3/4 roll
If the ball carried five yards, it would roll another 15 for a total of 20.
8-iron: 1/5 carry, 4/5 roll
If the ball carried five yards it would roll another 20 for a total of 25.
I believe that if you improve your chipping with good technique and understanding, it is one of the quickest ways to lower your scores and have more fun.
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For more golf tips from Kellie Stenzel, click here.
