Chipping woes

[Voyager EMH]

Chipping is the 2nd most important golf skill. Putting is first.

I chip with anything from 5-iron down. My technique is very different from bob's.
I stand very open and there is little or no movement in body or legs.
I am very right side dominant in this open position - similarities to one-handed style.

My last game, Thursday, I had 28 putts. This was more down to some good chipping rather than the putting. Chipped in for birdie on the first.
I am usually very confident when chipping. But I did practice one hell of a lot when a boy.

It takes so much less effort to practice chipping and putting than slogging away at full shots on the range.
Rarely do I see amateurs quoting their stats for down-in-two from 10, 20 and 30 yards. Yet this is the skill that can clearly improve your scores.

 

[Bratty]

I'm off to The Algarve soon, and the hotel we're staying in has a golf pro. For €140, he'll play 18 holes with you, which is €35 an hour at most (no round is only 4 hours in The Algarve) so I'm booked in to play Laranjal with him.
My plan is to tell him what my Pro and I are working on (not standing up in the downswing) so he can spot if I do it properly or not, but more to have him help me with chipping, putting, bunker play, putting and course management.
Dude is going to earn that money for sure!!!

 

[patricks148]

I'm guessing it's a mental issue, don't be disheartened, there's a lad at mine, won the club champs last year, off +3 he cannot chip full stop. He's tried everything. It's very strange to watch, he mostly just putts it, but we are a links so much easier to do so greenside.

 

[Deleted member 29109]

Chipping is the 2nd most important golf skill. Putting is first.

Bold statement.

The short game, including putting only accounts for a third of a score. No point getting up and down in two of you’ve gone OB off the tee then taken another 3 or 4 shots to get to the side of the green.

Hitting greens in regulation is the most important part of the game.

Getting up and down is great, but it’s not a long term strategy for lowering scores. Realistically even the best amateurs aren’t getting up and down that often. And if outside of 6ft we’ll 2 putt more often than 1 putt.

 

[Bratty]

Bold statement.

The short game, including putting only accounts for a third of a score. No point getting up and down in two of you’ve gone OB off the tee then taken another 3 or 4 shots to get to the side of the green.

Hitting greens in regulation is the most important part of the game.

Getting up and down is great, but it’s not a long term strategy for lowering scores. Realistically even the best amateurs aren’t getting up and down that often. And if outside of 6ft we’ll 2 putt more often than 1 putt.

I kind of agree and kind of disagree.
Most important skill initially is a consistent enough swing to avoid trouble, surely. Then focus on putting, then chipping.
If I spent any time practice those two things, I feel I could improve my handicap, as my swing is getting to a fundamentally stable place.

 

[bobmac]

Bold statement.

The short game, including putting only accounts for a third of a score. No point getting up and down in two of you’ve gone OB off the tee then taken another 3 or 4 shots to get to the side of the green.

Hitting greens in regulation is the most important part of the game.

Getting up and down is great, but it’s not a long term strategy for lowering scores. Realistically even the best amateurs aren’t getting up and down that often. And if outside of 6ft we’ll 2 putt more often than 1 putt.

Every part of the game is important but chipping close and holing the putt to save par is great to keep the momentum going.

1. Nice drive, nice 2nd to 6 feet and miss the putt = par. 4-5 mins later, still chuntering on about missing the birdie you hit your next drive.

2. Nice drive, miss the green, chip to 2 feet and hole the putt = par. 4-5 mins later, pleased about saving par you hit your next drive.

Momentum is underrated.

 

[Bratty]

Daniel Gavins just won by putting 90ft over 6 holes. And holing a must make after dunking it in the water twice on 18! Tell him putting isn't important.

 

[Deleted member 31467]

VERY soft grip, take the hands back then hold them there, turn through with the hands being pulled by the body. Your hands should effectively finish behind you if that makes sense.

 

[bobmac]

VERY soft grip, take the hands back then hold them there, turn through with the hands being pulled by the body. Your hands should effectively finish behind you if that makes sense.

Wouldn't that be describing a pitch shot rather than a chip and run with a seven iron? The ball would never get that high with a chip

 

[Deleted member 29109]

Daniel Gavins just won by putting 90ft over 6 holes. And holing a must make after dunking it in the water twice on 18! Tell him putting isn't important.

Of course putting is important, just not as important as has been made out in the past.

I presume they were for birdies and not doubles. So, the long game gave him the opportunity to hole those putts

 

[Bratty]

Of course putting is important, just not as important as has been made out in the past.

I presume they were for birdies and not doubles. So, the long game gave him the opportunity to hole those putts

I guess, so, but he could do with working on chipping if he was still having to hole 90ft over 6 greens, eh!
And the last one was absolutely for double!

 

[Deleted member 29109]

Every part of the game is important but chipping close and holing the putt to save par is great to keep the momentum going.

1. Nice drive, nice 2nd to 6 feet and miss the putt = par. 4-5 mins later, still chuntering on about missing the birdie you hit your next drive.

2. Nice drive, miss the green, chip to 2 feet and hole the putt = par. 4-5 mins later, pleased about saving par you hit your next drive.

Momentum is underrated.

I don’t disagree with any of that Bob. And I have been there myself. However, as I have become more interested in modern statistics I have come to understand that the chance of me holing a 6ft putt is 50/50. I’ve become less irritated by missing them.

All of us could do with a bit more perspective as to what constitutes a good shot. We all think we should get it within 10ft from 100 yards in the fairway, when even the best in the world don’t. Getting it within 10ft from 10 yards is a good chip, and holing the putt is a bonus.

I suspect many amateurs who struggle with chipping are putting too much pressure on themselves to chip it to tap in distance. Just get it on the green.

 

[Bratty]

I don’t disagree with any of that Bob. And I have been there myself. However, as I have become more interested in modern statistics I have come to understand that the chance of me holing a 6ft putt is 50/50. I’ve become less irritated by missing them.

All of us could do with a bit more perspective as to what constitutes a good shot. We all think we should get it within 10ft from 100 yards in the fairway, when even the best in the world don’t. Getting it within 10ft from 10 yards is a good chip, and holing the putt is a bonus.

I suspect many amateurs who struggle with chipping are putting too much pressure on themselves to chip it to tap in distance. Just get it on the green.

I'm guilty of the last two paragraphs for sure. Number of times I hit a pitch or chip and hate it, only for playing partners to say good shot. Always interesting when single figures tell me that. Most telling when I hit one they'd be happy with!

 

[Voyager EMH]

Bold statement.

The short game, including putting only accounts for a third of a score. No point getting up and down in two of you’ve gone OB off the tee then taken another 3 or 4 shots to get to the side of the green.

Hitting greens in regulation is the most important part of the game.

Getting up and down is great, but it’s not a long term strategy for lowering scores. Realistically even the best amateurs aren’t getting up and down that often. And if outside of 6ft we’ll 2 putt more often than 1 putt.

Hitting greens in regulation (eg 3 shots on a par 4 for an 18 or so handicapper) is an important part of the game, but it is not one specific skill. It mostly involves the third most important skill.

1. Putting
2. Chipping and pitching.
3. Taking full shots with any club.

For me, the most important shot is the one that goes in the hole. The shot before that is the second most important shot, etc.
Time devoted to practice should reflect this grading of importance.
I don't practice much at all these days, but when I did, numbers 1 and 2 accounted for about 70% of my practice time.

 

[bobmac]

Getting it within 10ft from 10 yards is a good chip, and holing the putt is a bonus.

I strongly disagree.
If you're happy chipping from 10 yards to 10 feet, you need more practice.
If I didn't get a 10 yard chip within 3-4 feet, I'd be disappointed

 

[Deleted member 29109]

Hitting greens in regulation (eg 3 shots on a par 4 for an 18 or so handicapper) is an important part of the game, but it is not one specific skill. It mostly involves the third most important skill.

1. Putting
2. Chipping and pitching.
3. Taking full shots with any club.

For me, the most important shot is the one that goes in the hole. The shot before that is the second most important shot, etc.
Time devoted to practice should reflect this grading of importance.
I don't practice much at all these days, but when I did, numbers 1 and 2 accounted for about 70% of my practice time.

We’re probably going to have to agree to disagree on this one. But I find it an interesting debate.

In round terms. We all hole out 18 times per round. 99.9% of the time with a putt. How many of those putts are tap ins from inside say 18”? 10 maybe. They require very little skill. PGA. Tour pros are 50/50 from 8ft. We aren’t beating that.

The important part of putting is lagging from outside 10 ft and holing as many as possible from inside 8ft. The vast majority of time we are on the green a 2 putt is a good result.

Ability tends to separate the further away from the hole you get.

I am as good as prime Tiger from 6”. Move to 6ft and there is a big separation, move out to 100 yards and then 150, 200 etc and the separation gets bigger. That separation is largely the same going from scratch to a 5 index, then 5 to 10.

 

[Deleted member 29109]

I strongly disagree.
If you're happy chipping from 10 yards to 10 feet, you need more practice.
If I didn't get a 10 yard chip within 3-4 feet, I'd be disappointed

PGA Tour average from 10 yards in the fairway is around 5ft. It’s unrealistic for the rest of us to expect to be anywhere near that.

Managing expectations is one area that I think a lot of amateur golfers need to be taught when they start. It might save us all a lot of frustration.

 

[Deleted member 31467]

Wouldn't that be describing a pitch shot rather than a chip and run with a seven iron? The ball would never get that high with a chip

No it's a chip shot as can be seen from the picture. No follow through with the hands, ball pops up nicely.

 

[Zig]

Thanks Bob. I’m fine pitching from 30 yards so pitching isn’t really the issue.

It’s almost like the chipping yips

Agree totally, and would say I had these all last year! Happy out of bunkers etc, but give me a straightforward shot from off the green (where I can't use a putter) and I've hated every single shot for the last year! Scoops, double hits... seriously.... and I managed to keep my handicap at 7 (my GIR is my saving grace!).

Determined to fix it myself (daren't go to the pro as I'm acutely embarrassed by my standard!). Only had one shot to play yesterday. Middle of the stance, putting stroke and rigid wrists.... worked for that one yesterday. Let's hope it's a start!!

Good luck finding a fix!

 

[Deleted member 1147]

My Chipping is fine, I put to ball back in my stance & rarely muck it up.
Where I struggle however is off a tight lie.

Probably because you put the ball at the back of the stance.