Green side chipping

[tsped83]

Struggling at the moment with greenside chips, where I need to go over a hump or bump, but only a few yards off the green. I tend to use my 56’ wedge if there is something to go over, or up on to an elevated green, but of late I’m getting a rubbish contact with the ball.

One of two things can happen, firstly, and the most infuriating, I fluff it and the balls goes about 3ft. Epic. The other undesirable, which is more common, is a thin contact which doesn’t get the height and stop required but goes too flat and too far.

I’ve watched a few YouTube vids and am consciously working on my setup, ball in the centre, weight slightly forward etc, but if anyone can assist with some general pointers, much appreciated.

Cheers!

 

[One Planer]

Can you advise how you approach the shot?

Do you pick a landing zone where you want the ball to land?

Do you always reach for your 56°?

Are your expectations realistic (Sounds daft but I know folk who play Srixon distance balls and expect greenside check )?

Can you describe your set up and motion through the stroke?

How you position the weight at set up?

Do you have any forward shaft lean?

Where do you position the ball in your stance?

 

[Foxholer]

The most common reason that I screw these shots up is the dreaded 'watching where the ball is going'! Fluffs and thins are often the result! Overcome (mainly) by ensuring I am watching where the ball was after the strike - which has to be 'committed'! A reasonably short back-swing helps me avoid decelerating too.

I only use 56 from longish rough as too much bounce for my sweeper/slider style off shorter stuff. Same discipline applies to 52 though, or even up to 8-iron if playing it along the ground.

 

[One Planer]

I only use 56 from longish rough as too much bounce for my sweeper/slider style off shorter stuff. Same discipline applies to 52 though, or even up to 8-iron if playing it along the ground.

I was just going to say in my post.

For the shot the OP describes, I'll use a pitching wedge or a 9 iron and they have enough loft to lift the ball over the obstacle and ensure the right amount of run.

The only time I'll take more loft is if the ball is sat down or a heavy lie.

 

[CMAC]

do this with the 56* as it has decent bounce

ball in centre of stance, weight even

no shaft lean, shaft level-ish with ball

smooth swing with natural wrist break

swing plane should not be outside the 'plane' the shaft is making at address (be careful not to pull it way inside either)

head still and only look after connection:thup:

 

[tsped83]

Can you advise how you approach the shot?

Do you pick a landing zone where you want the ball to land?

Do you always reach for your 56°?

Are your expectations realistic (Sounds daft but I know folk who play Srixon distance balls and expect greenside check )?

Can you describe your set up and motion through the stroke?

How you position the weight at set up?

Do you have any forward shaft lean?

Where do you position the ball in your stance?

Gareth there are a lot of questions there.

1. Don't pick a landing zone but have a good idea of where I feel I want the ball to land.
2. If I need to go up and over something and land quickly, then yes, 56'.
3. Yes I'm realistic, I play titleist velocity and am not expecting backspin at all, this is more about contact than stopping power.
4. Normal stance, slightly narrower with the feet, weight slightly forward.
5. Small amount of shaft lean, try to be neutral as possible.
6. As per OP, ball in centre.

 

[lex!]

I also use 56 for this shot.
Mine have been going quite well recently, but I also used to suffer from the thin that OP describes.
My pro told me to keep the wrists out of it. Just use big muscles, use small swing and rock the shoulders, use the loft on the club that the manufacturer has provided. Make sure its an accelerating blow, using natural pendulum effect.
The feeling he told me for this and also longer pitches is to try and feel like the body is making the shot, not wrists and arms.

 

[tsped83]

The most common reason that I screw these shots up is the dreaded 'watching where the ball is going'! Fluffs and thins are often the result! Overcome (mainly) by ensuring I am watching where the ball was after the strike - which has to be 'committed'! A reasonably short back-swing helps me avoid decelerating too.

I only use 56 from longish rough as too much bounce for my sweeper/slider style off shorter stuff. Same discipline applies to 52 though, or even up to 8-iron if playing it along the ground.

I can identify with this mate, looking up to quickly I'm prone to do.

 

[Val]

I suffered this big time, bought a v-easy and it was instantly apparent i was very wristy so...............

No wrists, head down, trust the loft and very important............. commit to the shot.

A v-easy is a good purchase for this very thing

 

[garyinderry]

you are all nuts! Bounce bounce bounce bounce bounce!


it doesn't really bounce. it SLIDES under the ball popping it up. don't make these shots harder than they have to be. if fact don't even make contact with the ball first. utilise the bounce and then the club makes contact with the ball.


you can use writsts, no wrists, whatever you like. just get that bounce interacting wit the turf properly.


I don't think I can stress how easy this is. don't make life difficult for yourself.


tsped83-- what is the bounce angle of your wedge?

 

[tsped83]

you are all nuts! Bounce bounce bounce bounce bounce!


it doesn't really bounce. it SLIDES under the ball popping it up. don't make these shots harder than they have to be. if fact don't even make contact with the ball first. utilise the bounce and then the club makes contact with the ball.


you can use writsts, no wrists, whatever you like. just get that bounce interacting wit the turf properly.


I don't think I can stress how easy this is. don't make life difficult for yourself.


tsped83-- what is the bounce angle of your wedge?

Not sure? I'm gonna say 10/12 on the 56 I think? How does the bounce help on a tight lie though?

 

[garyinderry]

that plenty.


this line "it doesn't really bounce. it SLIDES under the ball popping it up" bounce is a misleading term.

 

[garyinderry]

Not sure? I'm gonna say 10/12 on the 56 I think? How does the bounce help on a tight lie though?

video later showing me chipping with a 60 wedge 10 degrees of bounce off a tight lie on a carpet in my house. Im hitting an inch or two behind the ball (in other words, fat). I purposely put the ball on the brown bit of carpet. the club is bottoming out on the cream.

:thup:

[video=youtube;09-cspmW3_I]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09-cspmW3_I&feature=youtu.be[/video]

 

[la_lucha]

I used to fluff this kind of shot when my backswing was too long and I was decelerating through the ball. Could be worth trying a shorter backswing?

 

[tsped83]

video later showing me chipping with a 60 wedge 10 degrees of bounce off a tight lie on a carpet in my house. Im hitting an inch or two behind the ball (in other words, fat). I purposely put the ball on the brown bit of carpet. the club is bottoming out on the cream.

:thup:

[video=youtube;09-cspmW3_I]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09-cspmW3_I&feature=youtu.be[/video]

Nice pants.

 

[London mike 61]

See if this video is any help;

http://m.videojug.com/film/golf-how-to-improve-your-uphill-chipping-technique

 

[the_coach]

but of late I’m getting a rubbish contact with the ball.
One of two things can happen, firstly, and the most infuriating, I fluff it and the balls goes about 3ft. Epic. The other undesirable, which is more common, is a thin contact which doesn’t get the height and stop required but goes too flat and too far.

The two seemingly different results, fats & thins, coming from the same issue.

When you're chipping, your action is putting the low point of the arc a ways behind the ball, so either the leading edge digs in so ground first, fat. (your fluff)
Or the low point is still before the club gets to ball but you're coming up (either in posture or because there's no real chest rotation that stops the arms so the right hand flips upwards through impact, palm of right hand working to the sky, or both these things are happening) so the club from behind the ball is on an upwards path & presents the leading edge to the ball, so thins. Get that a good ways 'up' with hands action & up out of posture too & you can even top a chip.

If you're definitely setting up as you list, then the issue is in the action.

Haven't seen what happens with you, but generally these issues stem from a couple of things.

The main being that the chipping action, so engine for generating the motion is coming from the arms, wrists/hands alone, disconnected as there's little or no chest rotation combined with most likely a coming up out of posture angles just prior to impact.

As the chest/shoulders aren't rotating through the shot with connected arms & quiet hands, the chest rotation being the 'engine' giving the length back & through of a smooth stroke with shallow swing arc. Arms/hands alone tend to unwanted wrist action & a steep up & down more linear club path with too many variables, the intended or unintended wrist action is way too unreliable way to get consistent contact so any kind of knowledge of consistent distance control either.

{Anytime the chest/upper body stops rotation in a full swing or isn't really taking place at all in a small chipping/pitching action it has the effect of putting the brakes on the arms, so resulting in the right hand flipping upwards a little ways before impact, so depends where the low point of that particular swing is,as to whether there's fats, thins or tops.}

Good chipping motion is/should be controlled by a steady chest rotation back & through with connected arms & quiet hands, in a chip the hands really do nothing except hold the handle on it's journey. All this over a solid leg base weight on lead leg, with a quiet head, staying in posture throughout, holding the finish in posture, club pointing towards target, but end of the club pointing to navel area, chest having turned through.

Don't need wrist action as we're not looking for extra distance (or height as in a pitch), the chest rotation provides more than enough energy/speed through the ball, so it's just a matter of combining this rotary motion conneted with different arm lengths that will provide consistent distances for those different length swings. So it becomes something you can control & learn through practice over time.

With chest rotary motion controlling length of connected arm swing/quiet hands, if you're say 4 feet from the green & land the ball on the green at the same area 4 feet on the green, that same swing motion would provide different roll out lengths. Repeating that same swing motion & length with a PW, 9i, 8i, 6i etc, say the PW to a nearer pin, 6i would rollout further from the same landing spot to a pin across the green much further away, but they both landed first at around the same spot.

As you have some controlled uniformity to stroke it becomes a good ways easier to become accustomed to this distance control through practice overtime.

Have a look at this, both set-up & also paying particular attention to how the handle end of the club is moving back & through & that it's movement is controlled by the chest(shoulder) rotation with a constant smooth speed throughout (no hit at, so the arm triangle remains unchanged throughout the stroke, as it moves connected with the chest rotation) plus at the end it's still a balanced finish in posture. (check the dtl view at the end to see the posture is kept & the swing club towards target position held until the ball is well on it's way, the head just swiveling after impact for the eyes to follow the ball)

[video=youtube_share;ijSB37X5GNA]http://youtu.be/ijSB37X5GNA[/video]

 

[tsped83]

That vid was very helpful, cheers coach.

 

[Billythefish]

This is the one shot (the one and only) I have always been able to play well. Best advice for me, is to use your putting stroke on this shot...

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I had real issues with chipping. It was crucifying my game. I ended up going to the linear method. https://uk.video.search.yahoo.com/v...c7cj&sigt=11ibl888k&age=0&fr=yfp-t-302-s&tt=b

Its an acquired taste but with practice it really does work. However let me also reassure you, that I am now chipping conventionally and with far more effect after two years in the short game wilderness. It can be done. I would suggest a short game lesson with a good local PGA pro, clear your head of the porridge and then work at it regularly and often.