[Help] Pitching and Chipping shots

[AdamW]

Trying to really improve on my pitching and chipping but not sure which parts of my knowledge are incorrect and what can be added to help improve so if anyone could help that would be great please



Chip shot

• Distance is around 10-20 yards from flagstick
• Feet should be parallel but 5-10 degree left to open up hips
• Feet close together around a club width between them
• Ball should be at front foot to put more height on the ball to help it stop dead more when it hits the green
• Ball should be at back foot for more of a chip and roll shot
• 60% weight on left foot
• If chipping on a uphill slope put ball on back foot to connect with the ball quicker
• Follow through with the club
• PW is a good club of choice?
• Should you choke down on the club / put your hands down the club with a chip shot or is it purely to take a few yards of the shot?

Pitch shot

• Around 40-50 yards from the flagstick
• Little wider stance than a chip shot but not quite as wide as normal iron shot
• 55% weight on left foot
• Feet should be parallel but 5-10 degree left to open up hips
• The ball should be in the middle of stance? Is there any reason to alter it about?
• 60 degree with a 3/4 back swing is usually a good choice?
• Again not sure if to choke down this shot , do not think there is any need?

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I wouldn't get overly complicated on technique. Take it from one that knows and has struggled with all things short game. I have found a technique (linear) that works for me but even if you adopt a standard approach, providing you check the basics in practice, just go out and work on feel and distance control and let the natural technique kick in. Bob has a great chipping video drill on here where you put a club across two range baskets and feel as though you are hitting underneath the club and it allows you to swing freely and pop the ball over with ease and confidence

 

[trevor]

My chipping improved recently after I made a conscious effort to follow through with the club after hitting the ball. Now try to follow through about 3 times the distance of the backswing, seems to make everything more confident.

 

[bobmac]

Chip shot

• Distance is around 10-20 yards from flagstick
• Feet should be parallel but 5-10 degree left to open up hips
• Feet close together around a club width between them
• Ball should be at front foot to put more height on the ball to help it stop dead more when it hits the green. That's more of a lob shot. The chip shot is a low running shot
• Ball should be at back foot for more of a chip and roll shot
• 60% weight on left foot
• If chipping on a uphill slope put ball on back foot to connect with the ball quicker
• Follow through with the club and body
• PW is a good club of choice? I would suggest 7-9 iron as the chip shot is a low running shot
• Should you choke down on the club / put your hands down the club with a chip shot or is it purely to take a few yards of the shot? It's to increase control

Pitch shot

• Around 40-50 yards from the flagstick
• Little wider stance than a chip shot but not quite as wide as normal iron shot
• 55% weight on left foot
• Feet should be parallel but 5-10 degree left to open up hips
• The ball should be in the middle of stance? Is there any reason to alter it about?
• 60 degree with a 3/4 back swing is usually a good choice? I would prefer to use 9-GW as the 60 would be more of a lob shot.
• Again not sure if to choke down this shot , do not think there is any need? It's to increase control and distance

As a general rule, from around 50 yards or closer, only hit the ball high if you have to.

 

[Orikoru]

I wouldn't get overly complicated on technique.

This is exactly what I was thinking, reading all that overload of information. Chipping is about feel and being comfortable, not thinking about whether you've got 60% of your weight on the correct side, or whether your spine is perpendicular to this that and the other. Just get a nice comfortable stance, practise chipping with lots of different clubs until you find what's comfortable. You can chip with anything from 7 iron to sand wedge depending on the situation.

Good advice from bobmac above, a lower chip and run is usually far more forgiving than trying to lob it on I find.

One thing that has helped my pitching lately (and similar to what Trevor said) is not losing speed on the swing. Subconsciously I used to fall into the trap of thinking 'half swing, half speed' but you need to keep the speed high and get a really nice crisp strike I think.

(As ever my advice comes with the caveat that I'm not a low handicapper so I can only report what works for me. )

 

[Siolag]

I have tried going onto the golf course with that type of list, and with all that going through my head, the end result was either a very hard topped shot that ran into a bunker or across the green, or one that went all of 3 yards.

 

[bobmac]

If you look at the lists again, most of them relate to the set-up, not the swing.
If you have 10 things to think about when you're swinging the club, then you're in trouble.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

If you look at the lists again, most of them relate to the set-up, not the swing.
If you have 10 things to think about when you're swinging the club, then you're in trouble.

Surely though if you've got a basic chipping set up that's technically acceptable its about simply trying to see the shot and hit a landing spot. If I was the OP I would vary clubs depending on lie/slope and practice with each one. Are we all not better trying to chip/pitch and in fact play all golf as free as possible

 

[Siolag]

If you look at the lists again, most of them relate to the set-up, not the swing.
If you have 10 things to think about when you're swinging the club, then you're in trouble.

Indeed, but with such lists, I would be thinking about all of that stuff and if its right whilst swinging, which is what tends to put me off.

 

[ScienceBoy]

Do a Pareto chart?

 

[bobmac]

Indeed, but with such lists, I would be thinking about all of that stuff and if its right whilst swinging, which is what tends to put me off.

After a while it becomes second nature.
Select the club
Set up to the ball
Pick your landing spot or length of swing and off you go.
It does take practice though........like anything.

 

[AntShadow]

My chipping improved recently after I made a conscious effort to follow through with the club after hitting the ball. Now try to follow through about 3 times the distance of the backswing, seems to make everything more confident.

This for me and also making a real conscious effort to turn hips and body through impact as i'd been all arms and really quiet with the body the last couple of months. Was chipping and pitching beautifully last weekend, holed a nice chip for birdie on the 2nd so justified the changes pretty much instantly.

 

[AdamW]

As a general rule, from around 50 yards or closer, only hit the ball high if you have to.

Thanks Bob! This has helped clear things up need to try using the 7-9 irons with the ball in line with back foot, have only been practising with PW on front foot.

Had to look up what a lob shot was , when is the use case for this? I have found two from research when the green is very small so you do not want the ball to roll off and when in rough?

 

[duncan mackie]

After a while it becomes second nature.
Select the club
Set up to the ball
Pick your landing spot or length of swing and off you go.
It does take practice though........like anything.

Interesting that you present it this way round; I found that thinking about it the other way works better for me.

Select the best landing area option first, which in turn drives your choice of club (to a greater or lesser degree obviously), set up etc

Just found it helped me consider the relevant factors and de risk by avoiding small landing area targets with associated slopes etc in the vicinity.

Obviously if you have nothing but yards of flat ground to traverse it's back to rule 1, as you presented earlier; only hit it high if you have to.

 

[bobmac]

Interesting that you present it this way round; I found that thinking about it the other way works better for me.

Select the best landing area option first, which in turn drives your choice of club (to a greater or lesser degree obviously), set up etc

Just found it helped me consider the relevant factors and de risk by avoiding small landing area targets with associated slopes etc in the vicinity.

Obviously if you have nothing but yards of flat ground to traverse it's back to rule 1, as you presented earlier; only hit it high if you have to.

As I said....
After a while it becomes second nature.

 

[Tashyboy]

After a while it becomes second nature.
Select the club
Set up to the ball
Pick your landing spot or length of swing and off you go.
It does take practice though........like anything.

To the op, forget everything you have written, get comfy in your stance and do this ^^^. But do it with differant clubs so you get to know how much a ball will run out once it has hit your landing spot.
Me I love the short game aspect of golf. In fact am not bad at it according to fellow PPs.
But a PP who has a lower hcap than me and is a better player has a woeful short game. He chips one handed. When it drops plum he is good, but 9/10 it is very poor. Thing is he is a very good squash player and golfer, but his short game that requires touch touch touch needs work.
A be heard the old sting " drive for show, putt for dough" but for me " Mr up and down in two" is more important.

Get practicing and enjoy me man.