Because not even the greatest golfers will hit all 18 greens in a round of golf, it makes sense to practice your chipping to lower your score. It is my experience that many amateur golfers have a favorite club to chip with and use it and only it to chip with despite the situation or conditions. I can remember manufacturers selling ” chippers ” or a club designed solely for chipping. I thought and continue to think that is quite a bad idea.

To become a good chipper you must practice and be able to use your imagination. Practice should involve using different clubs to determine how the golf ball will respond to your chipping stroke. Each club will offer a different trajectory ( carry and roll ). The more lofted the club, the higher the trajectory and shorter the roll. Conversely, the less lofted the club, the lower the trajectory and the greater the roll. The correct choice of club selection should be based on your lie, the amount of fringe or grass to be carried before landing on the green and the distance of the hole from the fringe of the green.

Use the same method for chipping regardless of the club selected. Narrow your stance, placing the majority of your weight on your left side. A chip shot does not involve a coiling of the upper body in the back swing. Ball flight principles do influence your chipping. Swing path, club face position relative to your target all influence your chip shot results.

Chipping technique is simple compared to a full golf shot. Swing the club back keeping your weight on your left side. With practice you will learn how far back to swing the club to get your desired result. By keeping your weight on your left side your swing will become naturally steep which is required for a chip shot. Swing the club back to the ball, striking the ball first and keeping the club head low to the ground in an abbreviated follow though. Do not flip or scoop the ball into the air. Do not let your right hand pass your left through impact. Let the loft of the club determine the trajectory of the shot and determine where it lands and how far it rolls. Practice this technique using several different clubs and mentally chart the results.

Do not be afraid to try to chip the golf ball with a fairway wood or a hybrid. In many case where the ball is stting down a bit in thick grass a faiway wood may be the best choice. Because of its wide and beveled bottom, it will have a tendency to cut right through the grass and not dig into the ground as an iron would. To hit the farway wood chip shot, choke down on the club all the way to the bottom of the grip or further. Use the method described above and chart your results.

Practice your chipping to lower your score. Use your imagination. Do not rely on just one club for all your chip shots. Remember , not even the greatest players hit every green. Getting the ball close to the hole on your chip shots is an easy way to become a better golfer.

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