The Lost Art of Chipping

From a teacher’s perspective, golf on TV is a double-edged sword. It seems to have both positive and negative influences on the people I teach.

One of the most destructive influences for the average golfer is watching the touring professionals around the greens. This is the part of the game that really separates good players from great players. The athletes we are watching are in the upper 0.01 percent of golfers worldwide. Their touch, feel and imagination around the greens is really quite extraordinary. A prime example of this might be their scoring statistics. The best golfers in the world miss an average of five or six greens a round, yet they consistently shoot under par. How do they shoot 68 or 69 while missing five or six greens every round? Well, for one thing, they’re getting up and down. It also doesn’t hurt your score when you’re hitting it to kick-in distance three to four times a round. But I teach golfers who are not the best in the world, so my whole day is spent trying to teach logic and percentages.

The modern game has changed so much in so many ways. With the onset of the 60-degree wedge and the modern golf ball, the tools of today are far superior. Regardless of how adept a player is with the modern equipment; however, I suggest that the average golfer will still make a lower score most of the time if they opt for more straight-faced, bump-and-run style shot. Maybe the best players in the world can pull off high-spinning, low-flighted, check-on-the-second-bounce kind of shots, but for the average golfer this is still a recipe for disaster. And don’t forget that the pros are hitting brand new golf balls…from perfectly manicured fairways…with a spotless wedge…while employing nearly flawless technique.

I might suggest this rule of thumb for most who are reading this — get the golf ball on the ground as quickly as possible around the greens. When you have ample green to work with and there is no obstacle between your golf ball and the hole, a chip shot will be safer than a lofted one. I cannot tell you how many students I bring to the green and when I ask what club they would use for a 30-yard shot across an open green, they say, “Well, lob or sand.” From there, we get into a discussion on the law of averages. Just last week I told one very well-heeled student (and friend) of mine, “I’m glad you don’t invest the way you chip.”

Try this simple practice routine and see if your chipping game improves. When you look at a long, flat shot to a big green, instead of looking at the hole, pick a spot three to four paces on the green and try a 7, 8 or 9-iron to chip the ball no further than the spot you’ve selected. In practice, put a ball or a head cover at the three to four pace spot and chip to IT, not the hole.

Personal Beef: Another reason many golfers struggle with long chips is they don’t get to practice them enough. Most golf courses have a large putting green and a much smaller chipping green or “short-game area.” In fact, the large green often has a “no-chipping” sign on it. So, you get to practice only short chips with rarely a chance to run out long ones.

Now let’s say your chipping stroke comes up short with a 9-iron. Instead of hitting the ball harder or with a bigger stroke, grab an 8 iron. The 8-iron comes up short? Grab a 7-iron, and so on. Make the smallest, easiest stroke you can to get the golf ball on the green and running EARLY. When many of you try this, you’ll hit your shots too far. The reason is you’re accustomed to taking big swings with lofted clubs.

In addition to the simplicity of the stroke, the other reason I prefer this method is the visual perspective one gets when looking down the line. It’s not unlike bowling over the arrows. The flagstick (bowling pins) are 60 feet away, but the arrows are much closer. Looking at and getting a feel for a hole some 60 feet away is difficult compared to looking at a spot few feet in front of you and only a few paces on the green.

Personal Story: My eyes just ain’t what they were, and this visual trick has helped my chipping tremendously. Once I was quite adept around the greens - it was the best part of my game - but in my later years it left me. I first blamed it on not playing as often and my failing eyesight. Then it hit me; I used to play a lot of bump-and-run chips - it’s the way I learned the game! And without even realizing it, I fell victim to TV golf and the 60-degree wedge era. I was playing many more shots in the air, trying to hit, check and trickle them instead of playing the higher-percentage shot. I’m back to my old method now and the odds are more often in my favor.

I can’t be more emphatic about the benefits of chipping with my students. It WORKS. To boot, at 60 feet away, if I drop kick a 60-degree wedge or lay sod over it, I still have 50 feet to the hole. I can put an 8-iron up much closer, even on a miss. Needless to say, this is a straight-forward chipping situation. Playing over hills or hazards is a whole different ball game. But we have the trusty lob wedge handy for those times, don’t we? We just don’t need it all the time. Play the odds for a change; your score will reflect your more conservative approach.

As the country song says: “Never hit 17 when you play against the dealer; the odds don’t ride with you.”