Making Your Chip Shots In Golf

Once you know what ratio of carry and roll you can expect with each club, making your shots becomes easier. All you need decide is which club will loft the ball on to the green and still produce enough roll to get it to the hole.

If your ball is just a couple of feet off the green, a straighter faced chipping club will pop it over the fringe and enable it to roll the rest of the way. However, if you are farther away, you will need a more lofted club, exactly which one depends on how far you are from the green and, from there, the distance to the hole.

Paying Attention

Read chips like putts, look to hole your chip shots and always visualize the shot before playing it. Make plenty of practice strokes while looking at the target to enhance your sense of distance and, finally, commit to the shot.

Watch the behavior of the ball once it has landed. It will tell you a lot about your next putt, especially if the ball goes beyond the hole.

Visualizing your shot

The world’s top golfers actively look to hole their chip shots and you should be just as positive. Pay as much attention to a chip as you would to a putt. You need to read the break and borrow on the greens.

When planning your chip shot, it is a good idea to walk to a point roughly halfway between the ball and the hole to get a better perspective of the distance. You will also be able to see how the ball will break nearer to the flag.

Once you have assessed the break and the line of the shot, make several practice swings, ideally while looking at the hole, to get a feel for the length of backswing you will need to get the ball to the hole.

Once you have finished your pre shot preparation, trust your initial instincts and commit to playing the shot as you planned and visualized it. Never quit on the ball through impact.