Creating a good contact on a chip shot is possibly the most important part of executing the shot accurately.

Distance control and alignment are often controlled by the quality of the strike. The setup for a chip shot is quite different to that of a normal full swing. You should take note of the following alterations to ensure your setup is as efficient as possible in helping you generate a good solid contact.

Start by taking a narrower than normal stance, then position the golf ball in the centre of the stance. Lean the handle of the golf club forwards so that the butt end points towards your front hip. As you do this, position 70% of your bodyweight towards your front foot. Feel like your chest is leaning forwards to face in front of the golf ball.

These setup alterations should encourage you to strike down on the golf ball and hit the ground slightly after you had hit the golf ball taking a small divot or brushing feeling on the ground.

When chipping, a thin shot is often caused by a scooping action and a desire to try and hit the ball high. Likewise, a fat shot is often caused by the same mistake – trying to scoop the ball into the air. As the club rises through the impact area, the club will strike the turf first, a fat shot, or missing the turf, it may catch the top of the golf ball, a thin shot.

It can feel counter intuitive to strike down on a golf ball that you want to hit up into the air but there will be plenty of loft on the club that you are using to hit the ball high enough. Practice by brushing the ground a few times in front of the centre of your stance to ensure that you had the correct bodyweight position and hand position at setup and throughout the swing and impact.