Hybrids are extremely versatile golf clubs as you can not only hit full shots with them, but you can also use them to play really effective and accurate chip shots around the green with as well.
Chipping with a hybrid is a really easy shot to learn to play and you are basically going to play the chip with your putting stroke so there is very little to go wrong and you will consistently produce a great shot.
To play this shot well, take your hybrid and hold lower down on the handle than you usually would. This will shorten the length between your hands and the club head and make it easier to control the club head during the shot.
Take up a slightly narrower stance than usual as you are not going to be swinging the club head at a high speed so you do not need a wide stance to aid your balance. Pull your left foot back away from the golf ball by about four inches. This will encourage you to rotate your body towards the target as you play the shot and allow you to extend your arms and the club head along the target line for a crisp, accurate strike.
Play the ball from the middle of your stance, keep your weight even and your hands forward. This will allow you to make a great putting action and clip the ball crisply from the turf without striking the turf before the golf ball. To play the shot with your hands forward, ensure that your hands are just in front of your left thigh (for right handed golfers) or that they are to the left of the golf ball and the club head is on the right of the golf ball as you are setting up to play. This will create a straight line from your left shoulder down your left arm to your hands and then down the club shaft to the club head. When you move your hands forward, ensure that the club face remains aiming at the target.
To actually play the chip with the hybrid, simply swing the straight line of your left arm and the golf club away from the golf ball to the right and then swing it back towards the golf ball. As you strike the club head into the golf ball, you should maintain the straight line down your left arm and down along the club shaft and then swing the club head through the ball towards the target, rotating your body towards the target as you do this. The actual swing of the club head should be a mirror image, right to left in terms of the distance that the club head travels.
You are playing the shot very much with the action that you would putt with, moving from your shoulders and keeping your wrists straight as you move your arms. Work on brushing the grass under the golf ball with the club head as you swing and the club face of the hybrid will launch the ball forwards and upwards, producing a great chip shot.
The ball will chip slightly off the ground and then roll along the green towards the target. Generally, on a flat green you would see a 4 hybrid travelling 10% of the shot in the air and 90% of the shot rolling along the green.
Playing this shot around the green will give you a really effective, consistent chip shot and you will notice that after a little practice you are chipping much more accurately at the hole.
