Alternatives to Chipping, Golf (Video) - by Pete Styles
Alternatives to Chipping, Golf (Video) - by Pete Styles

Now, you should've understood by now that it's really important to have a good short game, particularly a good chipping game. That short shot were, you are just a few yards off the sight of the green and you just need to bump the ball onto the green, and let it release down to the hole to give you a nice sure putt.

But what if you're not a good chipper? What are your alternatives? If you get fearful from this five-yard shot, what are your alternatives to hitting the sand wedge or the pitching wedge you like you might have been taught in the past?

Well, one of the first things I would always suggest is, if you can and the lie allows you to, and the grass in front of you allows you to, try and putt the ball. Just take the easiest club in the back to hit, nice little putting stroke, bump it through the first putt to fringe, get it on to the green. It will roll down to the hole quite nicely.

Now, if this area in front of you is a little bit rougher and isn't going to be consistent for the putter, you can maybe look at something like a chipper or a hybrid putter. Basically, a putter that is played with a putting stance and grip, that has a little bit of loft on the club face, that would just bump the ball into the air for the first couple of feet and then get it down onto the green and running down towards the hole.

The alternative to that is maybe using a little bit of a less lofted iron, maybe something like an eight or a seven iron. Particularly useful if you've got hybrid irons or nice big rounded sole irons. Those big forgiving soles are very good at not cutting into the grass. They won't decelerate and dig the turf too much. So a little bump and run shot with a hybrid I know or nice big round sole at seven or eight iron works quite nicely.

Try and play the ball from the center of the stance. Play it with the hands quite high up almost like a putting position up here rather than low. We don't need them low with lots of wristing. That could cost you to decelerate on the ball. So play it with nice high hands, a little putting grip almost, and a little bump backwards and forward to the shoulders.

When you're near to the green or even if you're off the green, try and get the ball on the ground running as much like a putter as you possibly can.

 2012-04-30

Now, you should've understood by now that it's really important to have a good short game, particularly a good chipping game. That short shot were, you are just a few yards off the sight of the green and you just need to bump the ball onto the green, and let it release down to the hole to give you a nice sure putt.

But what if you're not a good chipper? What are your alternatives? If you get fearful from this five-yard shot, what are your alternatives to hitting the sand wedge or the pitching wedge you like you might have been taught in the past?

Well, one of the first things I would always suggest is, if you can and the lie allows you to, and the grass in front of you allows you to, try and putt the ball. Just take the easiest club in the back to hit, nice little putting stroke, bump it through the first putt to fringe, get it on to the green. It will roll down to the hole quite nicely.

Now, if this area in front of you is a little bit rougher and isn't going to be consistent for the putter, you can maybe look at something like a chipper or a hybrid putter. Basically, a putter that is played with a putting stance and grip, that has a little bit of loft on the club face, that would just bump the ball into the air for the first couple of feet and then get it down onto the green and running down towards the hole.

The alternative to that is maybe using a little bit of a less lofted iron, maybe something like an eight or a seven iron. Particularly useful if you've got hybrid irons or nice big rounded sole irons. Those big forgiving soles are very good at not cutting into the grass. They won't decelerate and dig the turf too much. So a little bump and run shot with a hybrid I know or nice big round sole at seven or eight iron works quite nicely.

Try and play the ball from the center of the stance. Play it with the hands quite high up almost like a putting position up here rather than low. We don't need them low with lots of wristing. That could cost you to decelerate on the ball. So play it with nice high hands, a little putting grip almost, and a little bump backwards and forward to the shoulders.

When you're near to the green or even if you're off the green, try and get the ball on the ground running as much like a putter as you possibly can.