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It’s very hard to shoot good scores across the season without being able to chip the ball consistently well.

Players need to stand over a chip shot and know where the ball will pitch and where it will roll out too. Probably the most important thing to get right is the position of your hands at impact.

One thing common to all good chippers of the golf ball is that their hands return into impact slightly ahead of the ball. This means the strike onto the ball is slightly descending. A descending blow from the center of the club face onto the ball will create back spin and therefore control. Use this following technique to ensure the hands return to impact ahead of the ball.

How to good chip shot

• Take hold of the grip a little further down the handle for more control over the ball.
• Set the club face square to the ball-to-target line.
• During the pre-shot routine envisage where the ball will land on the green.
• Take a narrow stance with the ball positioned back of center and set the feet slightly open to the target.
• The hands should be leaning the shaft forward of the ball opposite the left thigh. This is important as it will help ensure a downward strike hitting the ball first then turf.
• About 60% to 70% of body weight should be on the left side; again this encourages a downward strike and the hands to return to impact ahead of the ball.
• Swing the club away and try to keep wrist movement to a minimum. Make it a arms and shoulders driven stroke
• Keep your swing the same length back and through with the weight maintained on the front foot.

It is important not only to use this technique but also spend time practicing it around the chipping green. Practice will put more feel into golfers’ hands.

Chipping the ball consistently well will help drop your handicap but needs to be practiced and not taken for granted.

Practicing this simple technique will groove the downward strike golfers need for consistent ball striking and control over the length of chip shots. Time spent around the chipping green practicing this technique will be rewarded.

As with most things in golf, putting the ball right at the back of the stance and placing all the weight on the front foot will not improve consistency. It will cause a golfer to strike down on the ball with too steep an angle of attack causing a very low and possibly thin shot.

With all consistent chippers the wrist movement and hinge is kept to a minimum. Golfers want a nice relaxed grip but not a big wrist hinge.