What The Fingers Do During A Golf Chip Shot (Video) - by Peter Finch
What The Fingers Do During A Golf Chip Shot (Video) - by Peter Finch

Now when we get down on to a chip shot, there are some differences that you can make within the fingers about what they're doing. Because when it comes around the green, it's a lot more field based. You know your hands need to be a lot more reactive to what you're doing, because you want to be able to feel the softness of the shot. You want to be able to picture a point where you're going to land it. Just drop it on, and let it dribble down to the hole, whatever you might be doing. Now what that lends itself to is a much lighter grip pressure.

A very simple testing you can do to see how you react best and how you feel distance better is just to take two balls and actually throw them at the target. On the first ball grip it on as tight as you possibly can. And on the second ball, grip it nice and loosely. And almost inevitably the second throw, the one where you are gripping it nice and lightly, you will be able to get a better judgment of field. So when you are hitting chip shots, what we need to do is and it’s slightly different to what you've been doing kind of in the full swing is actually keep your grip pressure constant. So keep your grip pressure from the little finger all the way up to the index finger and the thumb nice and constant and also very, very light. When your grip pressure is very, very light it automatically relaxes the forearms. It relaxes the arms. And it makes the whole technique almost feel a little bit more flowing, a little bit softer, a little bit looser in some respects. But what it’s going to allow you to do is get that little bit more feel in your hands. So as opposed to the full swing where you are kind of really gripping on for a little bit more kind of control, and a little bit more kind of tightness within the grip within these two key areas that we've spoken about. With the chip shot just relax those hands down. Keep the grip pressure constant. Moving those shoulders back and through. But just try and keep that grip pressure super, super soft. And it should allow you to get a little bit of a better judgment of field, a little bit of bad judgment of distance. But the only way for you to find out yourself is go out practice. Try the two different grip pressures. Try the two different roles that the fingers play and see how you get them. 2016-06-07

Now when we get down on to a chip shot, there are some differences that you can make within the fingers about what they're doing. Because when it comes around the green, it's a lot more field based. You know your hands need to be a lot more reactive to what you're doing, because you want to be able to feel the softness of the shot. You want to be able to picture a point where you're going to land it. Just drop it on, and let it dribble down to the hole, whatever you might be doing. Now what that lends itself to is a much lighter grip pressure.

A very simple testing you can do to see how you react best and how you feel distance better is just to take two balls and actually throw them at the target. On the first ball grip it on as tight as you possibly can. And on the second ball, grip it nice and loosely. And almost inevitably the second throw, the one where you are gripping it nice and lightly, you will be able to get a better judgment of field. So when you are hitting chip shots, what we need to do is and it’s slightly different to what you've been doing kind of in the full swing is actually keep your grip pressure constant.

So keep your grip pressure from the little finger all the way up to the index finger and the thumb nice and constant and also very, very light. When your grip pressure is very, very light it automatically relaxes the forearms. It relaxes the arms. And it makes the whole technique almost feel a little bit more flowing, a little bit softer, a little bit looser in some respects. But what it’s going to allow you to do is get that little bit more feel in your hands. So as opposed to the full swing where you are kind of really gripping on for a little bit more kind of control, and a little bit more kind of tightness within the grip within these two key areas that we've spoken about.

With the chip shot just relax those hands down. Keep the grip pressure constant. Moving those shoulders back and through. But just try and keep that grip pressure super, super soft. And it should allow you to get a little bit of a better judgment of field, a little bit of bad judgment of distance. But the only way for you to find out yourself is go out practice. Try the two different grip pressures. Try the two different roles that the fingers play and see how you get them.