Try the 6-8-10 Chipping Method.

Try the 6-8-10 Chipping Method.

Hi, I’m Mel Sole, Director of Instruction at the Mel Sole Golf School, headquartered at Pawleys Plantation Golf and Country Club in Pawleys Island, SC.  We conduct 1, 2 and 3-day golf schools, hourly golf lessons, and senior golf schools—any golf instruction program your heart desires. Give us a call at 800-624-4653 or 843-237-4993.  We will be happy to book a commuter school or a package that contains accommodations, golf, and golf school.

A Monthly Golf Tip by Mel Sole.

The golden rule in chipping is:  Fly the ball in the air as little as possible and roll the ball as much as possible.

The Chipping Process.

With that in mind, it is important to understand the air-time/ground-time ratios of shots hit with different clubs. The selection of the correct club is vital. You can chip with anything from a three-iron to a sand wedge depending on the situation, but you must know the following formulas to decide which club is required.

When you chip with a 10 iron (or Pitching Wedge as commonly called), the ball will fly 1/2 the distance to the hole and roll 1/2 the distance. When you use an 8 iron, the ball will fly 1/3 and roll 2/3, and a 6 iron will fly 1/4 and roll 3/4.

Formulas.

These formulas are based on a normal-paced, level green (a situation we don't often find on the course), so if you are going uphill, you would need to go up one club, and downhill requires going down one club. If the green is fast, you again will need to go down one club, and if the green is slow, you will go up one club. I know this may sound not very clear at first, but once you understand the basic formula, it really is common sense from then on.

CLUB	LEVEL	UPHILL / SLOW	DOWNHILL / FAST
6 iron	Fly 1/4 Roll 3/4	4 iron	8 Iron
8 Iron	Fly 1/3 Roll 2/3	6 Iron	P/Wedge
P/Wedge	Fly 1/2 Roll 1/2	8 Iron	Lob Wedge

In the diagram, I have drawn 3 different chipping situations. First, always try to land the ball about 3 feet onto the putting surface (dotted line) and let the ball roll the rest of the way.

The Technique.

The weight is on the front foot at the address position, with the ball position in the middle of the feet.  The hands are then slightly ahead of the ball.

The most important aspect of chipping is to make sure that the lead wrist does not break down during the chipping motion. The moment the wrist breaks down, two things happen:

1. The loft on the club changes, therefore changing the trajectory, which affects the ball's roll. Inconsistent distances will result.

2. The arm breaks down as well, causing bladed shots that go screaming across the green.

To ensure that neither of these things happens, work on keeping your arm straight and your wrist firm during the shot. If you find this difficult to achieve in practice, take a thick rubber band and place it around your wrist. Next, slide the butt end of the club under the elastic band. Keep the butt end of the club close to the wrist. This will give you the correct feel when chipping the ball.

If you wish to lower your handicap, miss a few sessions on the driving range.  Head for the chipping green instead. You'll love the results of your game - your opponents won't!

Thanks for reading - Try the 6-8-10 Chipping Method.

Related Post.

Hitting Fairway Woods in the Air!

Chipping Formulas – Course Management Wednesday #4.

Save strokes with great chipping.

As Gary Player says, Learn to roll 3 shots into 2!

Roll 3 shots into 2 – Short Game Saturday #40.

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