Chipping

[seetrout699]

The part of my game that is causing me the most grief and costing me the most shots by far is my chipping. It is so bad that I try to putt from everywhere possible off the green even when it really is not a good option. My handicap is 15. Even reasonable chipping could save me 3 or 4 shots on my best days and 8 or 9 shots on my worst days.

I am looking for a decent instructor who works outside on grass and who has a decent practice green to work with who is not too far from DVP/404 and Steeles. An instructor who can probably give me a quick fix and make it simple.

I am thinking of David Johnston at Bloomington Downs . Anyone have any experience with him?

Any other suggestions are welcome. But I really do need someone who can make things simple for a slow learning student.

[bl8d]

when you hammer a nail into a board, do you look at the descending head of the hammer, or the head of the nail?


ie. club head or ball.

[seetrout699]

Hi

the head of the nail .

I am currently searching for best tips on the internet- there is a wealth of info that I should have accessed much before now.

thanks, play well

[Par90]

The part of my game that is causing me the most grief and costing me the most shots by far is my chipping. It is so bad that I try to putt from everywhere possible off the green even when it really is not a good option. My handicap is 15. Even reasonable chipping could save me 3 or 4 shots on my best days and 8 or 9 shots on my worst days.

I am looking for a decent instructor who works outside on grass and who has a decent practice green to work with who is not too far from DVP/404 and Steeles. An instructor who can probably give me a quick fix and make it simple.

I am thinking of David Johnston at Bloomington Downs . Anyone have any experience with him?

Any other suggestions are welcome. But I really do need someone who can make things simple for a slow learning student.

2 things I work on for chipping....(1)on take away allow the normal cocking of the lead wrist and hinging of the trail wrist ..on the down swing allow the lead wrist to un-cock as it naturally would...but do not allow the trail wrist to unhinge..(2) stand open to the target ..make sure the trail foot toes are ever so slightly turned out,this allows for trail hip turn but more importantly prevents your trail knee from straightening up,thus maintaining knee bend angle.
This should help, I suspect you are like most golfers,flipping with the wrists....make sure the ball is center to back in your stance.

[SmoothBomber]

Not familiar with any East end instructors. But this vid from Mike Malaska is full of golden nuggets:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_11aiNK_wyw

It is a 12min lesson with Jack Nicklaus Jr.
First 2 min changed my chipping permanently for the better

[Cdntac]

I've become a fan of chipping with my PW from the fringe to about 15 yds out. I find I make better contact with it than any other club.

[seetrout699]

Thank you - I think my problem is keeping my wrist still.

[Jeffc]

Some things I do

shorten the backswing
take the wrists out of it
weight slightly on your front foot

think of it more like a putting stroke

[nearace]

Stan utley brother, he keeps it simple,good luck.

[MattM97]

I've been working on my chipping a lot lately, it's the only thing keeping my game together at the moment.

I went back to basics for now and it's working. This video is quick but helpful: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvmHU5Hcs2k

Also some things I'm working on in practice that I over exaggerate at times:

* Weight on front foot to where I'll just have my back foot or a toe there for balance.
* Hands forward, sometimes press forward more than needed just to force myself not to be lazy.
* Don't slow the club head down. I'll take a bunch of short and quick swings, club head no higher than my hip to feel and force myself to accelerate.

Then just work in the basics of:

* Open stance towards the target.
* Let the club and bounce do the work not your wrists.
* Lock the wrists or take the wrists out of it. This for me is huge not scudding the ball over the green.

That's pretty much it. Granted a coach will be much more helpful but for now this is what I'm doing and it's working plus 1+ hour of chipping at the range when I'm there helps too.

[synergy]

* Let the club and bounce do the work not your wrists.
* Lock the wrists or take the wrists out of it.

Yep, this works for me. And my swing is also more like a putting stroke, more pendulum-esq.

[seetrout699]

Thank you everyone for their assistance. I have now decided that there is sufficient help on the internet and UTube that I should be able to determine what works best for me. I think most of it is based on finding a way to keep my wrists out of it and use a stroke similar to a putting stroke. Sounds so simple but I find it very difficult and always have.

[SmoothBomber]

I liked this no wrists putting with loft type of chipping too but it only works from relatively clean lies near the green. attack angle is very shallow so you often need a different technique from the rough or you just get caught up in the grass too easily and flub it.

My chipping and pitching became a strength when I switched over to the technique in the Malaska video I linked in post above where hands are fairly quiet but not locked...the momentum of the club is allowed to hinge the wrists, Im just not actively hinging them myself tho. And as per the instruction in the video, you just repeat the arc of the swing and let club bottom out just beyond the ball. Contact is just as clean with this technique for me and I certainly have a lot more feel for distance control. It is a more athletic technique though, and more like tossing horseshoes than rigid putting.

[MattM97]

Yep, this works for me. And my swing is also more like a putting stroke, more pendulum-esq.

For chipping I'm using a putting stroke when I'm just outside chipping range and shorter than pitching range I'm using a bit longer as a stroke. I'm finding myself in this range a lot lately so that swing with the shaft coming up to my knee is where I'm at. Just getting height and letting it settle near the hole for an up and down...possibly.

But all that I've worked on my chipping has been my strong suit, I'm always getting compliments on it when I play with people on how it is so it's working.

[ManFromMoffat]

Not familiar with any East end instructors. But this vid from Mike Malaska is full of golden nuggets:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_11aiNK_wyw

It is a 12min lesson with Jack Nicklaus Jr.
First 2 min changed my chipping permanently for the better

ARL67 tipped me off to your posting. Seems really solid. Heading to the course a little early tomorrow morning to give it a try. Thanks.