Hello, fellow golfers! Sarah Chen here, your golf instruction editor for The Daily Duffer. As a PGA-certified instructor with over 15 years of experience, I’ve seen firsthand how a solid short game can transform a golfer’s score. Today, we’re diving into the crucial art of chipping and pitching – those vital shots around the green that can shave strokes off your scorecard faster than almost anything else.
It’s a common truth on the lesson tee: a strong short game is the fastest path to lower scores. As the source article insightfully states:
“Oftentimes I will hear instructors say that if you want to knock a shot or two off your scores in short order start with the low hanging fruit. And that, for the vast majority of golfers, would be chipping and pitching.”
And it’s absolutely true! Even the best players on tour only average 13-14 greens in regulation per round. Their secret to low scores? Exceptional up-and-downs. That’s why mastering your chips and pitches is non-negotiable for improving your game.
Mastering Your Setup: The Foundation of Good Contact
Let’s start with the foundation: your setup. A proper setup is crucial for consistent contact and control. The key here is to differentiate slightly between chip shots (lower, running shots) and pitch shots (higher, softer landing shots).
- Feet: For chips, keep your feet close together, perhaps a clubhead’s width apart. For pitches, widen your stance just a little bit.
- Weight Distribution: This is a golden rule for short game! You want 60-70% of your weight on your lead foot (your left foot for a right-handed golfer) for both chip and pitch shots. This helps you hit down on the ball, ensuring clean contact.
- Ball Position: For chips, place the ball slightly back of center in your stance. For pitches, it’s closer to the center, or even slightly forward depending on the loft you need. Your hands should be slightly ahead of the ball, promoting a descending blow.
- Body Alignment: I often tell my students to think about their shirt buttons. For short game shots, having your shirt buttons angled slightly towards the target can significantly help with ball-first contact. This moves the low point of your swing forward, preventing those dreaded fat shots.
Take a look at the image below, illustrating an ideal setup for chip shots. Notice how the arms and club shaft form a clear “Y” shape. This is what we’re aiming for to minimize wrist hinge in chipping.
The “Y” and “L” Principles: Mastering Motion
Once you have your solid setup, let’s talk about the motion. For chip shots, the goal is to keep the swing very compact and controlled. You maintain the “Y” shape created in your setup throughout the entire chip shot. This minimizes wrist action and promotes a smooth, pendulum-like motion.
For pitch shots, we introduce a bit more wrist hinge to generate loft and distance. The concept of the “L” is incredibly helpful here. As the article describes:
“With pitch shots we form the letter ”L” between the lead arm and the shaft at the top of the abbreviated backswing. There is an “L” in the backswing and an “L” in the through swing. I always want to see the backswing and through swing lengths to be the same.”
This equal backswing and through-swing (often called a ‘symmetrical’ swing) is vital for consistent distance control. The image below perfectly illustrates this principle.
Crucial Movement: Keep That Chest Turning!
One of the most common errors I see in amateur golfers is stalling their chest rotation. If your chest stops turning, your hands and arms take over, often leading to a “scooping” motion or casting. This results in inconsistent contact – either thin or fat shots. Even for the smallest chip, your body needs to rotate through impact.
“So even on a chip shot where you are only flying the ball less than 10 yards in the air, we still need to have some amount of chest rotation through the impact zone.”
This active rotation allows the club to work naturally through the ball, promoting crisp, ball-first contact.
Actionable Drills for Your Practice Session:
Ready to put these concepts into practice? Here are a few drills you can try:
Drill 1: The “Y” Chip Drill
Purpose: To maintain a stable clubface and minimize wrist hinge for simple chip shots.
How to do it: Take a normal chipping setup, focusing on a slightly narrowed stance and 60-70% weight on your lead foot. Place a headcover under your lead armpit (the left for a right-handed golfer). Make practice swings, ensuring the headcover stays pinned. This forces your arms and shoulders to work together, maintaining that “Y” shape and preventing excessive wrist movement. Start hitting short chips, focusing on smooth contact and keeping that headcover in place throughout the swing and through impact. You’ll feel how connected your arms become to your body rotation.
Drill 2: The “L-to-L” Pitch Drill
Purpose: To develop consistent wrist hinge and symmetrical swing length for controlled pitch shots.
How to do it: Set up for a pitch shot with slightly wider feet and weight on your lead side. Take a practice swing focusing on creating that “L” shape between your lead arm and the club shaft at the top of your backswing. Then, on the downswing, ensure you make another “L” shape on the follow-through, with the club shaft pointing towards the target. Pay close attention to making the backswing and follow-through lengths feel equal. Start hitting short pitches (10-30 yards) with this focus. You can even use a training aid like an alignment stick attached to your grip to help visualize the “L” shape.
Drill 3: The Lead Arm Clock Drill for Distance Control
Purpose: To calibrate specific distances with different swing lengths for pitching.
How to do it: Find a target on the practice range about 20-30 yards away. Take your pitching setup. Make a swing where your lead arm goes back to parallel to the ground (think of this as 9 o’clock from your perspective). Hit 10 balls, noting the average distance. Now, increase your swing to where your lead arm is at 9:30 or 10 o’clock. Hit 10 more balls, again noting the average distance. Continue this for 10:30 or 11 o’clock. The goal is to establish distinct distances for each arm position. This helps you develop a reliable “clock system” for pitching.
Practice with Purpose
Remember, improvement doesn’t happen by accident. As the article cleverly puts it, “No one has ever gotten good at the short game (or any element of golf) without practice. Always make practice challenging so that shots on the golf course are easier.” Don’t be afraid to try different lies, different clubs (even a hybrid for chipping can be surprisingly effective!), and embrace the learning process. You’ve got this! Keep practicing, stay positive, and look forward to shaving those strokes off your score.
