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Improving your short game will shave strokes from every round.  Let’s take a look at some tried and true tips for improving your work around the greens.  Of course, there are many aspects that affect the type of chip shot you hit and the effectiveness you’ll enjoy.  Factors such as distance to the pin, your ball’s lie, the length of the grass and the green’s contour will all play a part.  It is best to learn solid mechanics and then adjust them to each circumstance.

The Standard Chip Shot

The most common type of chip shot is the one when you are within 5-20 yards of the green but not actually on the putting surface.  This shot is typically played with a wedge or 9-iron.  The basic instruction for this chip is to land the ball about 1/3 of the way to the hole and let it roll from there.  If you are 10-20 yards hitting it ½ way to the hole is about right.  Play the ball in the center of your stance with the club face square and your hands in front of the ball.  Good golfers master this basic chip shot first.

The Soft Chip Shot

As you progress with your game you’ll want to learn to hit a soft chip shot.  This is the chip you see the pro’s attempt most often because they can aim directly for the hole.  Most use a lob wedge with higher loft to get back spin which causes the ball to stop quickly.

To hit the soft chip correctly your hands should stay behind the ball to assist in generating back spin.  The club head needs to accelerate toward impact for the same purpose.  You want to get the ball up in the air so that it falls with less angle which will also reduce roll.

The Mid-Iron Chip Shot

When there is a lot of green to work with some golfers prefer a pitch and roll technique using a 6-iron or 7-iron.  Bump and run it’s sometimes called because you bump the ball up into the air and land it 1/3 to ½ of the way to the hole and let it run close or in.  Play the ball toward your back foot to ensure you hit it on the downswing.  Keep your hands forward to improve ball trajectory and control.

This shot is used when you’ve got a fairly straight green to work with.  It also helps prevent hitting the ball past the hole which is especially vital if a hazard lurks tight to the green opposite the pin from where you stand.

Practice to Become a Better Chipper

When you head to the range take all your chipping clubs with you and hit at least a bucket of balls progressing through these clubs.  Get very comfortable with them, practicing different stances and types of shots.  Most pro’s carry at least 3 wedges because the great variety of situations you’ll find near the green call for different specialty sticks.

Hit some standard chips, with the goal of landing them on a target.  Work through your soft shot set up and hit plenty of balls before finishing with some mid-iron chips.  For all of these, pick a landing target and try to drop the ball onto it.  Start at 5 yards and progress out to 30 or 40 yards.

All of this takes plenty of time and more than a bucket or two of balls to master.  But as you gain proficiency you’ll love what it does for your game.  This is where birdies are made, pars are saved, and you can knock vital strokes off your card.

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