Chipping · Tip
Chip With Your Body, Not Just Your Hands
Part of our chipping programs for fat or chunked, thin or bladed. Build a program with it
The most common chipping fault is using only your hands. For steady chips, let your whole body turn. Your trail side has to unlock and rotate forward. When your body turns, your hands stay ahead and contact stays crisp. When it stops, your hands flip and you hit it fat or thin. If you're doing both, check your finish. If your chest still faces the ball, your hands did all the work.
Step by step
- Weight forward, ball back.
- Let your trail knee and hip turn.
- Keep your hands ahead at impact.
- Finish with your chest to the target.
- Practice short chips to a landing spot.
Why it works
When your chest turns through the shot, it moves the club and keeps your hands ahead of the clubhead. The low point of the swing stays in front of the ball, so the club strikes the ball first and then the turf. If your body stops, your hands have to catch up and the wrists flip. That changes the low point from shot to shot, and you hit it thin or fat.
Common mistakes
- You keep your weight on your back foot and lean away from the target.Set your weight on your lead foot at address and keep it there through the finish.
- You stop your body at impact and let your hands flick the club past your hands.Keep your trail knee and hip turning toward the target so your chest keeps moving through the ball.
- You finish with your chest still facing the ball.Hold your finish until your chest points at the target and your belt buckle has turned with it.
How you'll know it's working
- The ball starts on your chosen line and lands near your landing spot, not short or long by a wide margin.
- You feel the club brush the turf just after the ball, with a shallow divot or scuff in front of where the ball was.
- Your chest faces the target at the finish and your trail heel is off the ground.
Make it easier or harder
Easier: Make smaller swings with a lofted club and hold your finish for a count of two so you can see where your chest points.
Harder: Pick a small landing spot, change the distance each shot, and keep the same body turn while you vary the length of the swing.
Common questions
Why do I keep hitting chips thin?
Thin chips usually come from the hands flipping because the body stopped turning. Keep your weight forward and turn your chest through the shot so your hands stay ahead of the clubhead.
Should I use my hands when chipping?
Your hands hold the club and set the angle, but they should not drive the shot. Let your body turn move the club and keep your wrists quiet.
