Pro-Tipp 14: Chip'n' Roll

Teaching Article from our Golf Professional Trevor Wilkes in South Africa

Pitching is probably the most fun shot to practice!
One thing is for certain:

Your game around and on the green is decicive for a round to be only good or really good. When ever you miss a green, you will probably need to chip or pitch to save the par.

Especially for handicaper in between 36 and 19 and 10 - 4. These handicaps usually miss quite a few greens in regulation, that is why they must be especially aware of pitching and chipping.

So lets then chip'n roll!

Lets go to the basics:
I show you here three different shots I use when aproaching the green. They are all based on different distances I am having to the green and to the flag. The orange dots are the ballflights and the white dots are the landing points. The green is falling from left to right and from the back to the front.

Goals:
There is now way I am going to end up left or long. Pin high or a bit shorter and right is perfect to have an uphill putt which is breaking from right to left. The easiest putt for right handers.

Lets take the short shot first:

Lots of green to work with, so take a club with less loft. I preferr one club for longer chips and one club for shorter shots. This is why I took my magical 7 iron. I know I can get it close, I have practiced a lot with this club, so I know how the ball is going to react.

Ball position further back, hands slightly in front of the ball, body weight on the left.
Now all you advanced players: why should a beginner not use so much wrist action on these short shots? Why does a teacher try to quiten the wrists of a pupil? When you throw a ball from this distance to the hole? Would you throw it with using the wrist or would you rather use your arm and have this way better control over how much speed you give the throw?
Lots of green to work with, so take a club with less loft. I preferr one club for longer chips and one club for shorter shots. This is why I took my magical 7 iron. I know I can get it close, I have practiced a lot with this club, so I know how the ball is going to react.

Beginner: use your shoulders and keep the arms close to your body. Wrist passive. A soft movement will maintain control over your club.

Mid-handicaper: your agle of attack to the ball is suposed to be like a landing airplane. From over the ball down at the ball and through it. If you hit the ball first, the amount of speed you give your ball is directly controlable with how fast you swing. Control over the distance means a clean hit and a soft swing.
Ball position further back, hands slightly in front of the ball, body weight on the left.

Now all you advanced players: why should a beginner not use so much wrist action on these short shots?
Why does a teacher try to quiten the wrists of a pupil? When you throw a ball from this distance to the hole?
Would you throw it with using the wrist or would you rather use your arm and have this way better control over how much speed you give the throw?

Low-handicaper: Depending on what ball you use, practice to control the spin. With a Balata Ball and a 7 iron you can still produce spin, either you hit the ball a bit thinner or cleaner. If you hit it harder, you might think that you produce more spin, mostly the ball becomes uncontrolable. Try different spin rates with different swing speeds and a different moment of impact, it is all about feeling!

Try to hole this one!