Lesson 7

Chipping & Pitching. (Changed - 02/ 02/2013)

The longest and straightest golf shots in the world are totally ineffective unless you can get the ball into the hole in regulation figures or better, so it is important that you acquire the skills to finish off the perfect fairway shots, therefore it is time to look at the part of the game of golf which requires the golfer to be able to strike the ball correctly and land it with accuracy on the green.

If you can master the art of chipping and pitching the ball, you will see your scores drop by a few shots per round.
However as I have mentioned, if you want to be able to chip and pitch the ball with precision you must learn focus your eyes on the back edge of the golf ball, the exact point where the club head strikes the ball and literally watch this point on the golf ball until the precise moment the club head makes contact with the ball.

It is very difficult to maintain the focus your eyes on the back edge of the ball and continue to watch the ball right up to the precise moment the club head strikes the ball.
If you want to be a very good chipper of the ball you must focus on the point where the club head strikes the ball and keep the focus on that point for much longer than you can imagine.

A chip shot requires a technique that is simply a longer version of the putting stroke.

However the technique requires the golfer to use a selection of club lofts, depending on the length of the shotrequired, to chip the ball so that it lands on to the edge of the green and runs the remainder of the distance to the hole.

Chipping.
To correctly perform a chip shot, the shoulders, the arms must be held together as a solid unit, but importantly, the angle that the club head relative to the arms as set at the address position must be held throughout the chipping action - and then by simply using a rocking motion of the shoulders this moves the shoulders, the arms and the golf club as a one piece unit, but the lower part of the body must remain relatively still whilst the upper body rotates back and forth.

However the weight of the body must be slightly over the front foot so the shoulders can rotate back and forthwithout the lower body swaying back and forth and whilst the head is firmly held in the original address position.

To perform the perfect chipping action it only requires a slow half back swing movement, but it requires your absolute focus on the back edge of the golf ball so that you literally see the club head strike the ball.To achieve the desired result you must focus on using the club head to separate the grass and the golf ball as if you are driving a wedge between the grass and the ball.

This action must be performed with a slightly descending blow.

TIP (for Chipping)

The key to mastering the art of chipping is to keep the lower body absolutely still with the weight of your body predominantly on your front foot, (Which is the left foot if you are a right handed player.) whilst the upper body simply rotates back and forth,
But more importantly, you must focus your eyes intensely on the ground that is just under the back edge of the golf ball - this is where the club head must be directed .
(You must maintain this focus on this point for a much longer period than you can imagine.)
It is absolutely vital that you focus on this point right up to the precise moment the club head strikes the ball.

But the one overridding factor that will enable you to chip with perfection is to keep the head firmly in the original address position throughout the chipping stroke.
Any swaying movement of the head, no matter how slight, will result in a miss hit.

( See Video)

As you were watching the video you would have actually seen the club head strike the ball, however when playing this shot on the golf course, I can assure you that most golfers take their eyes off the ball a fraction of a second before the club head strikes the ball and prematurely begin to look to see where the shot is going.
This results in disasters such as hitting the ground behind the ball, thinning the shot or even shanking the ball

When carrying out the very delicate chip shots, it often only requires a very slow quarter back swing movement, nevertheless chipping the ball is a simple task as long as you follow a few standard rules, which includes:-

1) Holding the shoulder, the arms and the golf club firmly together as a very compact and solid unit, holding thearms so that the elbows remain as close together as it is physically possible and with the right elbows tucked into the waist, and with the club face square to the target line.
.
2) Focus intensely on the back edge of the golf ball and ensure that the club face remains square to the ball as it strikes the golf ball with a slightly descending blow and then goes past the ball position, imagine the club face simply separating the grass and the ball but with the club face held square to the target line at all times.
( Most golfers take their eyes off the ball a fraction of a second before the club head makes contact.)

3) Keeping the head firmly positioned slightly behind the ball and in the Fixed Frontal condition until well after the ball has been struck.

Striking the ball with a slightly descending blow, ( See Video) whilst ensuring that the club head continues to move forward and downwards to the bottom of the swing arc -- simply allow the forwards/downwards swinging action of the club head to automatically cause the ball to move upwards and forward.

It is vital that you learn to focus your eyes on the ball and literally watch the back edge of the golf ball until the precise moment the club head strikes the ball, but importantly, the weight of your body must be predominantly over the front foot so that your head remains fixed in the original address position.
You must literally see the ball move away from its resting position.

Analysis of the Chip Shot.

Back Swing Movement.

The back swing movement is a rotation of the upper body unit whilst the shoulders, the arms are the golf club are firmly held together as a one piece unit.

The elbows must be held as close together as it is physically possible throughout the complete movement and the arms and the golf club must be held as if the whole lot had been welded together as a solid unit.

The Down Swing.

During the process of chipping the ball, everything moves at a slow pace with all of the components of the golf swing moving together, however it is very important and vital to the success of the movement that the rocking action of the shoulders control the movement :-

1) The shoulders, the arms and the golf club move as a single item as a direct result of the hip action, but focusing on the right shoulder/right upper arm muscles as being in total control of the passive arms/club head.

2) The elbows must be held as close together as possible so that the arms work together but with the right elbow tucked into the waist.

3) The head must remain firmly positioned slightly behind the ball and in the Fixed Frontal condition throughout the movement.

4) The upper body angles must be retained.

5) You must focus intensely on the back edge of the golf ball and ensure that the club face remains square to the ball position right through the contact area.

The overriding factors that will enable you to successfully chip the ball, is to maintain the weight of your body predominantly over the front foot, keeping the head absolutly still, whilst watching the back edge of the golf ball until the precise moment the club head strikes the ball, but keeping the club face square to the target line through the contact area.

Mental Exercise.

All of the movements of the body must be carried out in a very controlled and deliberate manner in order to achieve the best results whilst chipping the ball,

But importantly, the conscious mind is a very good at accurately predicting how hard to hit a golf ball in order to hit the ball a given distance -- in fact very similar to how you can judge the distance when you throw a paper ball into a waste bin.

Although you may not realise it, when you carry out a practice swing your concious mind very quickly calculates the speed and the effortrequired of the swing movementin order to hit the ball the required distance.

However, most of us do not play the actual shot as we have practiced, because at the last second we have doubts about the power of the stroke the conscious mind calculated and subsequently we decelerate the club head at the precise moment that the club head makes contact with the ball ---and we have all suffered the same results.

So it is absolutely vital that you rely on your original judgment and play the actual shot as per your practice swing -- you must have trust in the original assessment that your mind calculated during the practice swing - So when you are next on the golf course give this some thought and trust your judgment.

Play a few practice swings immediately before playing the actual shot, but ensure that these practice swing imitate the actual chip that you wish to perform in relation to the speed of the club head, however as soon as you make the last practice movement you must play the actual shot without any undue delay with the same speed that you used during the practice swing and you will be pleasantly surprised at the outcome.

Notes

1) It is essential that whilst performing the down swing movement that you focus intensely on the golf ball and literally watch the ball until the club head makes contact, but importantly you must keep the head firmly positioned slightly behind the ball.

2) The lower body should be set with a open stance to offset the reduced activity of the hips, whilst the shoulders remain parallel to the target line.

3) The best position for the golf ball when playing a conventional chip shot, is to align the ball slightly right of the centre of your stance.

4) You must ensure that the club face remain square to the target line as it swings through the contact area.

Tip.

Failure to watch the ball until the precise moment the club head makes contact with the ball is one of the main reason why golfers miss-hit the golf ball whilst playing a chip shot. Another reason is that the golfer addresses the ball with the club head too far behind the ball at the address position.
(You must position the club head directly behind the ball so that it is practically touching the ball at the address position.)

Therefore you must focus your eyes on the back edge of the golf ball and hold this focus whilst you strike the ball with a descending blow, but importantly, keep the head in the original address position until well after the ball has been struck.

As a point of interest, most golfers do not actually focus of the eyes exactly on the ball but generally tend to stare at the ball which incorporates the general area around ball, therefore if you wish to become a good chipper of the ball, you must define the focus only on the back edge of the golf ball.

This is easy to do during the back swing and most of the down swing movement, but it takes a lot of practice to maintain this intense focus on the ball so that you actually see the club head strike the ball.

I can assure you that the majority of golfers do not actually see the club head strike the ball - the conscious mind anticipates the movement of the ball and therefore the eyes begin to track the movement of the ball before it has been struck.

The other reason why golfers stub the ground when attempting to chip the ball, is that they allow the weight of the body to move back onto the right foot as the club head approaches the ball.

  So remember, once you have set yourself up to carry out a chip shot, you must keep the weight of your body over the left foot until the completion of the movement, but importantly, keep the head firmly positioned slightly behind the ball and literally watch the ball until the precise moment the club head strikes the ball and do not allow the head to move away from the original address position until well after the ball has been struck.

The theory of the chipping action is quite simple.

In order to move the ball forward and upwards by any given distance all you have to do is calculate the loft of the club face and how fast the club head needs to be moving at the precise moment it forces the golf ball and the turf to separate.

By using a simple pendulum action, use the muscles of the lower back to rotate the upper body unit as far back as you have calculated, thus using the rotational movement of the shoulders to push the arms/golf club, pause at the end of the back swing before commencing the down swing.

The speed of the swing is relatively unimportant, a steadily accelerating movement is far more important.

But remember when chipping, you must set the hips in an open position with the shoulders square to the target line and the weight of the body predominantly over the left leg ( and importantly, it must remain over the left leg throughout the back swing and the down swing movement,) but the head must remain slightly behind the ball until after the ball has been struck.

To hit the ball further, it simply requires a club face with less loft and a longer back swing movement, which is done by increasing the rotational movement of the shoulders -- this is why it is so important to have a few practice swings, prior to attempting to strike the ball.

In order to hit the ball higher so that it stops more quickly, you have to:-

1) Use a wedge with a higher degree of loft.

Alternatively, but more difficult,

2) Open your stance a bit further so that the hips are facing more towards the target area, move the ball a bit further forward in the stance and open the club face a bit more in order to set the club face square with the target line.

Practice Swings.

The practice swings give you the opportunity to estimate how far you have to take the club head back in the back swing movement in order to create sufficient momentum of the club head to move the ball the distance that you desire.

The practice swings are also important for you to build up a mentally image in your mind of the club head sweeping down under the ball without any resistance from the golf ball.

But remember, at the precise moment that the club head makes contact with the ball, the shoulders, the arms and the golf club must remain fully bonded as a very compact unit.

Make sure that every practice swing that you make has a useful input to your memory cells.

All the tuition in the world cannot teach you the delicate touch that is required during the chipping process, only by practicing the chipping technique on the practice ground will you be able to develop these skills but I can assure you that if you can teach yourself to actually see the club head strike the ball your chipping will improve dramatically.

Pitching.

A Pitch shot is simply a shortened version of the full golf swing.

Therefore to pitch the ball it simply requires you to carry out exactly the same swing movements that you would use for the full swing, the only difference is that you only make a maximum of a three quarter swing action and in addition the swing action is slower than the full swing, therefore the emphasis is on precision rather than distance.

Although the pitch shot is a shorter version of the full shot, in order to dramatically increase your chances of pitching the ball in an accurate manner it is absolutely vital that you :-

1) Learn to focus on the back edge of the golf ball and literally watch the back edge of the ball until the club head strikes the ball.

2) Keep the head firmly positioned slightly behind the ball with "pin point accuracy" at all times and in the Fixed Frontal condition.

3) Use the hip movement to rotate the shoulder/arms-unit back to the original address position and into the follow through movement - but concentrating on swinging the club head to the bottom of the swing arc with an "out to in" swing plane

(The downward movement of the club head as it strikes the ball automatically moves the ball upwards and forward for a distance that is dependent on the loft of the club face and the speed of the club head.)

However the same principle applies, you must watch the ball carefully so that you strike the ball cleanly with a descending blow, but importantly you must watch the spot that the ball was resting on as the club head swings to the bottom of the swing arc.

When you are fully focused on the ball and you maintain this focus until after the ball has been struck, you will notice that after the ball has been struck, the retina retains the image of the ball for a millisecond, but magically this image has been converted to a black image.

Therefore if you can detect this dark image directly after you have struck the ball, this will indicate to you that you have correctly continued to look at the position the ball was resting until after the ball was struck.

Importantly, the head must remain positioned slightly behind the ball and in the Frontal Facing condition and the upper body angle must be retained until well after the ball has been struck.

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