Game Improvement Techniques

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the third lesson in the Game Improvement Techniques series of drills you can do during the off-season to keep your short game sharp. If you missed the first two lessons you can catch up by clicking below.

Week 1

Week 2

Now for todays drill...

This drill is designed to improve distance control with your chip shots. We will be going over the proper set-up for this shot, as this is very important to be a consistent chipper. When we see golfers who have trouble with chipping, it almost always starts with an improper set-up to the ball. First you want the ball position to be slightly back from center and your feet a little closer together than your full swing. You will want to have your weight slightly more on your left side for a righty and your right side for a lefty. The reason for this is so you will make a descending blow on the golf ball pinching it to the ground. The last thing to think of is to have your hands in front of the ball. You don’t want to exaggerate this. Do it just enough so that the shaft of the club is slightly leaning towards the target. The whole goal of a chip shot is to get the ball rolling as soon as possible. You want to pick a spot to land the ball and then have it roll out to the hole. If you have a lot of green to work with you may choose to use a 7 or 8 iron. With less green between you and the hole, you will want to use a more lofted club like a PW or SW. This drill will help you gain more control over how far your ball carries in the air making it easier for you to make more up and downs from just off the green.