Golf Tip For Irons - That Nasty Little Chip Shot

The chip shot is probably the scariest shot in golf next to the down hill putt. In all their sadistic wisdom, course designers have made the penalty for not getting on the green in regulation full of surprises and very painful, just like Bagdhad. My advice is if you don't think you can hit the green lay up 30 or 40 yards short but in the fairway. From here you have a relatively easy shot at the pin. And you avoid the perils of missing the green.

If however, your brain thinks it's better than your body and you go for it and wind up short, or left, or right or long, you will probably be facing a challenging golf shot. Side hill, down hill and up hill lies, lies at the base of a slope; anything but a good flat lie will be your reward for not hitting the green.

When you find yourself in this position here are a few tips for a right handed player to keep in mind:

Tip 1
Use the club you are comfortable with, not the one that the manufacturer tells you to use. Confidence is a huge part of this shot. Did you know that Tiger only has one wedge in his bag? He uses a 60 degree wedge from 50 yards in and can get a remarkable number of different shots with the same club. Why? Because he knows he can.

Tip 2
When you're faced with other than a flat lie, the objective is to make adjustments so that the club head will strike the ball in the same fashion as if it were on a flat lie. This means adjustments in your stance, where you grip the club and the shape of your swing.

Tip 3

If the ball is above your feet and on a fairly straight uphill lie, consider yourself lucky as this is the easiest of the scenarios. In order to compensate for the ball being above your feet, or closer to you than it is on a flat lie, do two things. First when you assume your stance, lean further to the right. Next place the club behind the ball and then grip it. You'll notice you are gripping down on the club shortening the distance from your hands to the ball. If it's a straight uphill lie use your normal swing. If it's a side hill lie, make your swing a little rounder to compensate.

Tip 4
If the ball is below your feet you want to do just the reverse of tip 3 as the ball is now further from your hands than it is on a flat lie. First take your stance and lean to the left and shift more weight to the left leg. Next place the club behind the ball bend at the hips and then grip the club. You'll notice that you are gripping the club well above where you would be with an uphill lie. Your swing should be steeper and a tad bigger than a normal flat lie shot. If the lie is also side hill, well good luck with that. Aim further to the left and hope for the best.

Tip 5
This is the tough part. Commit to the shot. The most common mistake made is a golfer decelerating the swing resulting in the ball just popping up and going inches. Commit to the shot. What's the worse thing that could happen? You fly the green and have to do it again? If the option to not committing is trying again 8 inches from your original position, why not swing away.

Stay down. Blading or skulling the ball is the result of the golfer getting the equivalent of a case of the yipps while putting. This is always caused by a lack of confidence. Be sure you practice the swing before you hit so you know you've got a shot to get on the green

Follow these five tips and you will improve your score. I can't tell you how many double boogies originated from poor chip shots. Just take the right stance, try to relax, and swing away.

Get another tip How To Hit A Hybrid