Ever stood just off the green, feeling confident about an easy chip shots, only to chunk it halfway there? Or worse, blade it clear across the green?
I’ve been there more times than I care to admit.
After years of practice (and yes, plenty of chunked chips), I’ve learned that solid chipping technique is like having a secret weapon in your golf bag. It’s the difference between scrambling for pars and writing down big numbers on your scorecard, much like how strength & fitness enhances your golf swing speed can transform your overall performance.
While I can’t promise you’ll turn into Phil Mickelson overnight, I can share some proven techniques that have helped me (and countless other golfers) turn the area around the green from a danger zone into a scoring opportunity.
These are the same techniques that took me from dreading those delicate shots to looking forward to showing off my short game.
The Circle Drill: Your New Best Friend
Want to know the golf practice drill that completely changed my chipping game?
I stumbled across it during a lesson, and now it’s the first thing I do when I hit the practice green.
The Circle Drill might sound simple – and that’s exactly why it works.
Here’s how I set it up:
I place five balls in a circle around the hole, each about nine feet away. Think of it like placing balls at 12, 3, 6, and 9 o’clock, with one extra ball wherever you feel least confident.
Start with your most comfortable wedge (I use my 56-degree), and try to get each ball within a foot of the hole. Once you can consistently do that, challenge yourself by:
- Moving the balls back to 12 or 15 feet
- Switching to different clubs
- Adding some longer chips to mix things up
Here’s a pro tip I learned the hard way: Don’t just rapid-fire the shots.
Treat each one like you would on the course. Take your time, pick your landing spot, and go through your routine. This isn’t about rushing through 50 balls – it’s about quality practice that translates to the course.
Handling Different Lies: A Few Tricks Up Your Sleeve
Let me tell you about the chip shot that forever changed how I handle tough lies.
I was in this nasty rough beside the green, with the ball sitting down like it was trying to hide. My playing partner bet me I couldn’t get it within 10 feet. That’s when I remembered a tip that saved my bacon (and won me the bet), especially when dealing with tricky situations like a double green, where precision is key.
Thick Rough: Choose a lofted club like a sand wedge to cut through the grass.
Downhill Slope: Align your stance with the slope and swing smoothly to maintain balance.
The truth is, every chip shot tells a different story. Let’s break down how to handle those tricky lies you’ll face on the course:
When You’re in the Rough
Remember when you thought, “This is an easy chip” from the rough, only to have the club slide right under the ball?
Been there.
The key is to use a more lofted club (I grab my sand wedge) and make one slight adjustment: grip down on the club slightly and steepen your attack angle. This helps you make clean contact instead of getting caught up in the grass.
Bunker Blues
Bunker shots used to terrify me until I learned this simple approach: Open the clubface slightly—imagine you’re showing the clubface to a friend standing beside you. Then, focus on hitting about an inch behind the ball.
I like to draw a line in the sand during practice to groove this feeling. The sand becomes your friend, lifting the ball out nice and soft.
Those Tricky Tight Lies
You know those shots where the ball sits on hardpan or closely mowed grass? These used to be my nightmare, and I would often chunk them because I would hit behind the ball and there was no forgiveness. The secret here is less about power and more about precision, skills and training.
I use my gap wedge, play the ball slightly back in my stance, and focus on making contact with the ball first—just like a mini iron shot.
The key is to resist the urge to help the ball up; let the club’s loft do the work.
Breaking Down the 3 Types of Chips
Let me share something embarrassing – I once tried to hit a fancy flop shot over a bunker when I had acres of green to work with. My playing partners still bring up that skull shot that ended up in someone’s backyard. That day taught me a valuable lesson: knowing which chip shot to use, along with how to improve your swing, is just as important as knowing how to hit them.
The Bump-and-Run: Your Reliable Best Friend
Think of the bump-and-run as that one friend who always shows up to help you move – reliable, drama-free, and gets the job done.
It’s my go-to shot whenever I can use it – when I have plenty of green to work with, especially on greens faster than my first date’s goodbye.
Here’s how I play it:
- Stance: Use a narrow stance like you are putting the ball
- Ball Position: Just back of center (think slightly toward your back foot)
- Club Choice: 7-iron, 8-iron, or pitching wedge (I use my 8-iron so much for this shot, it’s getting jealous of my putter)
- The Move: Because you are standing closer to the ball like you are putting, you will need to have your club toe down. Then just Imagine you’re putting, but with a bit more oomph. Keep those wrists as firm as your handshake with your future in-laws, and let your arms and shoulders do the work
The Lob Shot
Ah, the lob shot – golf’s equivalent of trying to catch food in your mouth.
It looks amazing when it works, but there’s a decent chance you’ll end up with egg on your face.
I pull this one out when I’m stuck behind a bunker or facing a tucked pin that’s being particularly stubborn.
The Setup:
- Grab your lob wedge
- Ball forward in your stance
- Open the clubface like you’re opening the door to welcome in some height
- Make a short, steep swing while trying not to think about all the ways it could go wrong
The secret?
Commit to the shot. Half-hearted lob shots are like half-hearted karaoke performances – nobody wins.
The Spin Shot
This is the shot you practice when you think nobody’s watching, then casually pull off when everyone is, with the right spin rate for better control and accuracy.
When it works, you look like a genius. When it doesn’t, let’s just say I’ve gotten really good at the “I meant to do that” face.
How to add spin:
- Your highest-lofted wedge
- Ball slightly back, weight forward
- Keep those hands ahead through impact like you’re leading a parade
The key is crisp, clean contact – think of it like slicing through butter, not chopping wood. When you nail it, the ball will land, take two hops, and spin back like the pros do on tour.
Practice these three shots, and you’ll start approaching the green with confidence instead of that “please don’t let me chunk this in front of everyone” feeling we all know too well.
Perfecting Your Chipping Swing
You know that feeling when you watch the pros chip and think, “How hard can it be? They’re barely moving!”
Then you try it yourself and somehow manage to both chunk and blade the same shot?
Yep, me too.
Let me share how I finally cracked the code to a reliable chipping swing.
The Backswing: Less is More
Keep your backswing short and sweet. After countless shots that looked more like I was trying to swat flies than chip a golf ball, I learned this the hard way.
Here’s what works:
- Think “hands to pocket” length
- Let your shoulders turn naturally
- Keep those wrists quiet and soft (don’t try to control the shot with your hands)
- Move your body as one single unit
The Money Move: Impact
This is where the magic happens—or, in my case, where it started after I stopped trying to help the ball into the air (spoiler alert: the club is designed to do that for you).
The key is keeping your hands ahead of the club through impact.
Imagine you’re trying to knock a penny off a table with the leading edge of your club. This forward shaft lean separates those crispy chips from the ones that make you want to take up bowling.
The Follow-Through: Finish with Flair
The secret is completing your follow-through – let that clubhead point toward your belt buckle or slightly left of the target.
Stalled follow-throughs result in ‘duffed’ shots because you’ve either a) tried to pick your head up too soon or b) lost all power trying to ‘slow’ your swing down.
A good follow-through means you’ve maintained your speed through impact.
The Rhythm: Finding Your Groove
Here’s a little trick that transformed my chipping: think “1-2” like you’re counting a waltz.
The “1” is your backswing, nice and smooth. The “2” is your downswing and follow-through, slightly quicker but still controlled.
Don’t stab at the golf ball. It won’t make any difference to your shot. I promise.
I used to chip like I was trying to hit the emergency brake—all jerky and panicked. Now, I imagine I’m smoothly stirring a pot of soup.
It sounds weird, but hey, it works!
Practice Makes… Well, Better
Let’s be honest – perfect is overrated.
But better? That’s totally achievable.
Here’s my favorite practice routine:
Grab a handful of balls and pick a target. Before each shot, I go through my mental checklist:
- Hands forward? Check.
- Weight forward? Check.
- Thinking smooth thoughts? Check.
- Wondering if anyone’s watching? Try not to check.
Start with simple chips.
Then, gradually add variety – different distances, lies, and clubs.
Common Chipping Mistakes To Avoid
During a recent member-guest tournament, I watched a scratch golfer chunk three straight chips on our 16th hole.
Even the best players aren’t immune to basic chipping mistakes.
After years of teaching (and making plenty of these mistakes myself), here are the most common ways golfers sabotage their short game:
The Weight Shift Wobble
Ever notice how a chip shot feels different on the course versus the practice green? That’s usually because we tend to hang back on our trail foot under pressure.
Get that weight forward so it’s about 60% on your front foot. One of my students pictures pressing a grape under his front foot through impact.
The Freeze Frame Finish
Nothing kills a chip shot quite like stopping your swing halfway through. It’s like trying to throw a ball without following through – the shot loses all its zip.
Instead of babying the ball toward the hole, focus on swinging through to your finish. The ball will thank you with crisp contact and better distance control.
The Hero Complex
Sometimes, the smartest play is the boring play. That high-spinning flop shot might look great on TV, but the low runner is usually your best friend when you’ve got green to work with. Pick the shot with the biggest margin for error, especially when your score matters.
Wrapping It Up: Your Short Game Evolution
Chipping Tips are the quickest way to drop strokes from your game. You don’t need perfect technique or years of practice—just solid fundamentals and smart choices around the green.
The recipe is simple:
- Start with the basic shots
- Practice with a purpose
- Trust what you’ve learned
- Let the fancy stuff come naturally
Good chipping isn’t about pulling off miracle shots. It’s about turning those double bogeys into bogeys and those bogeys into pars.
That’s where real improvement happens.