How to Judge a Backswing to Chip
- 1). Remember there are basic rules involved in a chip shot. Do not attempt to scoop the ball up with the club. You must allow the club to take the ball "through" the swing. Your aim should be to hit the ball so that it lands approximately 10 to 12 feet onto the green. This will make the ball "run on" toward the flag. When you swing the club through the shot your club should accelerate as it impacts with the ball.
- 2). Address the ball with your stance posed so that your feet are as close together as possible. If you remember that when you take a swing with a driver your feet will be parallel with your shoulders for maximum swing. The closer you get to the green, your stance will decrease in width until your chip shot has your feet together.
- 3). Stand with your feet together and open your shoulders a little. Your front foot (in this case the foot nearest the flag) should be the foot upon which you rest most of your weight. Doing this allows the club to swing through the ball better and accelerate as it passes through. When you swing the club you should imagine that the ball is not there. Do not aim to hit the ball but hit "through" the ball.
- 4). Grip down on the handle a little. When you swing with a driver your hands are at the far end of the handle, but for shorter shots your hands can move further up the club shaft to decrease distance.
- 5). Swing the club back using your arms and shoulders, not your wrists. If you swing back just using your wrists, you will affect the club as it comes through the ball and you will attach too much loft to the ball. Back swing and follow through should be more or less the same length when you chip the ball. The best way to judge how far back to swing the ball is to practice the swing with balls at different distances from the green and try to "chip and run" the ball nearer to the flag.
