Golf Instruction Tips for Chipping

Requiring the utmost authority in golf is a shot that is also one of the shortest in golf. Golf instruction chipping without authority can be thin, fat or even shanked shots. Whatever can go wrong usually will. However hitting your chip shots like you mean it, you are more likely to be tapping your next shot in for birdie.

There are a few things that lead to a lack of authority- including fear, indecision, lack of strength - and all lead to poor chipping. Think of your club as a horse.(weird analogy but stay with me ) If your not confident, it has this uncanny knack of recognizing your concern and plays up. Far more satisfactory results are achieved if you show it who is boss, who is in charge.

The best way to ensure authority is repetition. Adding the two strength drills will bring more authority to your short game.                                           
Drill 1; Hold the club horizontally in front of your body and cock the wrists. These simple exercises will gradually build strength and flexibility into those wrists, repeat each drill for 10 repetitions.

Drill 2; Hold your arms outstretched with a weight (a couple of golf clubs or 440gm cans are fine if you don’t have hand weights) and lift up and down with your wrists.

Your Wrist Power
It’s hard to hit a shot with authority if the club feels heavy in your hand. The pitch or chip is a firm wristed action and the wrist must secure the club to make sure you are in control of your swing. Spending some time with these drills can assist many golfers, particularly beginning players with weak wrists, it won't hurt.

Be Decisive
There are countless articles covering club selection and type of chip shot for a particular situation. Eliminate doubt, whatever your decision, convince yourself that it is the correct shot.
Go to the practice green and spend time repeating the same shot over and over.
Placing a basket or bucket in your backyard at home and practice chipping into that, can really hone your skills. If you consistently hit your target, that means you're decisive and have strong wrists, and you are on the right path to hitting plenty of chip shots close.

Learn the proper chipping set-up; weight on lead side, ball slightly back of centre in your stance, eyes and hands closer to the target than the ball is at address.
Use your dominant hand during the backswing, hinge the golfclub slightly.
Then, in the follow through, hold this position post impact. That is, don't let your clubhead pass under the lead hand before impact. The back of that lead hand must be nearer to your target than the golfball is at impact. You can release the golfclub after impact.
Relax. What is the number 1 problem when chipping for amateurs? trying to scoop a chip shot into the air, getting to wristy.

Golf Instruction Chipping Tip- Bet on the percentages

It might look fancy in the air but there’s a higher risk of error when you increase your loft for a greenside chip. Extra loft reduces the margin for error at the impact and decreases the size of the landing zone on the green.
The second bounce check-up is one of the hardest shots to play in golf, so it’s best left to the pros.
For amateur golfers I suggest going for more roll and less air time, always remembering to land on the green.. When faced with a chip around the greens, relying on a simple formula means using less lofted golfclubs. However first, like any shot in golf a little course management is required. As is a brush up on the finer points of golf instruction for a balanced posture

Golf Instruction Chipping, the method
Take aim at your landing spot as your target and not at the flag when chipping. Several factors will influence this like the condition of the green, and loft of club chosen. Start with a five iron, and increase the loft depending on  the amount of green available, using the following ratios.

• 5 IRON

20 percent flight, 80 percent bounce and roll. ?

• 8 IRON

33 percent flight, 67 percent bounce and roll

• WEDGE

50 percent bounce and 50 percent roll.

Use an 8 iron to chip and master the bump and run, then and only then move onto your wedge.

Here is a great golf instruction chipping tip I learned a while ago, try this. Use a golfball, take a normal stance for a chip shot, and throw the ball 'under arm'(softball throw) at the target to get a feel for how hard to swing your club.
Imagine how much strength is needed to fly the golfball onto the green and roll it up to the flag, by throwing the ball about two thirds of the way back to the hole. To gain a feel for the shot this is a good technique.

I hope these few golf instruction tips will help you to improve your short game and reduce the number of shots in your round the next time you go out on the course.