The two most annoying chipping errors is the fat chip or the chunker which will go nowhere, and the thin chip or the skull which shoots goes off the green and possibly on to a bunker on the other side. Hitting the ball up causes these mistakes. Golfers have a tendency to get the club under the ball and often times hit the ground instead and since the club speed is too slow, the ball ends up going nowhere. If you try to miss the ground all together, you end up hitting the top of the ball with a leading edge. The ball then ends up moving across the ground at a steady pace and goes way beyond your target.

If you could hit the ball before hitting the ground, you can then achieve a clean connection with the ball and improve your results. There is a key to hitting the ground after hitting the ball when you are chipping is speed up. Most golfers are hesitant to speed up while performing a short game. It’s the simple fear of the ball going to far after you have hit it.

The answer is not easy, but it is simple. You need to shorten your back swing. The trouble lies in what we see of as a short back swing. It is a habit for you to bring your club back almost to your neckline for those big drives, so you might think a back swing which doesn’t go any higher than your waist as a short back swing. In reality if you were to swing from your waist and speeding up the club head down toward the ball, you would more likely than not hit a shot, which will go to an excess of 25 yards. You only want to hit a chip shot for about 10 or 15 yards. Changing your subconscious mind is the reason the solution to the problem of chipping is difficult. Accelerating to hit the ball down is the key to the chip shot, and your short game. Deceleration is the undoing of the chip shot. Keep this in mind when you are trying to perfect your short game.

One of the most important aspects of chipping is to keep the ball rolling; you don’t want it in the air. You can use almost any club from a 3-iron to a sand wedge to make your chip shot, but choosing the right club is important. You need to know the formulas to help you decide which club is the right one for your situation. The formula is based on a level green.

When you chip with a 10-iron or the pitching wedge, the ball will be in the air half the distance to the hole and it will roll the other half of the distance. If you chip with an 8-iron the ball will be airborne for one-third of the distance to the hole and roll the other two-thirds of the distance. If you are chipping with a 6-iron the ball will be in the air for one-fourth or the distance and three-fourths of the distance it will be rolling on the ground.

Since this formula is based on a level green, if you are trying to get your ball uphill you will need to go up one club. If you are trying to get your ball downhill, you will need to go down one club. So for the 6-iron formula, you will use a 4-iron to go uphill and an 8-iron to go downhill. With the 8-iron you would use the 6-iron to go uphill and the pitching wedge to go downhill. With the pitching wedge, you would use and 8-iron to go uphill and the lob wedge to go downhill.

When chipping, try to land your ball about 3 feet onto the putting surface and allow the ball to roll the remainder of the way.

When taking your stance, your weight should be on the front foot, with the ball in the middle of your stance and your hand slightly ahead of the ball.

Another important aspect of chipping is to make sure your left wrist stays firm during the chipping motion. If the wrist does break down, it alters the loft on the club, which in turn alters the trajectory of the ball. You will have inconsistent distances will result. If the wrist goes the arm will go with it, which will cause your shot to rapidly across the green.

If you would like to lower your handicap, instead of going to the driving range, head for the chipping green.