On The Tee with Hank Johnson

Chip Like a Tour PlayerEvaluating the LieYour ability to accurately evaluate the lie of the ball is essential to good chipping. The lie is “the boss” in determining your options, especially in chipping and pitching. You can break your evaluation of the lie of the ball down into four elements.Slope: If the ball is on a slope it will affect your stroke your balance and the behavior of the ball. Uphill and downhill lies affect trajectory. Side hill lies affect direction. You have to practice to determine the change it makes for you.Space under the ball: If the ball is actually against the ground you can swing down on the ball and use the ground to “squeeze” the ball against. If there is space between the ball and the ground you need to make a more level swing to get solid contact.Grass behind the ball: Grass between the clubface and the ball will “cushion” the strike against the ball and cause a loss in distance. The more grass, the more it “cushions” impact. You just have to practice to get a “feel” for this condition.Grass in front of the ball: Grass in front of the ball requires you to get the ball up more quickly. Use a more lofted club and plan to carry the ball farther up on the green than the shot might call for. Again, practicing from this condition is the only way to get a “feel” for this condition.Remember, the lie is “The Boss” and it will dictate your options in chipping. You just have to be really good at “evaluating the lie” before you make your choices. Sometime the shot you would “like to play” isn’t available and you can’t force the issue.
Distance Control through Solid ContactAs with all areas of the short game, distance control is the primary issue in good performance. You just have to have good touch and feel for distance and to do this you must be able to hit the ball solidly. If you are getting inconsistent club/ball contact then you can’t have good distance control.The two typical miss hits in chipping are a little bit fat or thin. Both are caused by the same error. The low point of the stroke occurs BEFORE impact rather than after impact as it should. In chipping, the club should brush the ground AFTER it hits the ball.I believe you should chip from a narrow and slightly open stance. The ball should be played off the inside of your back foot. Your head and hands should be over the inside of your front foot. It’s fine to grip down on the club for control. From this set up you can brush the ground even with your front heel AFTER you hit the ball. This ball first, ground second contact is critical to solid contact and good distance control.Because the stroke in chipping is so small there’s no time for a weight shift to your front foot so just leave the weight there through the whole stroke. To accomplish this raise the outside edge of your back foot off the ground at address and keep it there during the stroke.Another practice technique I like is to spread a towel on the ground and put the ball two ball widths in front of it (toward the target). The object is to miss the towel and then “bump” the ball against the ground. This will give you consistently solid contact and help you control distance on your chips.
Hank Johnson, PGA
July 2011