Chipping around elevated greens can be tricky, often leading to big shots that miss the mark and add unnecessary strokes.
The key is having a clear blueprint – one that helps you ask the right questions before you ever pull a bat. If you do that, you’ll give yourself a much better chance of consistently getting the ball closer to the hole.
1. Assess the situation
Questions that need to be answered:
- How does the ball lie in the grass?
- What is the slope beneath your feet, and how does the green slope down to your landing spot?
- Is the turf wet, dry, muddy or firm?
- Is there wind and how strong is it?
- Is chipping really the best option, or can you roll the ball onto the putting surface? Do you need to carry an obstacle or navigate through thick grass?
2. Choose the right club
Questions that need to be answered:
- What clubs have you been practicing with and do you feel confident making the shot you need?
- Do the conditions require more loft and bounce, or less?
To perform a successful chip shot, you must first hit the ball. Once you’ve answered the questions above, choose the club that provides the right loft for the situation and then apply a technique that matches the conditions so that the club hits the ball ahead of the ground.
For example, for a right-handed player chipping from a flat, muddy fairway to a turtleback green, you should adopt a narrow stance and slightly more weight on the lead side. Your right side should sit higher than your left side, with the ball just behind center. Position your head slightly forward, your chest toward the left, and make sure the bottom of your swing arc is in front of the ball.
Whether you need to shoot high or low, your setup writes the script. Practice from different lies and experiment with changes in club selection, stance, ball position and club delivery. Spend time in the practice room learning how these adjustments affect contact and trajectory.
Build that awareness, and you’ll step onto the course confident in your options – and much less likely to smash another chip.
Titleist Vokey SM11 Raw Custom Wedge
A grind for every player There is a set of grinds for every player that are suitable for clean contact. SM11 offers an industry-leading combination of lofts, bounces and grinds to deliver solid contact (between grooves 2-5), predictable performance and the confidence to tackle whatever the stroke demands. Gravel Comparison Consistent Center of Gravity Location For a given loft, the SM11 has the same center of gravity location in all grinds, resulting in a controlled, consistent launch angle. No matter which sole design suits your swing or course conditions, your launch window is locked, giving you the freedom to choose the lofts and grinds that work for you. A smarter way to spin The new Vokey Spin system combines a sloped face texture, shot-specific groove shapes and deeper spin-milled grooves to deliver the right amount of spin from any lie, in any condition
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