Check your chips

Do you suffer from…

• Lack of backspin with chip shots

Why does this happen?

It’s a downward strike into the ball that generates backspin for short shots. If you attack the ball from a shallow angle or try and scoop the ball airborne with your hands, you won’t generate the backspin and your ball will run through the green. It also increases the likelihood of a poor contact.

The fixes: Set-up, Angle of attack and Speed.

Set-up
A standard chip shot, using an eight-iron, nine-iron or pitching wedge, will get little height and lots of run, releasing freely down the green. Don’t change your set-up, as the loft on the newly chosen club and ball position will ensure you get the spin and height you need for this shot.

Attack angle

With this type of shot, you want to achieve the same height but with more spin. So place the ball back in your stance with a lofted wedge and adopt a steeper angle of attack. Position a ball 8 inches behind your ball and ensure you miss it both on the way back and through.

Speed

To generate the spin you need more speed in the club through impact. Remember to accelerate the club – the loft on the club will ensure the ball doesn’t travel too far.
Curtailing your follow through with the hands leading shows that you have applied a downward blow to the ball with the shaft maintaining its forward lean through impact.

The Outcome

More spin, more control and more confidence to commit to the shot and fly the ball further towards the flag and stop it.