17 Chipping Tips That Save 5 Strokes Per Round
As a weekend golfer who's played countless rounds over 25 years, I can tell you that nothing frustrates me more than chunking a simple chip shot just off the green. You know the feeling - you've hit a decent approach that just missed the green, and you're standing there with what should be an easy up-and-down. Then disaster strikes.
What finally changed everything for me was discovering that chipping isn't about having perfect technique - it's about avoiding the simple mistakes that add unnecessary strokes to our scores. According to Golf Monthly research, the typical 10 handicapper gets up-and-down only 37% of the time from inside 25 yards, and they're more likely to leave their chips outside 20 feet than inside 5 feet from just 15 yards in the rough.
But here's the good news: improving your chipping is one of the fastest ways to lower your scores, and it doesn't require athletic ability or perfect swing mechanics. These 17 chipping tips will transform those frustrating shots around the green into opportunities to impress your buddies and save easy strokes.
What Makes a Good Chip Shot?
Before diving into the tips, let's be clear about what we're trying to achieve. A chip shot is a short-game stroke where the ball carries a relatively short distance in the air and then rolls toward the hole. As Scott Cowx (PGA of Canada Teacher of the Year) explains: "The key is catching the ball at the low point of your swing to produce optimal friction and launch it along a shallow and controlled swing path."
The goal isn't to be fancy - it's to get the ball close enough for an easy putt and get up-and-down to save par. Let me explain what finally clicked for me and how these techniques have helped me become more consistent around the greens.
How Do You Fix Poor Chipping Contact?
1. Master Your Setup Position
This was my biggest breakthrough after years of inconsistent chipping. Your setup determines everything that follows, and most weekend golfers set up like they're about to hit a 150-yard approach shot when they're only trying to advance the ball 25 feet.
The Golfeaser Setup:
- Stand much closer to the ball
- Narrow your stance to approximately one clubhead width apart
- Grip down on the club to roughly putter length
- Place 55-60% of your weight on your front foot
- Position your sternum slightly ahead of the ball
According to Golf.com instruction, "keeping your feet close together will limit your mobility and help you minimize moving parts, promoting better accuracy and distance control."
2. Perfect Your Ball Position
Here's where I wasted years making the same mistake. I always played the ball way back in my stance because someone told me that's what you're supposed to do. Wrong!
The ball should be positioned between the center of your stance and slightly back - not off your back foot. When the ball is too far back, you can't square the clubface properly and it restricts your rotation. This simple adjustment immediately improved my contact.
3. Understand the Golden Rule
Hit down to make the ball go up. This bit of physics changed everything for me. You don't need to help the ball into the air - the club's loft will do that. Your job is to make crisp contact by hitting the ball first, then brushing the turf.
🎯 Setup Fundamentals
- ⭐ Narrow stance (one clubhead width apart)
- ⭐ Weight 55-60% on front foot
- ⭐ Ball position: center to slightly back
- ⭐ Sternum ahead of ball at address
What Are the Most Common Chipping Mistakes?
4. Stop Trying to Help the Ball Up
This was my biggest mistake for years. According to research from Me And My Golf, golfers who try to help the ball up create a "saggy-kneed look" as they drop down attempting to get below the ball. This leads to chunked shots and inconsistent contact.
The fix: Trust the loft of your club and focus on making a descending strike.
5. Eliminate the Dreaded Deceleration
As GOLF Top 100 Teacher Andrew Rice explains, "The most common mistakes I see golfers battle with when chipping are poor pace - the club head travels in a jerky fashion or at speeds that are often too fast for the requirements of the shot."
Interestingly, the best chippers actually feel like they're decelerating at impact. PGA Tour player Rickie Fowler describes it as feeling like "everything stops at the ball." The key is that your hands slow down while the club continues moving, creating a controlled follow-through.
6. Use Your Body, Not Just Your Arms
Many amateur golfers make chip shots entirely with their arms and hands. This leads to inconsistent results. The best chippers use their torso to control the movement through rotation, with the arms coming along for the ride.
Think of it this way: Your arms and shoulders form a triangle at address. Your goal is to keep that triangle intact while it moves throughout your motion.
How Do You Choose the Right Club for Chipping?
7. Learn the Flight-to-Roll Ratios
This was a game-changer when I finally understood it. Different clubs produce different flight-to-roll ratios:
- Lob wedge (60°): Flies 70-80% of total distance, minimal roll
- Sand wedge: Approximately 50% carry, 50% roll
- Pitching wedge: About 33% carry, 67% roll
- 9-iron: Roughly 25% carry, 75% roll
- 7-iron: About 20% carry, 80% roll
8. Master the "One Stroke, Multiple Clubs" System
Instead of trying different stroke lengths, learn one comfortable stroke size and simply change clubs for different distances. As explained on Golf.com: "My standard knee-height-to-knee-height chipping stroke with a gap wedge may travel 10 yards. With a pitching wedge, it'll go 20 yards. A 9-iron may go 30 yards."
This system creates consistency because your stroke stays the same while the club does the work.
9. Try the Hybrid Chip Shot
Here's something that surprised me: according to a study by Dr. Andy Hoffer presented at the World Scientific Congress of Golf, 87.5% of amateur golfers (35 of 40) chipped better with their hybrid than with their wedge.
Why hybrids work better:
- More forgiving across the entire clubface
- Higher smash factor means you can make a smaller swing
- Less punishing on heel and toe misses
The technique is simple: choke down on your hybrid and make a putting stroke. It works great when you have plenty of green to work with.
🎯 Club Selection Strategy
- ⭐ Learn flight-to-roll ratios for each club
- ⭐ Use one consistent stroke, change clubs for distance
- ⭐ Consider hybrid for bump-and-run shots
- ⭐ Match club selection to available green space
How Do You Develop Soft Hands for Better Feel?
10. Relax Your Grip Pressure
As emphasized in HackMotion's analysis of over 1,000,000 golf swings, "soft hands increase feel, feedback, and control." Tension in your arms and hands kills your ability to feel the clubhead and prevents natural club movement.
My personal discovery: The day I learned to chip with soft hands was when my short game transformed. It enhanced my feel, feedback, control, and comfort all in one motion.
11. Let Gravity Help You
With softer hands, you can feel the weight of the clubhead and let gravity help swing the club to the ground. This creates a more natural, pendulum-like motion that's easier to repeat under pressure.
What's the Proper Chipping Technique?
12. Create Forward Shaft Lean
Professional golfers consistently deliver the club with forward shaft lean at impact. This boosts compression and gets the ball airborne with the proper trajectory. Sean Foley (former coach to Tiger Woods, Justin Rose) emphasizes that "even though the ball is in line with my back foot and the shaft is leaning toward the target, my head is behind the ball. This is crucial to hitting it crisp."
13. Use Wrist Flexion on the Backswing
Contrary to the old "keep your wrists quiet" advice, Scott Cowx (PGA of Canada Teacher of the Year) demonstrates how achieving wrist flexion on the backswing positions the club on plane and helps you catch the ball at the low point.
The key: Maintain complete control of the shaft and clubhead at the back of the swing before using your hip turn to propel the ball through impact.
14. Open the Clubface Slightly
Clay Ballard recommends opening the clubface at address to increase glide through the turf and forgiveness. When you open the clubface, the flange on the bottom of the club is exposed to the turf and glides across it, preventing the club from digging.
🎯 Advanced Technique Tips
- ⭐ Create forward shaft lean at impact
- ⭐ Use proper wrist flexion on backswing
- ⭐ Open clubface slightly for better turf interaction
- ⭐ Maintain triangle between arms and shoulders
How Do You Practice Chipping Effectively?
15. Focus on Landing Spots
Instead of just aiming at the hole, pick a target about one-third of the way to the pin. Place a tee or use a leaf as your landing spot. This gives you a more specific target and helps you understand how much the ball will roll.
Gabriel Hjertstedt, a two-time PGA Tour winner, explains that "picking a spot is more than just figuring out the distance your ball will release. He reads his chips like he would a putt, adjusting the landing spot for elements like break or grain."
16. Practice Distance Control Drills
Most amateurs practice chipping technique but neglect distance control. Try this progression:
- Practice with ankle-height backswing and follow-through
- Move to knee-height back and through
- Progress to hip-height for longer shots
Do this with multiple clubs to create your personal distance matrix.
17. Include Pressure Practice
Don't just practice in comfortable conditions. Create pressure by:
- Setting up challenges where you must hit within a target zone
- Playing games where missing adds penalty strokes
- Practicing from difficult lies and slopes
As mentioned in Foy Golf Academy research, "incorporating pressure-based drills into your practice sessions" helps you execute when every stroke matters.
🎯 Practice Strategy
- ⭐ Use specific landing spot targets
- ⭐ Practice distance control with multiple clubs
- ⭐ Include pressure-based drills in practice
- ⭐ Work on both technique and course management
Why Does Proper Chipping Matter for Weekend Golfers?
Here's what I've learned after 25 years of weekend golf: you don't need to be big, strong, or have a perfect swing to be a great chipper. Chipping is the great equalizer that can help any of us compete with better players.
The impact on your scores:
- Better chipping takes pressure off your putting
- Solid chips give you easier two-putts
- Good scrambling turns potential double bogeys into pars
- Confidence around the greens improves your entire game
According to PGA Tour statistics, even tour professionals don't average getting within 10 feet from these distances, so don't expect perfection from yourself. The goal is consistency and avoiding the big mistakes that add unnecessary strokes.
Key Takeaways for Better Chipping
After years of struggle and finally finding consistency, here's what matters most:
Setup is everything. Get your stance, ball position, and weight distribution right, and good contact becomes much easier.
Keep it simple. Don't try to be fancy. Focus on solid contact and getting the ball close enough for an easy putt.
Practice with purpose. Work on distance control, not just technique. Know your carry and roll distances with different clubs.
Stay committed. Pick your shot and execute with confidence. Doubt and deceleration kill more chips than poor technique.
Use the right club. Don't automatically reach for your highest-lofted wedge. Sometimes a 7-iron or hybrid is the smart play.
The best part about improving your chipping is that it immediately shows up in your scores. While driving improvements might take months to translate to better rounds, better chipping saves strokes right away.
Now here comes the good part: with these 17 tips in your arsenal, you'll start getting up-and-down more often, putting less pressure on your approach shots, and maybe even impressing your golf buddies with some clutch scrambling.
Frequently Asked Questions About Chipping
What club should I use for most chip shots?
For most weekend golfers, a pitching wedge or gap wedge provides the best balance of height and roll. These clubs produce about a 1:2 ratio of carry to roll, making distance control more predictable. However, match your club selection to the amount of green you have to work with.
How do I stop chunking my chip shots?
Chunking usually happens when you try to help the ball up or have too much weight on your back foot. Keep your weight forward (55-60% on front foot), maintain forward shaft lean, and trust the club's loft to get the ball airborne.
Should I use the same technique for all chip shots?
Yes and no. The basic setup and swing fundamentals should remain consistent, but you'll adjust ball position, club selection, and target based on the specific shot requirements. Consistency in technique with smart adjustments for conditions is the key.
How often should I practice chipping?
Dedicate at least 1-2 hours weekly to chipping practice, focusing on both technique and distance control. Even 15-20 minutes of focused practice can improve your short game significantly if done consistently.
Can I use my putting grip when chipping?
Absolutely! Many golfers find success using their putting grip for chip shots, especially for bump-and-run shots. This can improve feel and consistency, particularly if you're comfortable with your putting stroke.
What's the biggest mistake amateur golfers make when chipping?
The biggest mistake is trying to help the ball into the air by leaning back and using a scooping motion. This leads to chunked shots and poor contact. Trust the loft of your club and focus on hitting down and through the ball.
Related Chipping Resources
Master Your Short Game: Tips for Chipping Around the Green | Short Game Shortcuts for Busy Golfers | Best Putting Drills
Equipment and Practice: Best Golf Training Aids | Golf Practice Routine | Best Golf Mats
Technique Development: How to Stop Chunking Iron Shots | Golf Swing Basics | 7 Putting Stroke Fixes That Work in One Practice Session
Course Management: Course Management | How to Break 90 with Limited Practice Time | 15 Ways to Play Smarter Golf Without Changing Your Swing
Mental Game: Golf Mental Game | Confidence Tricks Used by Single Digit Handicappers | How to Overcome First Tee Nerves
Training Aids: Golf Alignment Sticks | Golf Putting Mat | Golf Impact Bag
