[LillyPlay]

This could be cross posted but really want everyones perspective, not just the pro. the one area of my game that i struggle with the most is chipping. Since I have gotten my new stix I have tried to find one club to use the majority of the time around the green (changing for certain circumstances as needed). I have chosen my 50* (thoughts?). I really want to develop a chip shot that checks up. Right now no matter if I try to hit it low with an abbreviated follow through or higher I still get a lot of run and no real bite. How do you get more spin/check around the green.

[NEronchik]

What ball do you use?

[pimbertiemoft]

Descending blow, clean lie, urethane ball, and good technique all play a part.

I know it looks cool, but you will see just as many guys on tour hitting chip shots without much wrist cock and rolling the ball out because the ball is more predictable on the ground. When you introduce a lot of spin it can easily cause the ball to go left or right instead of straight.

[WebDocMan]

well, some shots will only have so much spin. But the backbone for any spin is always, acceleration through the ball and ball first contact.

[agiopwer]

I've actually been working on this shot for the past couple months, and every now and again I can pull it off.

First suggestion: Don't use the 50* wedge. Use the 56*, maybe even the 60*. I have found that I can make the 58* take one bounce and stop, while the 54* takes a bounce or two and then releases a couple feet.

Second suggestion: try to keep your arms and wrists as relaxed as possible through the swing. The more I tried to force the club and "nip" the ball, the less spin I would get. Instead of swinging hard at impact, think about swinging smoothly (almost too slowly) back and through and accelerating right before impact. By taking a more relaxed swing and holding the finish low, I am able to generate a pretty good amount of spin.

The feeling that I have is that I hinge my wrists almost immediately at takeaway, and I barely take the club back (for about a 20-25 yard shot). I then take a relaxed downswing and only think about accelerating (but not forcing the club) through impact. If I catch the ball properly, the flight is very low, the ball takes a hop and then either stops completely or rolls out a few inches.

I'm still working on refining the shot, but I've found that it's a great way to significantly reduce roll without using a flop shot. It's a much more controlled shot than a flop, IMO.

Good luck.

[Ruiptuptubre]

I agree with Hawk on this one. Concerning the additional rollout in the original post....I have both a 50 and a 54. I get much more rollout with the 50 than the 54 so the 54 is basically used for everything around the greens as I have become really good at controlling distance and spin with it.

I would encourage you to try it with the 54 as you will get a bit more loft out of it and less roll. If playing a shot that you want that roll, that's when the 50 comes back into use.

[WebDocMan]

I've actually been working on this shot for the past couple months, and every now and again I can pull it off.

First suggestion: Don't use the 50* wedge. Use the 56*, maybe even the 60*. I have found that I can make the 58* take one bounce and stop, while the 54* takes a bounce or two and then releases a couple feet.

Second suggestion: try to keep your arms and wrists as relaxed as possible through the swing. The more I tried to force the club and "nip" the ball, the less spin I would get. Instead of swinging hard at impact, think about swinging smoothly (almost too slowly) back and through and accelerating right before impact. By taking a more relaxed swing and holding the finish low, I am able to generate a pretty good amount of spin.

The feeling that I have is that I hinge my wrists almost immediately at takeaway, and I barely take the club back (for about a 20-25 yard shot). I then take a relaxed downswing and only think about accelerating (but not forcing the club) through impact. If I catch the ball properly, the flight is very low, the ball takes a hop and then either stops completely or rolls out a few inches.

I'm still working on refining the shot, but I've found that it's a great way to significantly reduce roll without using a flop shot. It's a much more controlled shot than a flop, IMO.

Good luck.

That's interesting. It's the opposite as to what Phil Mickelson says. Not that he is right, but just interesting.

[TRASIAOREXOLA]

Chipping tends to be one of my strong points, but I take a very different approach than this. My goal tends to be to get the ball rolling on the green as soon as possible. The only time I want to get my chip shots to check up at all is on downhill shots--if the lie is bad this may not even be possible. To get the chip to check up you need to hit firmly down on/through the ball which makes it a risky approach to the shot. A shot where the ball is going to check is really more of a pitch or lob than a chip. To check, the ball will need to be a multi-layer urethane type--not a distance ball.

When I approach a chip shot, I look at the percentage of rough/fringe I need to carry compared to the amount of green I have to get to the pin. Figure a lob wedge will carry about 70% and roll 30%; sand wedge 60/40; PW 50/50; 9i 40/60; 8i 35/65; 7i 30/70 and so on. The actual percentages will vary based on loft of your set and green speed and should be figured more precisely with practice around the putting green.

To get really close or chip in, it is very important to read the green from the landing area to the pin (and beyond). Once you have your read, make a few practice strokes to figure the right length to land in the right spot, then set the ball back in your stance, your weight mostly on your front foot, and keep your wrists fairly firm.

[LillyPlay]

Thanks for all the advice. Interesting on the ball note. I have never really cared about ball choice until this year and played rocks. My last few rounds I have played the Hex Blacks (thanks Ernie) and have been very happy with it. When I went out the first time I was really excited to see if I got more bite on my chips only to find it basically the same..So it really is technique/club related for me.

[NicolasOL]

I have a question for the OP. why predetermine what club you will use around the green. The fact that you are looking for more spin suggest to me that you need to use various clubs for various shots.
But to create more spin, move the ball back in your stance and put a cut descending blow. It will come out hot, check and roll out.

[pimbertiemoft]

Yea, the ball alone won't do it. You have strike it pretty firm to generate that much spin from a short distance. Honestly, that's the last thing I think about when chipping. I just want the ball close to the hole and could care less if it spins or not. Pitch shots are different because I'm trying to hit a specific distance. Even then, I'm not spinning the crap out of the ball.

[LillyPlay]

I have a question for the OP. why predetermine what club you will use around the green. The fact that you are looking for more spin suggest to me that you need to use various clubs for various shots.
But to create more spin, move the ball back in your stance and put a cut descending blow. It will come out hot, check and roll out.

Mainly to find a club I can be consistent and confident with.

[NEronchik]

Yea, the ball alone won't do it. You have strike it pretty firm to generate that much spin from a short distance. Honestly, that's the last thing I think about when chipping. I just want the ball close to the hole and could care less if it spins or not. Pitch shots are different because I'm trying to hit a specific distance. Even then, I'm not spinning the crap out of the ball.

I was not trying to say that the ball alone will make all the difference. Typically when someone asks me how I put that much spin on the ball and they can't do it, it almost always is the first thing I ask them. With that said, I don't chip very often. If I am close enough to the green I will almost always putt the ball. If I am in rough and can't putt, I will lay open a 60* and hit more of a pitch shot. Anything inside 30 yards I will use my 60* about 90% of the time. On a rare occasion I will hit a 50* or a PW if the shot requires me to land the ball short of the green and have it roll on.

[pimbertiemoft]

I was not trying to say that the ball alone will make all the difference. Typically when someone asks me how I put that much spin on the ball and they can't do it, it almost always is the first thing I ask them. With that said, I don't chip very often. If I am close enough to the green I will almost always putt the ball. If I am in rough and can't putt, I will lay open a 60* and hit more of a pitch shot. Anything inside 30 yards I will use my 60* about 90% of the time. On a rare occasion I will hit a 50* or a PW if the shot requires me to land the ball short of the green and have it roll on.

No worries Tbox. I wasn't referencing your post. I was referencing his post below.

Thanks for all the advice. Interesting on the ball note. I have never really cared about ball choice until this year and played rocks. My last few rounds I have played the Hex Blacks (thanks Ernie) and have been very happy with it. When I went out the first time I was really excited to see if I got more bite on my chips only to find it basically the same..So it really is technique/club related for me.

[Clielldub]

Personally, I think predetermining which club you are going to use will limit the variety of shots you can play. I would say that you should assess what the lie is, how much green you have to work with, is it downhill/uphill, carry distance, etc., THEN decide on which club you want to hit.

However to answer your question, getting spin on the ball requires descending blow through the impact zone. Think of it as if you have a golf ball just sitting on your desk/table,etc. Put your finger on the top of the ball and press down hard as you move your finger back towards yourself. The ball will shoot out and have backspin on it. The harder you push down on the ball the more backspin it will generate. The same idea applies to the golf swing.

[regfortruegoo]

My keys to generating spin:
Proper technique
Clean contact
urethane ball
fresh grooves

In my experience, spin is really cool when you can't really put that much spin on the ball, but when you start generating a bunch of spin, it can become really annoying. A ball that releases on the green has a much higher change of going in the hole than a ball that hops and stops or one that hits and then comes back at ya.

[NicolasOL]

Mainly to find a club I can be consistent and confident with.

Become good with all your scoring wedges. Learn what each is capable of doing. I honestly think these indecision around the greens attribute to higher scores. Knowing what club to hit is just as import as know how to hit it. If you 180 out you don't hit your 150 club because you're comfortable. The same holds true around the greens.

[NEronchik]

Become good with all your scoring wedges. Learn what each is capable of doing. I honestly think these indecision around the greens attribute to higher scores. Knowing what club to hit is just as import as know how to hit it. If you 180 out you don't hit your 150 club because you're comfortable. The same holds true around the greens.

I'm not disagreeing with you, but there are instructors out there who swear by the "find one club and stick with it technique". I personally only use my 60* around greens and seem to do fine with it. I have learned how to hit all kinds of shots with it. I have and will hit other clubs around greens, but not that often.

[loginptsa]

I'm not disagreeing with you, but there are instructors out there who swear by the "find one club and stick with it technique". I personally only use my 60* around greens and seem to do fine with it. I have learned how to hit all kinds of shots with it. I have and will hit other clubs around greens, but not that often.

I'm pretty much the same. I wear out my 56˚ around the green. I will pull out lower lofts for long chips from time to time, but I mostly stick to the 56.

As for the OP, I'd rather get the ball rolling on chip shots these days. Found that there's a much better chance of it going where you want if it's rolling earlier. For me at least. I've chipped in a bunch of shots this way over the last year. Once you start talking about longer shots, sure I like a little check as it allows you to be more aggressive.

[LillyPlay]

Yeah. I am talking about longer shots...say far side of green. My issue is I have a somewhat hard time judging roll on these long (say 15-30 yard shots) and if I try and flight the ball farther towards the hole I often find it releasing and rolling through the green.