Pigamingi: How to save par by chipping the ball into the hole

France's Gary Stal in action during Barclays Kenya Open at Muthaiga Golf Club on Saturday, March 24, 2018. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

 

The chip-in is the most satisfying shot in golf.  No argument about that. It’s a two-for-one shot; you do not need a putter on that hole.

The most iconic chip was unquestionably Tom Watson’s at the second last hole of the 1982 US Open, which followed by a birdie on the last hole, helped him beat Jack Nicklaus and win.

In a previous article, we discussed the merits of the chip and why it is a must for every golfer to learn it. Most golfers confuse the chip with a pitch, or use the two names interchangeably, but they are different.

In very general terms, both are abbreviated versions of the full golf swing; both are played inside about 100 yards, with wedges or high lofted clubs, with the left leg loaded throughout, and at a slow, almost lazy, speed of the hands.

Their most visible difference is that the pitch flies high but travels only a short distance, then comes to a dead stop on the green. It might even spin back a bit.

A chip, on the other hand, is a low-flier with little backspin; the ball rolls much more before coming to a stop. On long chips, the ball rolls on the green and breaks like a putt.

The pitch is completed with almost the entire body weight on the left foot, while the chip requires less weight transfer.

During execution, the backswing in the pitch has the arms rotating from 6am to no more than the horizontal position, 9 o’clock. The backswing on the chip starts farther back, 5am, and the backswing ends at 7am.

Three typical mistakes

The chip is thus almost a mini-punch. It offers more control and will get the ball closer to the hole than a pitch since it is played from a closer distance.

While the chip offers a high potential for getting the ball in the hole, a lot of golfers are sometimes scared of it due to the possibility of making three typical mistakes. 

The commonest one is the chili dip where the leading edge digs into the ground behind the ball, and gets snagged, slowing it down such that solid contact with the ball is not made. The ball advances just a few inches leaving the golfer cursing sotto voce.

The other error is blading the ball across the green, probably into the bunker or water hazard, on the other side. The third error is the simple shank. Yes, it is very simple to shank a chip.

How is the chip executed? 
The basic chip requires some forward planning. Know your golf clubs, their different lofts, and their inherent carry-to-roll ratios. Lower lofted clubs obviously produce lower trajectories, lower spins and hence more roll. The reverse is also true.

Start by picking out a point on the green where you would like to land the ball. That depends on the direction the ball will be coming from and the break after it rolls like a putt thereafter.

Compare the distance to this point, and the distance from that point to the hole. This ratio will determine the club you will use.

Start with a proper setup. From a standing position, with the ball on the ground smack in the middle between your feet, narrow the width between the feet to about the width of your chest at the armpits, with the weight evenly balanced on both feet.

Flare the left foot to the left a bit. Grip the club as in a regular swing, but lightly, the two arms and the shaft to form an upper case capital letter, “Y”.

Just as in a regular swing, bend your torso forward at the hips, and squat slightly since you are using a short club. Next, shuffle both feet left in order to shift your entire body one ball width to the right, such that the golf ball is now slight on the right, while retaining the grip position at your zip.

Bodyweight to the left, please

This results in the shaft leaning slightly to the left, while the two straight arms and the shaft form a lower case letter “y” due to the small amount of cocking the wrists required.

Next, shift the body weight to the left, by rotating the left leg to the left and pushing the right knee towards the inside of the left knee, while retaining your head at the same ball position above the ball. You achieve the latter by lifting or appearing to lift your right heel an almost imperceptible quarter inch.  Aim for a 60:40 weight distribution.

Nathan Kimsey gets both ball and soil air-borne during Kenya Open Golf Ltd PRO-AM tee-off at Muthaiga Golf. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

Execute the backswing by rotating your shoulders, while holding the rest of the body steady and retaining the letter “y” shape, the relation formed by your two arms and club shaft. Let the shoulders carry the arms, without any forced attempt to help them by cocking the wrist.

I will repeat that: retain the letter “y” as the body turns, do not cock the wrists any further than it was at setup. Breaking the cock is how 80 per cent of chips go awry.

As the shaft heads towards 7am or 8am, depending on the length of the intended shot, you will feel your hips straining to turn around. Let them turn but maintain the tension, but do not step down on the right heel. Keep the majority of the weight on the left foot.

Unwind your torso 

For the downswing, unwind your torso by rotating your shoulders to the left, the shoulders carry the arms, without breaking the letter “y” and unwind your hips. Keep those wrists solid. 

As with the backswing, do not break the letter “y” during the downswing, do not uncock your wrists, and do not  flip your wrists trying to scoop the ball up. That is the worst and biggest reason mistakes in chipping happen, yet the high club loft has already taken care of popping the ball up. Uncocking the wrists causes chili dips and blading the ball, kagego, as they call it.

The right heel will attempt to rise as your hips unwind on the downswing. Let it happen naturally, do no stop it or force it. But you must keep your eyes at the same old position. Moving your eyes, head or body causes shanking.

if all the above is done right, the result is that you will be hitting down on the ball by turning your shoulders, arms and golf club as one piece, in an effortless downward-and-forward application of the clubhead weight on and behind the ball without you having to uncock.

'Parfect'

After impact, let the club travel flat along the ground. Due to the retained letter “y”, the final club position is no higher than 8pm with have the clubface facing upwards. Perfect!

Try this at the practice chipping green. Get the feel of the chipping motions first, the set-up, weight distribution, the one-piece arm and shoulder motion.

Notice how the ball pops up due to club loft, without being helped by scooping, while retaining that letter “y” relations.

Once you get the motions right, work on the carry-to-roll ratios later. For longer shots, lengthen your backswing and turn your hip a bit harder and faster. Or use a less lofted, longer club.

For the better golfer, other factors like ball type, and speed of the green will become important but get the basic chip motion right first, then deal with those finer details later.

Chipping from tall greenside rough requires a high loft wedge, and is extremely difficult due to the risk of the clubhead getting caught up in the grass. Some golfers have figured a way around that too: they use high lofted woods or hybrid/rescues club. 7 and 9-woods are the best.

To execute the shot, the clubhead is simply slid flat along the grass. Due to the wide sole of the wood, the club slides on the top of the grass, finds the ball, and the ball pops due to the high loft.

If you are the kind of golfer whose approach shots seem to get repelled by the green, good chipping get you close for a single put, and help you save your par or boggie, for a point or two. Enjoy your golf; keep it in the short grass.

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