Shaving strokes off your score almost always starts around the greens, and you’ve likely spent hours watching golf videos that promise a quick fix. Watching is one thing, improving is another. This article will guide you on how to turn that screen time into real, tangible progress by teaching you what to look for, how to practice it, and how to finally make those lessons stick and lower your handicap.
Opening YouTube and typing "how to chip better" is a recipe for disaster. You’re met with thousands of videos, often with conflicting advice. Your brain scrambles to apply five different tips at once, and you wind up more confused than when you started. A smarter approach is needed.
The single biggest mistake golfers make when learning from videos is trying to fix everything at once. They watch a 10-minute video with four amazing tips and try to implement all four on the next shot. It never works.
Instead, become a selective learner. Watch a video and pull out just one single concept. Maybe it’s keeping your weight forward on a chip. Maybe it’s hinging your wrists on a pitch shot. Go to the practice green and work on only that one thing. Commit to it for an entire practice session. Once it starts to feel natural, you can move on to the next piece. Building a short game is like building with LEGOs - you do it one brick at a time.
There’s a huge difference between a coach who says, “Put your weight on your front foot,” and one who says, “Put your weight on your front foot so that you can guarantee a downward strike on the ball, preventing chunks and skulls.” The second one gives you a deeper understanding. When you know *why* you’re doing something, it’s easier to remember, self-diagnose, and feel when you’re doing it correctly. Seek out videos where the coach explains the cause and effect behind the mechanics.
Chipping is the foundation of a sharp short game. The goal is simple: create a repeatable, low-risk motion that gets the ball on the green and running toward the hole. Most bad chipping comes from excess, unnecessary movement, usually with the hands and wrists.
A good chipping setup pre-sets a clean impact. If you watch the best chippers, you’ll notice a consistent setup that almost guarantees success:
The chipping motion is a simple, rocking motion of your shoulders. Think of it like a putting stroke, but with a lofted club. The goal here is to keep that triangle you formed at address intact throughout the stroke. Your torso turns slightly back and slightly through, and the arms and club just go along for the ride. There is very little, if any, independent wrist movement.
The "flipping" motion - where your wrists break down and try to scoop the ball into the air - is the number one killer of consistency. Remember, the loft of the club is designed to get the ball airborne. You don’t need to help it. Just rock your shoulders and let contact happen.
A pitch shot is different from a chip. It flies higher, travels farther through the air, and requires a little more body rotation and speed. This is where many amateurs struggle, chunking it a few feet or blading it over the green. Control here comes from understanding how to add a bit more engine to your swing.
The setup for a pitch is a "bigger" version of the chip setup. Your stance will be a bit wider to provide a more stable base, and the ball will be more toward the center of your stance, not as far back as a chip. Your weight should still favor your front foot, but perhaps more 55/45 than 70/30. This setup allows for a bigger arc and more body turn.
Unlike the "no wrists" feel of a chip, a pitch shot introduces a gentle hinging of the wrists on the backswing. This is a critical power source. As your torso rotates back, you allow the wrists to set the club. It's not an aggressive or forced hinge, it’s a natural reaction to the momentum of the clubhead swinging back.
When you watch videos of pros, pay close attention to how much they hinge for different distances. This is a brilliant way to build a system for distance control. Practice a "system" with three distinct backswing lengths to create three different yardages:
Practice these three shots until you know exactly how far each one goes. This replaces guesswork with a reliable system.
Fear is the main emotion most golfers feel in a greenside bunker. But once you understand the technique, it can be one of the easiest shots in golf. The lightbulb moment for every golfer is this: you don't hit the ball. You hit the sand. The sand then throws the ball out onto the green.
Good bunker play is all about the setup. This is where watching a video in slow motion can be incredibly helpful.
Watching all the videos in the world won’t help if you can’t tell whether you’re actually doing what the pro is demonstrating. This is where your phone becomes your most powerful coaching tool.
Prop your phone up on a golf bag or tripod and record yourself practicing. Set it up from a "down-the-line" view (from behind, looking at the target) and a "face-on" view (directly in front of you). Then, compare your video side-by-side with the instructional video. Suddenly, you'll see it: "Oh, my weight is still on my back foot." or "Wow, I really am flipping my wrists at the ball."
This reality check is the missing link for most golfers. What you feel is happening and what is really happening are often two different things. Your camera doesn't lie. This simple act of filming, watching, and comparing is the fastest way to bridge the gap between knowing what to do and actually doing it.
Improving your short game through videos requires a proactive, mindful approach. Ditch the passive scrolling and become an active student by focusing on one concept at a time, practicing deliberately, and using your phone to give yourself honest feedback. This methodical process turns online instruction into on-course results.
Once you’ve started to drill a new feel, questions are bound to pop up. You might wonder if you're set up correctly for a tricky downhill lie or how to adapt a chipping technique when the ball is sitting in thick rough. That’s exactly why we built Caddie AI. Our app gives you an AI golf coach in your pocket, ready 24/7 to answer those specific questions, analyze a photo of your lie, and give you the same expert-level advice you’d get from a top coach - right when you need it.
Thinking about hosting a golf tournament fundraiser is the first swing, executing it successfully is what gets the ball in the hole. This guide will walk you through the entire process, step-by-step, from laying the initial groundwork months in advance to watching your happy golfers tee off. We’ll cover everything from securing sponsors and setting your budget to planning the on-course fun that makes an event unforgettable.
A golf handicap does more than just give you bragging rights (or a reason to demand strokes from your friends) - it’s the game’s great equalizer and the single best way to track your improvement. This guide breaks down what a handicap is, how the supportive math behind a handicap index a is, and exactly how you can get one for yourself. We’ll look at everything from Course Rating to Adjusted Gross Score, helping you feel confident both on the course and in the clubhouse.
The compression of a Pinnacle Rush golf ball is one of its most defining features, engineered specifically to help a huge swath of golfers get more distance and enjoyment from their game. We'll break down exactly what its low compression means, who it's for, and how you can use that knowledge to shoot lower scores.
Figuring out which spikes go into your new (or old) pair of Puma golf shoes can feel like a puzzle, but it’s much simpler than you think. The key isn't the brand of the shoe, but the type of receptacle system they use. This guide will walk you through exactly how to identify your Puma's spike system, choose the perfect replacements for your game, and change them out like a pro.
The Golf Genius app is one of the best tools for managing and participating in competitive golf events, but figuring it out for the first time can feel like reading a new set of greens. This guide cuts through the confusion and shows you exactly how to use the app as a player. We’ll cover everything from logging into your tournament and entering scores to checking the live leaderboard so you can enjoy the competition without any tech headaches.
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