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.
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How to Watch Instructional Videos the Right Way
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.
Focus on One Thing at a Time
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.
Find Instructors Who Explain the "Why"
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.
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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.
Chipping Setup: Built for a Clean Strike
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:
Slightly Narrow Stance: Your feet should be closer together than a full swing, about the width of your shoulders or slightly less. This discourages swaying.
Ball Back in Stance: Position the ball toward your back foot. This makes it easier to hit down on the ball, ensuring a crisp, ball-first contact.
Weight Forward: Lean about 60-70% of your weight onto your front foot and keep it there throughout the stroke. This, combined with the ball position, is the ultimate secret to eliminate fat and thin chip shots.
Hands Ahead: Press your hands slightly forward, so the shaft of the club is leaning toward the target. Your hands and arms should form a little triangle with your shoulders.
The Motion: Be a Pendulum, Not a Flipper
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.
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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.
Your Bunker Setup
Good bunker play is all about the setup. This is where watching a video in slow motion can be incredibly helpful.
Dig Your Feet In: Get a stable base by shuffling your feet into the sand. This also lowers your center of gravity.
Open the Clubface: Lay the face of your sand wedge wide open so the sole of the club (the "bounce") is exposed. Do this before you take your grip. If you open it after, your hands will just return it to square at impact.
Aim Left: An open face wants to send the ball to the right. To compensate, aim your feet, hips, and shoulders to the left of your target.
The Swing: Make a full backswing, just like a pitch shot, hinging your wrists. The absolute cardinal rule is to accelerate through the sand. Decelerating is what causes the club to dig and the ball to stay in the bunker. Swing with speed and discipline, splashing the sand a couple of inches behind the ball onto the green.
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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.
Final Thoughts
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 provide the same expert-level advice you’d get from a top coach - right when you need it.
Spencer has been playing golf since he was a kid and has spent a lifetime chasing improvement. With over a decade of experience building successful tech products, he combined his love for golf and startups to create Caddie AI - the world's best AI golf app. Giving everyone an expert level coach in your pocket, available 24/7. Caddie's mission is simple: make world-class golf advice accessible to everyone, anytime.
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