How to Practice Chipping in Golf

A great short game is the fastest path to lower scores, and it all starts with building confidence around the greens. Wasteful shots from just off the putting surface - the flubbed chunk, the skulled liner - are frustrating scorecard killers. This article will give you a clear, repeatable chipping technique and a set of practical drills you can take to the practice green today. Let’s turn that chipping anxiety into a reliable strength.

What is a Chip Shot, Really?

First, let's get our terms right. Golfers often use "chip" and "pitch" interchangeably, but they are fundamentally different shots with different goals. Understanding the distinction is the first step in choosing the right shot and technique.

• A chip shot is a low-flying shot that spends minimal time in the air and maximum time rolling on the green, like a putt. Think of it as a low-trajectory, high-roll shot. You use it when you're close to the green with no obstacles between you and the putting surface.
• A pitch shot is the opposite. It’s a high-trajectory, low-roll shot designed to fly over obstacles (like a bunker or tall grass) and land softly with minimal rollout. It requires a longer, more powerful swing with more wrist action.

For now, we're focusing exclusively on the chip shot - the simple, go-to stroke that will save you countless pars. The philosophy is simple: get the ball onto the green and rolling as quickly as possible. The less time the ball spends in the air, the less room there is for major error.

The Foundational Chipping Technique

Great chipping is built on a solid, repeatable setup and a simple motion. Unlike the full swing, which uses body rotation to generate power, the chip is all about control and precision. We want to remove as many moving parts as possible to create a motion that feels a lot like a firm putting stroke.

The Setup: Building Consistency Before You Swing

Your setup pre-programs the shot for success. Get these four checkpoints right, and you're 90% of the way there.

1. Narrow Your Stance: Stand with your feet much closer together than you would for a full shot, maybe only a couple inches apart. Your feet should be "open" to the target, meaning your left foot (for a righty) is pulled back slightly from the target line. This helps preset your body for the correct impact position.
2. Ball Position to the Back: Play the ball toward the back of your stance, just inside your trail foot (your right foot for a right-hander). This position makes it much easier to strike the ball on a downward angle, which is essential for that clean, crisp contact.
3. Weight Forward: Lean your weight so about 70-80% of it is on your lead foot (your left foot). Importantly, keep it there throughout the entire motion. A common fault is rocking your weight back and forth. By keeping your weight forward, you ensure you hit down on the ball, preventing chunks and thin shots.
4. Hands Ahead: With your weight forward and the ball back, your hands should naturally be well ahead of the clubhead. This forms a straight line from your lead shoulder, down your arm, and into the club shaft. This "forward press" de-lofts the clubface slightly, promoting the low, running trajectory we want.

The Motion: A Simple Pendulum

With the setup dialed in, the swing itself becomes incredibly simple. The goal is to keep the lower body completely still and rock your shoulders back and through, like a pendulum.

Imagine a small triangle formed by your shoulders and arms at address. Your only job during the chipping stroke is to maintain that triangle. There should be little to no wrist hinge and no body turn. The clubhead moves back because your shoulders rock back, and it moves through because your shoulders rock through. That's it.

The length of your backswing controls your distance. For a very short chip, a small rock of the shoulders is enough. For a longer run-out, you'll need a slightly larger rock. The rhythm should be smooth and consistent - never a sudden "hit" at the ball.

Choosing the Right Club: The "Family of Chips"

Too many amateurs use their most lofted wedge (like a Sand or Lob Wedge) for every single chip shot. This forces you to make precise, perfect swings every time to control the distance. A much smarter approach is to use one simple chipping motion and let a "family" of clubs do the work for you.

The concept is simple: your landing spot stays relatively close to you, but changing the club changes the amount the ball rolls out.

• Use a Sand Wedge or Lob Wedge (56°-60°) a when you have very little green to work with and need the ball to stop quickly. This will give you the most airtime and the least roll.
• Use a Pitching Wedge (46°-48°) a when you have a bit more green. Think of it as roughly 50% carry and 50% roll. It's often the most versatile chipping club.
• Use a 9-iron or 8-iron a when you have lots of green between your landing spot and the hole. These clubs will produce a very low initial flight and will roll out a significant distance, almost like a putt from off the green.

Try this exercise: Go to the practice green, pick aspot a few feet onto the putting surface, and try to land every chip on that exact spot. But switch clubs for each shot. Start with your PW, then an 8-iron, then a 6-iron. Watch how differently each ball reacts afterit lands, even though your motion was the same. Learning this will give you an arsenal of shots without complicating your technique.

Practice Drills for Purposeful Improvement

Mindlessly hitting a pile of balls to one flag is not effective practice. You need drills that have a purpose, give you feedback, and simulate on-course pressure. Here are three you can start with.

1. The Landing Zone Towel Drill

This is the most important drill for mastering chipping. Lay a towel (or a headcover) on the green about 5-10 feet away from you. Your one and only goal is to land your ball on that towel. Don't worry about where the ball ends up. This drill forces you to focus on the single most controllable part of a chip shot: the carry distance. By picking a single landing spot and watching how the different clubs roll out from there, you’ll swiftly develop a feel for shot selection.

2. The Around the World Drill

Place five or six balls in a circle at varying distances and lies around a single hole. Your goal isn't just to get them close, it’s to make each chip. Go around the circle and force yourself to hole a chip before you can move to the next "station." This adds a layer of pressure that mimics the feeling of needing to get up and down on the course. You’ll have to adapt to different lies - uphill, downhill, fluffy grass, tight lies - forcing you to adjust your setup and club choice in real-time.

3. The One-Legged Drill

This one is fantastic for rooting out poor technique. Set up normally, then life your trail foot (your right foot for a righty) off the ground and rest it on the toe for balance. Now try to hit chips. If you have any tendency to sway your weight back or make an aggressive, handsy stab at the ball, you will immediately lose your balance. This drill forces you to stay centered an use the simple "rocking" shoulder motion we talked about. It stabilizes your entire action and reinforces the feeling of quiet, lower-body control.

Final Thoughts

Consistent chipping isn’t a magical ability, it’s a skill built on a simple setup and purposeful, objective-based practice. By adopting a go-to technique and using drills that teach distance control and shot selection, you can transform your short game from a liability into a major source of confidence and lower scores.

When you're on the course, a tricky lie or uncertain distance can make it hard to commit to the right shot. That’s why we created our app, Caddie AI. If you're stuck between clubs or facing a chip from heavy rough, you can snap a photo of your ball's lie, and our AI analyzes the situation to give you a smart recommendation on how to play it. It's like having a tour-level caddie in your pocket, taking the guesswork out of your short game so you can swing with confidence.