A bad chip can turn a simple par into a frustrating double bogey in a blink. Instead of feeling that wave of anxiety over those little shots around the green, this guide will give you a straightforward, repeatable method to chip it close with confidence. We’ll walk through the proper setup, the simple swinging motion, and the secrets to controlling your distances so you can finally start saving strokes and enjoying your short game.
Let's clear this up first. A short chip shot is a low-flying shot that spends minimal time in the air and maximal time rolling on the ground like a putt. Think "less air, more roll." It’s your go-to shot when you’re just off the green, there’s no big obstacle between you and the hole, and you have a decent amount of green to work with.
It's different from a pitch shot, which flies higher in the air, lands more softly, and has less roll. You use a pitch when you have to carry a bunker or rough and stop the ball quickly. The chip is a lower-risk shot designed for simplicity and consistency.
Most amateur golfers struggle with two major chipping faults: the "chunk" and the "thin."
Almost all of these misses come from one single incorrect idea: the belief that you have to help or lift the ball into the air. I see it all the time with new students. They try to scoop the ball with their wrists, tilting their body back to get "under" it. Your golf clubs are designed with loft precisely for this reason - to get the ball airborne. Your only job is to return the clubhead to the ball with a consistent, downward brushing motion. Trust the club. It will do the work for you.
If you take one thing from this article, let it be this: a great chip starts before you even move the club. A proper setup puts you in a position where a good result is almost inevitable. It’s the single most important part of chipping. Let’s build it from the ground up.
Don't automatically grab your sand wedge. The goal of the chip is to get the ball rolling on the green as soon as possible. Different clubs will produce different amounts of carry and roll. Here’s a simple guideline:
Pro Tip: Pick a landing spot on the green that you want your ball to fly to. For longer chips with more green to work with, choose a club that lets you land the ball just a few feet onto the putting surface, then let it roll out the rest of the way.
Your full swing stance is built for power and rotation. Your chipping stance is built for precision and stability.
This is where we eliminate the chunk and the skull for good.
Get into this setup. Now feel it. Your weight is forward, your hands are forward, and the ball is back. From here, it becomes incredibly difficult to try and "scoop" the ball. Your body and hands are already preset for success.
Now that the setup is locked in, the motion itself becomes wonderfully simple. Think of your chipping stroke more like your putting stroke than your full swing. Forget about power, focus on rhythm and flow.
Look down at your arms and shoulders. They form a natural triangle. The goal during the chip is to maintain this triangle. The entire swinging motion should be driven by the gentle rocking of your shoulders, just like a putting stroke. There should be almost no independent action from your wrists or hands. They stay quiet and passive.
As you swing back, the "triangle" moves together as one piece. As you swing through, it moves through together as one piece. You're simply turning your chest away from the target, and then turning it back toward the target. This provides a stable, repeatable, and low-maintenance stroke.
The feeling you’re looking for is a brushing motion. You aren’t trying to dig a crater, you’re simply clipping the grass after you strike the ball. The forward lean in your setup naturally helps you accomplish this.
So, how do you hit the ball 10 paces versus 20 paces?
The secret isn’t to swing harder or faster. The tempo and rhythm of your chipping motion should remain consistent for all shots. Distance is controlled entirely by one thing: the length of your backswing.
Practice this by hitting chips to different targets without changing your pace. Only vary how far you take the club back. You'll be amazed how quickly you develop a feel for distance.
Reading is good, but doing is what builds confidence. Here are two fantastic drills to groove this motion.
1. The Towel Drill. Roll up a small hand towel and place it under the armpit of your trail arm (your right arm for a righty). Your goal is to hit chip shots without letting the towel drop. This forces your arm to stay connected to your body, promoting the "one-piece" rocking motion powered by your chest and shoulders. If you swing with just your arms or get 'flippy' with your wrists, the towel will fall out immediately.
2. The Left-Hand-Only Drill. Take your chipping setup, but then remove your trail hand from the club. Practice hitting short chips with only your lead hand (your left hand for a righty). Because you have less strength, you'll be forced to use your body to move the club. More importantly, it is almost impossible to "flick" your wrist and scoop the ball when swinging with just your lead hand. It beautifully demonstrates what it feels like for the clubhead and your arms/hand to move to the finish together, without the clubhead overtaking your hands.
Mastering the short chip boils down to a solid, repeatable system. Start with a non-negotiable setup: your weight forward, your hands ahead of the ball, and your feet close together. From there, it's just a simple pendulum swing powered by your body's rotation, not your hands or wrists.
On the course, simple systems win the day, but tricky lies in the rough or feeling stuck between club choices can invite doubt. That’s where we designed our app, Caddie AI. It acts as an on-demand course expert in your pocket. If you're ever looking at a chip shot from a bad lie and don’t know the right play, you can snap a photo, and the app will give you a smart recommendation on the best way to handle it, so you can commit to the shot with confidence.
Building a powerful, repeatable golf swing comes down to sequencing the entire motion correctly - from the moment you take the club back until you hold a balanced finish. Getting the chain of events right is the secret to unlocking the effortless power you see in good players. This guide will walk you through each phase of the swing sequence, giving you a clear, step-by-step roadmap to building a more efficient and consistent motion.
Playing your best golf isn’t about discovering a single swing secret or chasing a perfect, tour-level move. It’s about building a simple, repeatable process that you can trust on every shot, whether you’re on the driving range or the 18th tee with everything on the line. This guide will walk you through the essential pillars of consistent golf, from the a fundamental setup to smarter on-course decision-making, giving you a clear path to playing with more confidence and shooting lower scores.
Staring at a scorecard that doesn't reflect your potential is one of golf's biggest frustrations. You know you can play better, but the path to consistently lower scores often feels confusing. This guide skips the quick fixes and gives you a clear roadmap, covering the foundational swing mechanics, on-course strategy, and short game principles that permanently shave strokes off your game.
Every golfer wants to hit the ball farther, and the great news is, you absolutely can. It's not about swinging harder or possessing superhuman strength. This article will break down the essential movements that generate serious power, focusing on the techniques that build more clubhead speed and transfer that speed squarely into the back of the golf ball.
Tension is the silent assassin of the golf swing. One minute you’re feeling confident, and the next, your arms feel like concrete, your tempo gets lightning-fast, and the ball sails off in a direction you never intended. The instinct to hit the ball hard is a powerful one, but it almost always leads to a tight, inefficient swing that robs you of both power and accuracy. This guide will walk you through the practical, feel-based adjustments you can make - from your grip to your finish - to stay loose, create effortless speed, and swing with the fluid rhythm you’ve always wanted.
Getting your child a set of golf clubs that actually fits them is one of the biggest wins you can give them starting out. Handing a kid a club that’s too long, too short, or too heavy can quickly build bad swing habits and turn a fun afternoon into a frustrating chore. This guide will walk you through exactly how to measure your child for clubs, what to look for in a good junior set, and why cutting down your old clubs is a shortcut you should never take.
Just ask a question or share a photo and Caddie gives personalized guidance for every shot - anytime, anywhere.
