Ever watch a pro stiff a chip an inch from the cup and wonder, what club did they just hit? The camera rarely shows it, but the answer is the secret to a great short game. This article will show you exactly what clubs the pros use for chipping and, more importantly, teach you their thought process so you can start choosing the right club for your own shots around the green.
First, let's get one thing straight: there is no single, magical chipping club that pros use for every shot. While you might have a favorite go-to club, like a trusty 56-degree sand wedge, professional golfers think of their wedges and short irons as a full set of tools and know precisely when to use a wrench, a screwdriver, or a sledgehammer. Their choice is 100% dependent on the situation they face.
The goal of any chip shot is simple: get the ball onto the green and rolling like a putt as quickly as possible. The club they choose is just the tool that achieves this outcome most predictably for a given lie and pin location. Learning to think like a pro means expanding your own toolkit beyond just one club and understanding the 'why' behind each choice.
For the vast majority of chips, a pro is going to be choosing between their primary wedges. Each one has a different loft, which directly influences how high the ball flies and how much it rolls out upon landing.
This is the highest-lofted club in a pro's bag, and it's a specialty tool used for specific situations. Because of its extreme loft, the lob wedge produces a shot that goes very high, lands very softly, and stops very quickly with minimal roll.
If a pro has a "standard" chipping club, the 56-degree sand wedge is it. It offers a perfect blend of loft for carry and enough rollout to be predictable. Its design often features a wider sole and more "bounce," which helps it glide through sand and thicker grass without digging into the ground.
When the shot calls for less air time and more ground time, pros reach for their gap wedge or pitching wedge. These clubs have less loft, which means the ball comes out lower, hits the green sooner, and rolls out much more than the higher-lofted wedges.
Here's where you can really start making smarter decisions and shaving strokes off your score. Tour pros are masters of the "bump and run," and they often use even lower-lofted clubs, like a 9-iron or even an 8-iron, for certain chips.
The idea is to take the most direct path to getting the ball on the green and acting like a putt. The lower the loft of the club, the less it will be affected by an inconsistent lie, and the truer it will roll. This is the ultimate low-risk shot.
Choosing the right club isn't a guess, it's a calculation. Here is the process a pro goes through in the 30 seconds before they hit a chip shot. Start using this yourself, and you'll see immediate improvement.
The ball's lie is the first and most important factor. Where and how the ball is sitting dictates everything.
Look at the ground between your ball and the edge of the green. Do you need to carry the ball over a bunker, a sprinkler head, or rough terrain? If so, you need a club with enough loft to fly over the obstacle - a sand wedge or lob wedge.
This is the step most amateurs skip. Do not look at the hole. Instead, pick the safest, flattest spot on the green where you want your ball to land. Your goal is simply to hit your chosen landing spot.
From your landing spot, how will the ball behave? Is it uphill to the hole? If so, you'll need more rollout (use a PW or 9-iron). Is the green sloping away from you and running fast? If so, you need minimal rollout (use a LW or SW).
Once you've done the math, you'll know the answer. A tight lie, an uphill green, and a back pin mean bring out the 8-iron. A fluffy lie to a tucked pin over a bunker means it has to be the lob wedge. Now, all that's left is to make a confident stroke with the club that the shot dictates.
Mastering the short game doesn't come from discovering one secret club. It comes from understanding that the answer to "what club do pros chip with?" is "whichever one the situation demands." By learning to assess your lie, picking a smart landing spot, and understanding how different lofts affect carry and roll, you can move from being a one-dimensional chipper to a versatile short-game strategist.
The key is replacing uncertainty with a clear plan. When you're standing over a tricky shot and indecision creeps in, having on-demand guidance can be a major confidence booster. This is why we designed our Caddie AI to help - you can take a picture of your ball's lie, tell the app the situation, and get an instant, expert recommendation on the best way to play the shot. By removing the guesswork, Caddie lets you fully commit to your choice and swing with the self-assurance of a pro.
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