Chipping
Chipping is a short shot played from just off the green. A small swing gets the ball rolling on the green quickly so it can run to the hole.
In golf, chipping is a low-trajectory, running shot usually played from just off the green. That can be the fringe, rough, or bare ground close to the putting surface. The basic goal of a chip is to land the ball on the green as quickly as possible, minimizing time in the air. Then it rolls like a putt to the hole. This low-fly, long-roll trajectory reduces the cost of imperfect distance control. The rolling phase on the green is more predictable than the airborne phase. Chip shots use a short, compact arm swing with minimal body rotation and a consistent, accelerating stroke.
The key principle of chipping is to land it on the green and let it roll. The landing spot is chosen first, usually 3–6 feet onto the green so the ball can transition from fringe to green surface. Then a club is selected to produce the right fly-to-roll ratio for the remaining distance to the hole. A lower-lofted club (7 or 8 iron) flies less and rolls more. It suits situations where the pin is far from the edge of the green. A higher-lofted club (gap wedge, sand wedge) flies more and rolls less. It suits tight pins with little green to work with.
Good chipping requires consistent ball-then-turf (or ball-then-mat) contact. That demands a slightly descending blow and forward shaft lean at impact. The same scooping tendencies that cause fat and thin full shots cause the same problems in chipping. There is less margin for error because the distances are so small. Chipping technique is often simplified with the instruction "set it and forget it": preset forward shaft lean and preset weight on the lead side. Then make a rocking motion with the shoulders that maintains these preset positions through impact.
For instant chipping improvement: set up with 70% of your weight on your lead foot and your hands slightly ahead of the ball (preset shaft lean), and make a simple rocking motion with your shoulders — no wrist break, no weight shift, no body turn. This preset-and-rock method eliminates most chipping errors for beginners immediately.
Develop a personal fly-to-roll ratio table for your key clubs: using your pitching wedge, 8-iron, and 6-iron, chip the same shot (say 30 feet of total distance) and measure how far each lands and how far it rolls. Write these ratios down. Now you have a course-specific reference: "PW = 1/3 fly 2/3 roll, 8i = 1/4 fly 3/4 roll" etc. — this converts club selection from guesswork to calculation.
Example
A chip from 10 feet off the green with a 9-iron lands a yard onto the green and rolls 12 feet to the hole. The "chip and run" using the ground as a tool.
How it shows up on video
From a face-on camera angle, proper chipping shows the hands preset slightly ahead of the ball at address and maintained in this position through impact — shaft lean forward throughout. The motion appears as a compact rocking of the arms and shoulders with minimal body rotation or weight shift. A flip or scoop shows the lead wrist breaking down and the hands falling behind the ball at impact. From a down-the-line angle, the chip swing plane is slightly more upright than a full swing, and the club tracks on a consistent inside-square-inside path without the full swing plane characteristics.
Common mistakes
- Trying to "scoop" the chip into the air. The ball should be compressed along the ground (contact turf just after the ball) and the loft of the club does the lifting. Scooping produces uneven contact — sometimes fat, sometimes thin — and removes spin and distance control.
- Using the same club for every chip regardless of situation. A single-club chipping approach ignores the fly-to-roll ratio that should match the specific pin location and available green. A versatile chipper adjusts club selection to the situation.
- Allowing the trail wrist to "collapse" through impact — the trail wrist should maintain slight backward bend through the chip strike. When it collapses and the trail hand flips past the lead hand, the result is a scoop or flip that costs consistency.
- Not practicing from actual grass and rough conditions — chipping from perfect mats does not simulate the variable lie conditions on the course. Practice from actual grass, rough, and tight lies to build the contact consistency required on the course.
In SwingVantage Motion Lab
Motion Lab reads a chip from your body once you pick pitch/chip. Its shot-type read can tell a chip from a pitch by the size of the motion, with wrist hinge described in words. It also reads head stability and how far your hips slide. It does not read shaft lean or the lead wrist at impact.
Related terms
- PitchingPitching is a mid-range short-game shot, usually from 30–100 yards, that carries the ball most of the way to the target. It uses a descending blow and controlled spin.
- Chip-and-RunA chip-and-run is a low, bouncing chip that gets on the green fast and rolls toward the hole. It is the safest choice when there is room between the ball and the green edge.
- Bump-and-RunA bump-and-run is a low chip that lands on the green just past the fringe and rolls to the hole like a putt. It uses the fringe and green to deliver the ball.
- Green ReadingGreen reading is judging a green's slope, grain, and speed. The goal is to predict how much, and which way, a putt will curve from its starting line.
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