Poor chipping hurts my game. Last week at Alpine Golf Club in Bangkok I had the great opportunity to golf in a former European golf professional. He saw my bad chips and gave me the following tip. I immediately improved and was able to get up and down more than 50% of the time afterwards. Poor chipping stemmed from my poor technique. Below is the 4 step routine that showed most improvement:
1. I soled my wedge on the ground and raised it on its toe.
2. I stood slightly closer to the ball with my stand slightly narrower than normal.
3. I shifted my weight slightly forward.
4. I took the club back like putting and made a smooth forward stroke.
Chips shots are specialty shots, so when I used my standard setup to chip, I sometime hit it fat and or other times thin. When I adjusted my setup and not only did I eliminate all further bad chips, but I was able to get the ball closer than 5 feet to the hole in all cases. This set me up for some great up-and-down par saves.
Bad chipping used to cost me strokes. Now I don't let it. I am sure every Thai golfer can Improve by following the simple routine explained above. I bet everyone will not only improve their chipping, you they chop a boatload of strokes off their golf handicap and adding even more enjoyment to golf in Thailand.
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