As the video begins, our golf coaches, Andy and Ian, discuss the importance of chipping consistency and contact in improving your short game over the weekend. They’re stationed at the picturesque Aspria on the 5th green in Shropshire, England, where they’re about to address a common problem among golfers.
At around 30 seconds into the video, they read a question from John Galloway who, like many golfers, struggles with hitting chip shots too high in the air and gaining little distance. To improve the ball flight and avoid leaving chip shots short, they recommend taking advantage of the ample green and aiming for a rolling movement towards the hole.
At the 53-second mark, they pinpoint one of the major issues causing high chip shots: too much loft. This happens when the shaft leans back, causing the ball to rise steeply and then drop, reducing its distance.
Starting from around 1:17 in the video, the coaches introduce two solutions. The first involves adjusting the shaft to lean more forward, and the second includes promoting a more downward hit. They suggest placing an alignment stick about half a grip length away from the golf ball, just outside the trail foot. This setup encourages an upward and downward motion, giving you a steeper angle of attack.
Further into the video, at 1:42, they introduce a drill called “chip to hip”. This drill involves swinging so that the butt end of the club points at the hip during the follow-through. It’s a crucial tip for preventing the club from releasing too early and adding excessive loft.
Combining the two techniques – the steepness encouraged by the alignment stick and the chip-to-hip method – helps keep the loft off the club. The result is a ball that comes out lower, offering more consistent ball striking. This advice will be especially helpful for golfers who often see their ball bounce off target due to excessive loft.
The coaches conclude the tutorial at 2:34, reminding viewers to get involved and post their questions for the next video. They encourage a serious focus on improving the short game over the winter, pointing viewers towards their “Chip like the Pros” video series on the Me and My Golf website.
This tutorial underscores the significance of chipping consistency in golf and offers actionable advice for players struggling with gaining distance on their chip shots. By integrating these techniques into your game, you can expect to see the ball coming out lower and rolling toward the hole more consistently.