chipping and pitching

“T here are a lot of guys who are a bit nervous chipping off short grass. And Augusta exposes that lack of confidence. I’ve seen guys chipping from everywhere Monday through Wednesday, but come Thursday, they get their putters out.” . . . “Anyone who has that steep ‘swing left’ action has a problem with the chipping. Graeme McDowell does that. So does Westwood. And Kaymer. That tendency to swing through impact with the hands in front of the club, it’s no good for chipping. The leading edge of the club is exposed to the ground before it gets to the ball. So they’re prone to stick the club in the ground. And when you do that often enough, it’s in your head.” . . . “Bad chippers get found out by the precision required around the greens at Augusta. You get away with nothing.” . . . “Jason Day and Stricker chip with very little hinge motion. That works well from the tight lies you get at Augusta. Maybe that action isn’t the best when a flop shot is called for from a really tight lie, but you can get by.” . . . “You can putt from nearly everywhere. The fairways are cut so close, so you don’t have to chip. Everyone plays ‘Scottish golf’ around the greens. All of which helps the bad chipper. Which is why Lee Westwood has had some success.” . . . “The grass around the greens is actually a little longer than it used to be, so the run-offs are not as long. I suspect that’s to stop guys from putting from just about anywhere. They want you to chip, albeit from lies that are not quite as tight as they used to be.”