Chip it close
Improve your up-and-down percentage by adjusting how you hold the club and focusing more on your landing spot
1
I often see golfers take fairly meaningless practice swings, where they perhaps swing back too far. Some don’t even have a practice swing at all. 2
Take enough intentional practice swings to get a feel for the distance and how the clubhead will interact with the turf through impact.
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The landing area is vitally important, yet all too often overlooked by golfers who focus too much on the flag. Spend some time having a little walk round and a good look before you hit the chip, so you can identify the area where you’d like to land the golf ball in order for it to then release to the flag. 3
Club golfers will often hit chips with their hands right at the top of the grip, as for a full swing. The club is actually at its heaviest then and harder to control, so to gain more control and gauge the distance a little bit better, grip down the golf club more. Don’t be afraid to get almost down to the bottom of the grip, as in the right-hand photo. 5
In practice, placing a towel where you think you need to land the ball with the club you’re using is a great way of focusing your attention on the vital distance control element of chipping. Once you’ve placed the towel down, practise the swing you think is required to land the ball on it. This will really improve your distance control.