Chipping and pitching are those scoring shots close to and around the green that save you strokes. Getting a tough pitch or chip up and down (U&D) for a par can keep a good round going. Or they can deprive you of not getting what should be an easy one up and down can sink a round.
Chips are the shots just off the green, usually in and on the fringe, where the grass is closely mown and you are just dropping the ball on the green and running it out like a putt most of the way to the hole. Chips are usually hit with almost any club from the sand wedge thru the 7 iron. But in extra long and uphill chips I have seen, and used myself, the 6 thru 4 iron. Pitching is when the ball is farther away, usually 30 yards or less, and is in the fairway or rough and the shot requires some loft to carry a short distance to land on the green, then roll out to the hole. Pitch shots are usually played with the sand wedges and sometimes the gap or pitching wedge.
On the PGA Tour they call the chipping and pitching game 'Scrambling.' The present leader in scrambling is guess who?
1. Tiger Woods thru 64 rounds'¦'¦'¦'¦68.16%
2. Steve Stricker thru 81rounds'¦'¦…..68.46%
3. Matt Kuchar thru 82 rounds'¦'¦'¦'¦65.91%
Tiger is awesome and is a wizard around the greens. He is considered one of the best putters, if not the best, as is Steve Stricker. I am sure you probably thought their percentage would be much higher. Tiger's U&D is 68.16% leading Stricker by .30% in a close race although one could say Stricker is at a disadvantage as he has had a lot more U&D's, having played 17 more rounds. The big factor for the pros is that they play under much more severe conditions than most of us as the rough around the greens is much higher and thicker than most of us ever play out of and the greens are super fast.
Chipping and pitching are like putting and involve good setup and swing technique to develop touch and feel, which everyone can do. They both are basically the same type of shot, played from the same setup. The ball is played in the center of the stance. The weight is moved left (for right handers) to the forward foot with as much as seventy percent on the front foot and leg. The stance is very narrow and open to allow the arms to swing freely through impact as there will not be a weight transfer. The narrow stance is because we want the body to move very little and the swing is mostly arms similar to putting where the club head 'NEVER PASSES' the hands.
The shoulders and hands form a triangle and the swing is basically the triangle. A little shoulder turn swings the arms back and thru. Many players feel the chip shot is similar to the putting stroke. The backswing, like putting, and all shots, should be short back and longer in the follow through down the aiming line. The # 1 key is that the forward arm and shaft MUST STAY STRAIGHT with the forward WRISTS NEVER BREAKING. The club head must NEVER PASS the hands!
If you are chunking chip and pitches to thinning and even skulling them low, like a bullet across the green, the problem is likely your forward wrist is breaking and the club head is passing the hands. Let's look at two simple training aids that can help and one of them is likely in your pocket on the course.
The pocket training aid is a 'TEE.' Place a tee in the hole in the top of the grip. We are now calling the tee in the grip the needle on the gas gauge of your car. When addressing a chip or pitch your forward arm is the FULL side of the gauge and your left is the empty side. The key is to make sure when you hit a chip or pitch that you keep your gas gauge needle 'ALWAYS ON FULL.'
The training aid I like best is easy to get and is inexpensive. It is a bicycle flag one of those skinny plastic poles that are super flexible and have and bright orange flag on top. These poles are thin enough to stick down the little hole in the top of your grip. You cut the pole to around 3 feet, so one flag will give you two shaft extensions. I have found the best thing to do to make sticking the pole into the grip quite easy is to shave one end down to a point. I have done it just scrapping it on the driveway or brick wall. If you have a file or grinder, those work in a snap. Some teachers and players have cut the grip cap off a chipping club and stick a broken shaft down the club like we are doing with the bicycle pole. I don't like this method and in fact recommend not using it as this makes the club way too heavy, bulky and difficult to swing, all of which will make developing touch and feel difficult.
With the pole stuck down the shaft a foot or so, the rest is sticking out the end of the grip. The point of this training aid is that when you address the ball to chip and pitch, the pole is an extension of the club and is directly under your lead arm. The key is that when you swing and keep your forward arm and wrist straight and the head does not pass the hands, the stick stays under your arm and moves 'AWAY' from your torso with the arm and club. If the wrist breaks down when the club passes your hands, the shaft now begins to point back at you, the stick gently slaps you on the side of your rib cage. You will also usually hear the stick click when it hits the inside of the shaft. This training aid is awesome because there is nothing better than the feedback feeling and hearing to know if you did it correctly or not, coupled with seeing a good chip or pitch.
Use these two drills to master your chipping and pitching. Keep your stats and set your goal to beat Tiger's number 1 scrambling percentage on Tour.
The Surge!