Posted on: 26 April
5 key points to spinning your chip shots.
One of the questions I get asked most is “how to add spin to chip shots?”.
The first thing to remember with chipping – ALWAYS take the simplest option. If you can putt or bump and run the ball to the hole then do that. However, sometimes you find yourself in a difficult situation and spinning the ball is required.
Getting spin on a chip shot is tricky but not impossible master.
Below are my 5 keys to executing this shot. Practice these key aspects and you will have the confidence to start using this shot on the course.
- The Lie – You need to have a clean and reasonably flat lie. If the ball is in the rough or on a downhill lie forget about spinning the ball.
- The club – You will need a 60 or 56 degree wedge. A club with less loft will not allow the spin to take effect. Also sharp, clean grooves are essential. A wedge that is older than 5 years will have grooves that are starting to wear out. Titleist’s research has “found at 75 rounds of golf you might lose up to 1,000 RPM of spin, and that can result in almost double the rollout”.
- The ball – To ensure you can play this shot you need to use a premium ball, such as a Titliest Pro V. A premium ball has asofter cover (urethane) which allows for a higher spin rate as opposed to the cheaper, harder more durable surlyn covered balls.
- The Set Up – To more easily impart spin on your chip shotyou need to strike the ball at the low point of your swing and the low point must be consistent. To do this you need a good setup. Start with a narrow stance, weight slightly on your front foot (around 60%) and keep your arms relaxed so when you swing the club you brush along the top of the grass.
- Quiet wrists –When chipping, the most common fault of amateurs is that they tend to use too much wrist action, flipping the club and trying to lift the ball in the air. All this does is generate too much clubhead speed and inconsistent contact with the ground. Instead, minimise any wrist movement, let your chest and arms rotate through impact and this will keep your hands ahead of the clubhead meaning your wrists and clubhead cannot flip and release at impact. This will also help to keep the face and grooves nice and square at impact.
The last part to mastering the spinning chip shot is practice. And then practice some more!!! You will need to spend time working on your technique; building confidence before you start using this shot on the course.
If you would like help mastering this shot as well as mastering other shots to improve your scoring then book a lesson at michaellonggolf.com