Short Game
Golf Chipping Guide: Technique, Club Selection, and 4 Drills
The chip shot is the single most important stroke in amateur golf — statistically, you hit more chips per round than drivers, and an extra up-and-down saves more strokes than hitting one more fairway. Yet most beginners never work on it. This guide covers the complete chipping system: setup, technique, club selection by situation, the three mistakes that ruin most chips, and four drills that fix them fast.
Club Selection Guide
Match your club to the shot — the lower the loft, the more the ball runs and the easier the distance control. Use this table to pick the right tool before you step in:
| Situation | Club | Landing Zone | Roll |
|---|
| Fringe, 20+ ft of green |
7–8 Iron |
¼ of the way |
3:1 roll |
| Short rough, moderate green |
Pitching / Gap Wedge |
⅓ of the way |
2:1 roll |
| Rough, tight to pin |
Sand Wedge (54–56°) |
½ of the way |
1:1 roll |
| Over bunker / tight pin |
Lob Wedge (58–60°) |
⅔+ of the way |
Minimal roll |
How to Chip: 4 Steps
1
Choose your club based on how much green you have to work with. The more green between you and the hole, the lower-lofted club you should use so the ball can run out. With 20+ feet of green, reach for a 7-iron or 8-iron. With just a few feet of green, use a gap or lob wedge. Most beginners default to a lob wedge for every chip — this is the single biggest mistake in the short game.
2
Set up with feet close together (6–8 inches apart), ball positioned in the back third of your stance, and 60–70% of your weight on your lead foot. Keep your hands slightly ahead of the ball at address. This forward-pressed setup pre-sets the impact position you want to return to — it builds in a descending blow so the club hits ball-then-turf instead of grass-then-ball.
3
Make a putting-style stroke with quiet hands. The "dead-hands" method means your wrists stay firm throughout — the motion comes from your shoulders rocking, not from any wrist flip or scoop. The club face should have a slight downward angle at impact. Let the loft of the club do the lifting work. If your hands feel like they are pushing the ball forward rather than flicking it up, you have the right feel.
4
Before you swing, pick a specific landing spot on the green — not the hole, a spot. For a low-lofted club (7-iron), aim to land the ball about one-quarter of the way between you and the hole and let it run. For a wedge, aim one-third of the way. Your focus is getting that first bounce in the right spot on the smooth green surface. Once you pick the spot, commit to it and let the ball roll the rest of the way.
3 Common Chipping Mistakes (and How to Fix Them)
Scooping (Wrist Flip at Impact)
Symptom: The ball pops up weakly, goes fat or thin, and distance is wildly inconsistent. The shot feels like you are trying to "help" the ball get airborne. Your trail wrist bends back and lead wrist cups through the hitting zone.
Fix: Set up with your hands forward (handle leaning toward target). Practice hitting chips with your trail hand only — a single-handed chip forces the wrist to stay firm. Once you feel the correct motion, reintroduce the lead hand while maintaining that flat-wrist feel through impact.
Ball Too Far Forward / Weight on Trail Foot
Symptom: Consistent fat shots (club hits ground before ball) or bladed shots (club catches equator of ball). Ball position in middle or front of stance with weight centered or back causes the club to bottom out behind the ball.
Fix: Move the ball to the back third of your stance and shift 65% of weight to the lead foot at address — then keep it there. Do not let your weight shift during the stroke. Think: lead knee stays over lead foot through impact.
Looking Up Before Contact
Symptom: You lift your head to watch the shot, which raises your entire spine and causes a skull or thin. The ball flies low and fast across the green, usually well past the hole. Especially common on chip shots to tight pins where the anxiety to see the result is highest.
Fix: Focus on a spot on the ground in front of the ball (your intended contact spot) and keep your eyes there until you hear the ball land on the green. Train this by placing a quarter under the ball — your goal is to hear the coin hit the club, not to watch the ball flight.
4 Drills to Improve Chipping Fast
Dead Hands Drill
Setup: Grip down to the bottom of the grip so only a couple inches remain. Chip 10 balls with just shoulder motion — no wrist movement allowed. If you scoop, you will immediately feel it because the shortened grip exaggerates any hand action.
Focus: Trains the correct "dead-hands" chipping feel where the body rocks the club, not the wrists. After 10 balls with short grip, switch to normal grip and try to replicate the same feel. Most players see instant contact improvement.
Towel Under Lead Arm Drill
Setup: Tuck a small towel or headcover under your lead arm (between arm and chest). Hit 10 chip shots. The towel should stay in place throughout the stroke.
Focus: Keeps the lead arm connected to the body, which is the anatomical key to a proper chipping motion. If the towel drops before impact, your arm is disconnecting and you are likely flipping. This drill also prevents the chicken-wing follow-through.
3-Ball Landing Spot Drill
Setup: Place a tee in the ground 3–4 feet onto the green as your landing spot. Chip 10 balls, alternating between three clubs (7-iron, gap wedge, lob wedge) from the same starting position.
Focus: Teaches you to aim at a landing spot rather than the hole. You will quickly see how different clubs affect how far the ball rolls out from the same landing zone. This is the fastest way to build club-selection instinct for chipping.
Chip vs Putt Comparison Game
Setup: Drop a ball 10 feet off the green on short fringe. Chip it and note where it finishes relative to the hole. Now putt a ball from the same spot (if the lie allows). Compare results over 10 attempts each.
Focus: Most beginners discover that when a putter is legal and feasible, it beats chipping by a large margin. This drill removes the bias toward always reaching for a wedge and helps you recognize when putting from off the green is the smarter play.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is chipping in golf?
Chipping is a low-trajectory short-game shot played from just off the green, designed to land the ball on the putting surface and let it roll toward the hole like a putt. A chip travels mostly in the air (roughly 20–40%) and mostly on the ground (60–80%). This makes it different from a pitch shot, which has a higher flight and less roll. The goal of a chip is to get "up-and-down" — meaning one chip and one putt for par or bogey.
What is the best club to chip with?
The best club to chip with is the lowest-lofted club that will still clear any fringe or rough between you and the green. On bare fringe with lots of green, a 7-iron or 8-iron gives you a low, controllable shot that rolls like a putt. In light rough with moderate green, a pitching wedge or gap wedge is ideal. A lob wedge (58–60°) should only be used when you need height quickly — like chipping over a bunker or to a tight pin. The biggest beginner error is using a lob wedge for everything.
Why do I skull (thin) my chip shots?
Skulling means the leading edge of the club hits the equator of the ball instead of the back of it, sending the ball rocketing low across the green. It is caused almost exclusively by one of two things: (1) trying to scoop the ball up with your wrists so it gets airborne, or (2) weight shifting back to your trail foot at impact. Both create a rising club head that catches the middle of the ball. Fix: keep weight forward, keep hands ahead of the club head at impact, and trust the loft to lift the ball.
How do I stop scooping my chips?
Scooping happens when you flip your wrists through impact in an attempt to help the ball get airborne. The result is fat, thin, or chunked chips. To stop scooping: (1) Set up with the handle of the club leaning forward (hands ahead of ball). (2) Grip the club slightly more firmly in your lead hand. (3) As you swing through, make sure your lead wrist stays flat or slightly bowed — not cupped — at impact. The drill that cures this fastest: place a tee in the butt end of the grip, and on your follow-through make sure the tee points away from your body (not into your lead wrist).
What is the difference between a chip and a pitch shot?
A chip is a low-running shot where the ball spends more time on the ground than in the air. A pitch is a higher, softer shot where the ball spends more time in the air and stops quickly after landing. Chips use less-lofted clubs and minimal wrist action. Pitches use wedges (especially lob or sand wedge) with a fuller, more hinged wrist motion. The choice depends on distance to the pin and obstacles: if you have a lot of green to work with and no bunkers in the way, chip it. If you must carry something and stop quickly, pitch it.
Should I use a lob wedge for chipping?
Only when you genuinely need a high, soft shot — for example, when chipping over a bunker to a close pin, or from thick rough where a lower-lofted club would not slide through cleanly. For most chips from short grass or fringe with open green ahead, the lob wedge is the wrong tool. It is harder to control, more susceptible to skulled or fat shots, and the high trajectory makes distance control unpredictable. Think of the lob wedge as a specialist — use it for specific situations, not as your default.
How do I chip from a tight lie?
Tight lies (bare dirt, hard fairway, closely mown fringe) require precision because there is no cushion under the ball. Key adjustments: (1) Lower your hands slightly at address to flatten the shaft angle. (2) Use a square or slightly open face — do not close the face. (3) Make a shallower, brushing stroke rather than a steep descending blow. Many players find a bump-and-run with a 7-iron more reliable from tight lies than any wedge, because the shallower angle of attack is more forgiving on hard surfaces. Avoid high-loft clubs from tight lies unless you are very comfortable with them.
How much time should I spend practicing chipping?
Short-game statistics show that roughly 60–65% of golf shots occur within 100 yards of the hole — and chipping is a major component. Most amateurs get the biggest score improvement from short-game practice, not from hitting more drivers. Even 15 minutes of chipping practice before a round — focusing on picking a landing spot and varying club selection — produces measurable improvements in up-and-down percentage. If you have limited practice time, split it 60% short game and 40% everything else.