Golf Tip: Don’t Be Afraid To Use A “Chipper”
By Pete Kelbel
Our latest golf tip explains the benefits of using a “chipper” when you find yourself around the edge of the green.
Using a “chipper” is a good idea for a lot of people. A chipper looks like a putter and you use a putting stroke to hit the ball. You use this club when you are just off the green and sometimes for longer shots where the fairway is clipped tight so the ball can roll.
The chipper usually has about 37 degrees of loft. Many 7 irons have about the same amount of loft. With this loft, I find that the ball likes to travel about 20% in the air and then land on the green before it rolls the remaining 80% to the hole.
Again, you can use your putting stroke with a chipper in your hands. Use the “slide rule” to help make decisions on how far back to take the back stroke and how far forward to take the forward stroke.
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As you might remember if you read that previous article linked just above, I refer to the slide rule to help gauge the distance of your putts.
For example, a very short putt would be one inch back and two inches forward. A medium putt would be 5 inches back and 6 inches forward. A long putt might be 11 inches back and 12 inches forward. It’s a good idea to come up with a slide rule for your chipper as well.
When you use a chipper and land it off of the green, the ratios are not as predictable as the softer landing. This means it will take some experimentation to gauge just how far in front of the green you need to land it.
I suggest using the chipper mainly for shots that land just off the green where 20% of the way to the hole (on a flat shot) is safely landing on the green. The 80% roll afterward is then more predicatable. Of course, you have to adjust landing it a little before the 20% spot for downhill sloping greens and a little more than 20% on uphill greens.
Since the stroke with a chipper is just like a putt, less can go wrong as you are using less wrist action and the club face does not rotate much at all to hit shots off line.
Next: Golf Tips: Hit A Fade When The Shot Calls For It
The ball is just barely ahead of the middle of your feet and your hands are in the middle as if putting. If you’re having problems with spraying your chips, try a chipper!