Golf Tips: Understanding your Surroundings When Chipping

This is a common one that I see happen to high school golfers. You need to be aware of where you are in relation to the hole, as hitting above or below the hole will change the roll out when your shot lands.

When you are chipping from well below the hole (think of all those raised greens you have played on, or the grass bunkers you’ve ended up in), a bump and run is definitely not the answer.

In fact, you want that wedge, and you can be more aggressive with it. Sitting below the hole, the ball is going to be in the air less, and its going to roll out less as well. Since the ball is in the air less, it still has more spin than a normal shot, as gravity hasn’t slowed the spin down as much.

A lot of shots that come from underneath the hole end up short. That spin is the reason. You can be more aggressive when you are below the green, moving your landing spot up closer to the hole.

Break out that sand wedge. Break out that 60 degree. This is a shot you can be more aggressive with and try and dunk/splash it right in the hole. If you are confident in your chipping, this is the kind of shot that you should be looking forward to, and able to take advantage of.