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Lesson 3 – Chipping
Chipping can be a very difficult area of the game for learner golfers to grasp. Even though many of these golfers are more than capable of launching the ball 100 yards or more with their full swing, the application of a short swing that moves the ball a controlled distance often causes problems. Stan was no exception!
The positive areas of Stan’s swing
As mentioned in last week’s article, Stan’s short game instincts are very good. When he did strike the ball properly, his directional and distance control were both reasonable and he was able to play some decent shots. However, due to some stubborn tendencies in his set up and action, inconsistency was inevitable and it was only a matter of time before the dreaded ‘top’ made an appearance.
Areas for improvement
If you remember from the first article, there are three things that are non-negotiable if you wish to have consistency in any area of your golf game. You MUST:
*Start your swing from the correct position
*Apply the correct principles at impact
*Finish your swing in the correct position
If we look at Picture 1, Stan has set up to the ball in a very instinctive position. He has placed the ball forward in his stance, dropped his hands behind the ball and placed his weight on the right side. Additionally, throughout the swing, Stan had a tendency to lean back to try and ‘help’ the ball up into the air. All of these things add loft to the club face and, this is a completely logical way to get the ball up into the air. However, as discussed previously, it doesn’t work!
The only way to get the ball up into the air is to strike down onto the back of the ball. Therefore, the initial change we made was to improve Stan’s set up. As you can see from Picture 2, Stan worked hard to get his ball position more central, get his hands (almost!) ahead of the ball and feel a bit more weight on the left side. Each of these changes helped to encourage a more descending blow into the back of the ball which resulted in a more consistent contact and outcome.
As mentioned above, Stan also liked to lean back to try to help the ball into the air which is a sure fire way to destroy your chipping. The second half of our session was spent trying to get Stan to feel his weight finishing towards the target as opposed to away from it. I asked Stan to take his normal stance and then withdraw his right foot so that only his tip toe was touching the ground. This means that 90 per cent-plus of his weight was on his left foot at the start of the swing. This made it impossible for Stan to lean back throughout the swing as he would have fallen over. When he managed to keep the weight on his left side throughout the swing, the contact improved significantly.
Evaluation
This session was a clear example of where ones inability to start from the correct position negatively influences their ability to strike the ball properly. It doesn’t matter how good your technique is, if you do not apply the three ‘non-negotiable’ elements of golf then the outcome will likely be inconsistent. Stan’s instincts in terms of power and direction enabled him to hit some good shots now and again. Once he made a few changes to his set up he became far more consistent. His good shots got better but more importantly, so did the bad ones!
Stan’s verdict: Acceleration and downward pressure on the left hand side were the essentials of the day. The message is slowly starting to sink in ... if only the ball would do likewise!
It’s simplicity itself, the task now is to be more consistent. The more you practice the easier it becomes to identify where and when you are making the mistakes.
