Chip v. Pitch

"Why didn't that check?" 

"Awe...Release, I can't believe that stayed there?" 

Odds are these golfers are using poor technique but even if they had the ability to execute perfectly why impart spin and bring in an unnecessary variable? Struggles around the green are agonizing, setting aside putting woes for a later article the following essay defines a chip shot, pitch, the application of each, and why all amateurs should eliminate spin from their short game vocabulary.

Pitch- a shot executed from a distance that requires less than a full swing with the golfers most lofted club, the carry distance exceeds length of roll. The Phil-flop is a pitch, bunker shots are pitches from the sand, and 60 yard bitting wedges are pitches; when hitting pitch shots the golfer must gage spin, hang time, and distance to execute a shot.

Chip - a shot played from off the green where the golfer attempts to land the ball on the green (typically) with little or no backspin allowing the ball to roll out to the hole. To hit predictable chips the golfer must determine how much speed he/she wishes to impart on the ball. 

On the PGA Tours the chip shot has become an extinct animal. Pros opt to hit 56* and 60* wedges from just off the green, spinning pitch shots within inches of the hole. The reason the pros have gone to this method and you shouldn't is simple: Pros make pro contact 9 out of 10 times and they struggle to take spin off the ball, playing to their strengths they teach themselves to control spin. The pros natural gift for impact is further rewarded by greens that run at 12 and above unlike the public courses the majority of golfers play. Amatures rarely struggle with over spinning most get excited watching a wedge suck back 20 feet away from their intended target. 

The typical golfer is best served by getting the ball rolling ASAP, the shot that accomplishes this is a chip. Chips can be preformed with any iron in the bag and do not require any change in technique. As a teaching pro I taught short game using the "hinge and hold" method

once mastered it offers great versatility but today I view the method as antiquated and cumbersome. In How to Perfect Your Golf Swing Jimmy Ballard instructs students to maintain the connection of arms to the shoulders and make a small swing, Tiger Woods recently echoed this method “I have to change everything. It's the whole release pattern…how I release the putter, how I release the short game, how I release irons, drivers, they are all related. You just can't have one swing and not have another; they are all interrelated". Chipping in place of pitching eliminates the need to learn a new swing pattern, the golfer must only learn the effect of loft on roll, once understood the chipper merely adjusts to lie and green speed.

Preforming a chip

Set up - Stand tall with your feet narrow. The buttons on your shirt should be on the target side of the ball along with your hands

Stroke - Make a mini full swing; the key is everything must move feet, hips, shoulders, arms, back and through. You may only be moving the club head 30 inches but you must not freeze up any of your muscles.

Selecting a club - Loft reduces speed, so select a club that will allow you to propel the ball at your desired speed, getting the ball rolling ASAP.

Learning the technique - When practicing take one club more than you feel would be sufficient this allows you to develop touch. 

Adjusting to green speed: If you have ever played bocce ball then you are well aware that your mind can find the right speed.