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I was flipping through the TV the other day and came across some golf highlights. Naturally, I stopped to take a look. What I saw surprised me. It was a tour professional committing the same mistake from a greenside bunker which amateurs are notorious for, and that was taking a big, long swing from a plugged lie.

It was pretty clear that this shot was shown because it was a blooper. It was. The ball went about two feet and rolled back to where the pro was standing. I wish I could have had a chat with this guy before he took the shot.

When your ball is buried (fried egg) in the bunker, you do not want to swing super long and follow through. The idea is to pick your sand wedge up abruptly, swing down steep, stick your club in the sand, and leave it there. What will happen is your ball will pop out. It won't have any spin on it because of the lie, but the chance of it getting out of the sand are much better than if you were to follow through.

Why is this so...? You want a very steep angle of attack and no follow through on this shot because it allows for the club to get more underneath the ball. With some of the ball resting below the surface, you need to compensate to get underneath it. That is where a short, steep, punchy type of swing works best.

A typical bunker shot calls for an open stance, an open clubface, and a nice shallow swing while taking a little bit of sand. That will not work with a plugged lie, regardless of how hard you swing. Your club will be approaching from too shallow an angle. You will hit the sand to the RIGHT of the ball, instead of hitting the sand UNDERNEATH the ball. Thus, your club will just bounce, or deflect into the ball. Worse yet, you will plow too much sand into the back of ball and it will go nowhere, just like the pro I saw on TV. You need to get below the ball somehow.

Here's what I recommend from a buried lie in a greenside bunker:

Set up with a bit squarer stance.
Square the clubface a bit also. This will allow for the leading edge to enter the sand first.
Pick the club up steeper, and then swing down steeper and stick the club in the ground. Hit about 1-3 inches behind the ball. You can swing hard, just don't follow through. You won't be able to follow through if you make the correct swing, because you will be coming down too steep. That's good!
This is not a shot that you will face a lot, but I still think it is worth practicing. Go to a practice trap and step on a couple balls to bury them a little. Then hit some shots. Experiment a bit. Especially get the feeling of that up and down "chopping" motion, and that no follow through release. By doing so, you will find that this shot is not really that hard to get out of the bunker.

As published on
http://www.golflink.com/golf-tips/tips/sullivan016.asp

Labels: Chipping

BEST TIP: Let left arm control club with little
wrist action.

Choke down on the club an inch or two for chips.

Use a narrow, open stance. Open the clubface and keep it
square to the target.

Use the same basic swing for a chip and pitch.

For chips, stand tall and raise your hands to get the heel of
the club up and the toe down. This promotes crisp shots.

Play ball off right foot, angle shaft toward target, open
stance, let shoulders control swing, keep left arm against
left side, let clubhead swing to left of target after impact.

Don't rush the downswing.

Make sure the shaft is leaning toward the target at impact.

To avoid hitting chips and pitches fat:

• don't sole the club at address.



• use an open, narrow stance.



• keep arms connected to chest and rotate body rather than
  sliding hips laterally and jabbing at the ball with your hands.



• focus eyes on front of ball, with weight on front foot and
  wrists ahead of ball at impact.



• be sure to make a complete follow-through.

Use arm and shoulder swing, not hands, for short chips.

Let gravity do most of the work on downswing.

Let left arm control club throughout swing with little wrist
action.

Play ball back in stance with hands and weight towards
target.

For high pitches, start downswing with legs.

Open stance, square shoulders. Club should go straight
back and through. Rock (like a clothes hanger on a hook),
don't turn shoulders. Let arms drop to start downswing.
Use a light grip.

Clubhead should trail, not lead, hands and wrists at impact.

Use inside out swingpath and be sure to pivot.

To avoid "scooping" chips and pitches, keep wrists ahead
of ball at impact.

In pitches, ball and shaft should be centered and weight
should be divided evenly.

For distance control, don't let right hand take control of
clubhead speed.

Control the distance on short shots by limiting your
backswing.

To avoid thin chips, don't try to help the ball into the air.

Use a low running shot when conditions permit for more
control.

For a low running chip, use a very narrow stance, play ball
off right foot, keep hands ahead of ball, and swing straight
back and through with firm hands. Keep your hands low at
the finish.

For a short, pop chip, use an open and narrow stance, an
open clubface, play the ball in the middle, hit ball from out to
in. Don't flip wrists.

When chipping, keep butt of club pointed at belt buckle.

For short shots, move feet closer together and take shallow
divots.

Keep lower body still on short chips just off the green.

For long chips, keep lower body relaxed and let it react
naturally to actions of arms and upper body. Start
downswing by shifting knees toward target.


To improve your rhythm, make your backswing and forward
swing equal in length.

As published on:

http://www.tomsgolftips.com/chipsandpitches.html

Labels: Chipping

Chipping from the rough is a challenge. The problem is the tall grass: it wraps itself around the club and twists it at impact. But making this chip from the rough can turn two strokes into one, so if you're serious about lowering your handicap, you must master this shot.


Before the swing, here are some steps you take to properly position yourself for the chip shot:

Move the ball forward in your stance.

Move your hands down the club and grip it firmer than usual.

Shift your hands and body slightly forward.


If you're dealing with a long chip shot, plan for more roll.

During the swing:
Hinge your wrists to produce a steeper swing than normal.
Hit the ball with a slightly downward blow, brushing the grass after impact.
Focus on swinging through the ball, since the grass will prevent your club from doing so.


If the grass is really thick, play the chip like a greenside bunker shot. Open your stance and clubface at address, causing the ball to come out higher, but with less roll. Now swing away, focusing on allowing the clubhead to come through the ball, as before.


To practice this shot, place a ball on the fringe of the green where the grass is longer than an inch. Instead of hitting the ball, practice just sweeping the tips of the grass. Use a low sweeping motion, employing just your arms and shoulders. After ten sweeps, address the ball and chip it, using the same motion. Now, place the ball in higher grass and repeat the sequence.


Chipping from the rough isn't easy. But executing the shot correctly gets you out of trouble, creates makeable putts, and cuts strokes from your score-all while building confidence in your game and lowering your handicap.

As published on:
http://www.golftipssite.net/Article/Chipping-from-the-Rough/49

Labels: Chipping

Description: A chip shot is played where you are lying so close to green that you can neither lift the ball nor you can go with a putter. Try out these tips and see good results yourself!


Many people confuse the term chipping with pitching, but in fact, they are two different shots. A chip shot is played where you are lying so close to green that you can neither lift the ball nor you can go with a putter. So a chip is a "type of" putt with an iron.

For chipping, you require to choose the club very carefully. The most important thing is to pick up a point where you want your first bounce of the ball. Depending on the type of green and slope, apply enough power to get the ball to the point you marked in your mind. That's all what good chipping is all about.


One very important thing about chipping is that do not limit yourself to just one club for chipping. Vary your clubs as required in different circumstances. Most of the golfers like to use 7- or 8-iron for this purpose but this just limits their choices as far as playing a chip shot is concerned. Try out 5-iron and you will see very good results as well.

As published on:
http://www.dublinevents.com/dublin-golf/Tips-tricks.php

Labels: Chipping