Anyone who has spent a fair amount of time playing golf is probably well aware of the fact that there is no such thing as a perfect shot. The same holds true for chips, putts, anything really. There are beautiful shots, all kinds of beautiful things in golf, but not perfect. More importantly there is no one perfect golf swing.
Golf is not a one size fits all sport. What may be very close to sublime for one player may be marginal for another and the required mental clarity for one player may be too much time to think for another. Golf is an individual sport for a reason; it is comprised of individuals who all have different strengths and weaknesses. If you want to know the perfect swing for chip shots you've come to the wrong place. And if you find someone who claims to be able to give you the magic formula, they really have no idea what they are talking about either.
The real beauty of golf for me is that it's a thinking man or woman's game. Golf is won and lost based on club selection and making the best possible shot with the right club. With chip shots your club selection is very important. Your primary goal, of course, is to get your ball onto the green. Secondly, your goal is to get the ball as close to the hole as possible. You absolutely under no circumstances want to hit the ball over the green or have the ball roll of the backside of the green.
The higher the loft of your club the less likely the ball is to roll after it has landed. Now everyone hits the ball a little differently but a general rule of thumb is that a pitching wedge will have around a 50-degree pitch and will roll around 15 yards once it lands. A sand wedge will have a 55-degree pitch and roll about 10 yards upon landing, and a lob wedge will have a 60-degree pitch and roll about 5 yards when it lands. Of course these are assuming certain conditions such as a well-played shot, normal wind conditions, and some degree of competency on the part of the hitter.
Of course what you really need to do is find a driving range that has a pitching green and practice pitching from different distances and with different clubs. See how your landings are affected by the strength of your hit and how you are holding your club. Your game is always affected by a great variety of environmental factors in addition to how well your skills are progressing as you learn how to better play the game.
Learning your strengths and weaknesses with wedges and iron is the best favor you can do for yourself in the process of perfecting your chip shot and improving your golf game. Spend hours upon hours practicing these shots and you should find that you will soon be able to estimate where your shot will land and how far it will roll as soon as you hit the ball.
Golf Swing Follow Through
We have now covered six of the seven steps in My Seven Step Swing Check List, The Grip, The Set Up, The Waggle, The Backswing, Tempo, The Downswing and now the last step, but especially not the least in importance, is the Follow Thru or Finish. All the steps are important but if the follow thru is not done correctly it can negate the proper execution of the other steps of the swing. As the downswing is approaching impact with the golf ball make sure the acceleration of the club remains constant. This will be accomplished with acquiring a good tempo with your golf swing. Also on the downswing, as discussed in the last writing, continue the path of the club through the ball on a slight inside to out path and aim at the one o'clock spot as suggested. As you continue thru the hitting zone after impact keep the club as low as possible on this line and head should remain behind the ball. The hips should continue opening to the target,( about 3/4 or more at this point ) and the weight should continue to shift onto your left side. If the follow thru is executed correctly the club and your arms will form a line pointing at or slightly right of the target line and both will be near parallel to the ground as your right shoulder starts to pass under your chin. The hands should pronate (turn over) to the left just after the club passes thru the impact zone. If you turn the hands over too quickly you may hook or draw the ball too for left and not achieve the result you were looking for. This is the part of the swing that takes practice and experience to master. Once you get the timing down you will almost always be successful if you execute the rest of the steps correctly. TIP: If you are consistently slicing the ball to the right side you may want to consciously turn your hands over to the left as you reach impact, which should help correct this problem. Another cause of slicing the ball to the right is not finishing the swing by staying on your right side and not letting the right foot come up onto the toe ( See info noted below regarding swing finish ). Note: This post is directed to the right handed golfer and should be reversed for the left handed player.
As your swing continues and your right shoulder is passing under your chin the head can start to come up but the spine angle should remain intact as long as possible as you finish the swing. Your hips should now be almost fully open and perpindicular to and facing your intended target. NOTE: Another key move at this part of the swing, that is lacking in most beginners and even some seasoned players, is that they stay on their right foot and never finish the golf swing. This means that the weight shift was never completed and the hips never rotated properly, thus causing lack of both distance and accuracy.
The proper execution of the follow thru would include the right foot pivoting up onto the toe ( which would mean that the weight transfer from right to left was complete ), the torso would be facing the target and the entire body would form some resemblance to a reverse C if you viewed it from a side perspective. The club would be wrapped around your neck and shoulders and this pose should be maintained until the ball lands in the fairway or on the green. Holding this position will help promote the proper swing finish by making it part of your muscle memory which will translate to a more accurate and repetitive finish to your golf swing.
We have covered My Seven Step Check List for the Golf Swing and I hope it will be a help to your game. Some useful tips to remember and practice at the range and on the course are as follows: 1) Tee the ball at the proper height ( approx. 1/2 of the diameter of the golf ball should be above the top of the driver as it lays at rest on the ground ) Keep your left arm straight 3) Keep body and head upright so chin does not interfere with shoulder turn 4) Make sure you finish shoulder turn and back faces target 5) Make sure wrist cocks back properly and club is pointing back at target 6) Keep the head behind the ball for majority of swing sequence 7) Pronate the hands just after impact - Note: The pronation will happen naturally if you accelerate thru the impact area and follow thru correctly Make sure the right foot comes up on the toe at the finish and hold that position until the ball lands. 9) ?Relax? your body and mind thru out your entire swing and you will have a much better chance at success than with a tense body and a busy mind. Take a deep breath and try to clear your thoughts from your mind as much as possible. Your Golf Game will improve with practice and experience. Keep the faith. Happy Golfing To all!
Both Edward Charkow & Mike D'auria are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Edward Charkow has sinced written about articles on various topics from Information Technology, Jewelry and Culture. Edward Charkow is the administrator for Golf Swing Analyze. For more information please visit: http://www.golfswing-analyze.com. Edward Charkow's top article generates over 4090000 views. Bookmark Edward Charkow to your Favourites.
Mike D'auria has sinced written about articles on various topics from . My name is Mike and I grew up in the Canarsie section of Brooklyn. I now live in Sayreville, N. J. and enjoy playing golf every chance I get. I started golfing after I sustained a severe hamstring injury playing softball and have never looked back. Visit-. Mike D'auria's top article . Bookmark Mike D'auria to your Favourites.
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