How To Chip in Golf — A Beginner’s Guide

Golf is a great sport to make your new hobby. You can take it at your own pace, play with friends or alone, and it doesn’t have to break the bank. If you’ve just started your golf journey, you have lots to learn - you’re going to love it.

Perfecting the chip is a surefire way to lower your overall score and increase your confidence in the sport. In our opinion, it’s one of the best places to start.

So, read on to find out everything you need to know about how to chip in golf.

What’s the Best Way To Chip in Golf?

While a lot of it is down to personal preference, we've covered the two most common ways to chip in golf, along with some advantages and disadvantages to help make your decision. Our advice? Try both and see which you prefer.

One Club Chipping

While it used to be the case that most golfers would use many different types of clubs to chip, there was a shift in pattern around 15 years ago. Since then, it’s been the favorite of most players - both professional and amateur - to use one club.

Using only one club means simplifying the club selection as well as making the math a little easier as well. There are, of course, disadvantages as well. Let's get into them below.

Advantages

• Easier and quicker to get comfortable with just one
• Much more straightforward to calculate the loft
• It's easier to perfect the chip with one club than to learn to perfect it with many

Disadvantages

• It's harder to control the loft if only limited to using one club
• More risk of hitting fat or thin shots
• Also harder to judge the roll-outs

Chipping with Your Wedges 

Alternatively, you can choose to chip with your wedges. This way, you'll have variety and choice, which means you can cater the club to the situation at hand. Theoretically, you’ll have a higher chance of success.

If you’re choosing from wedges, you’ll need to choose between using the leading edge or the bounce techniques. Here are some points to consider:

Advantages

• More choices than using only one club
• You can learn the leading-edge technique quickly
• You don't have to have perfected the bounce technique to be successful with it

Disadvantages

• It will take more time to perfect the chip if you're learning with more than one club
• You'll have to learn several techniques instead of just one

So, How Should You Chip a Golf Ball as a Beginner?

1. Be In Proper Posture

If you’re just starting with golf, this is the number one rule no matter what you’re doing: get your posture right.

How to do it? Bend over at the hip and then let your arms hang. They should be directly under your shoulders. That way, you’ll be in the perfect position to start swinging.

2. Hit the Ball Down to Make it Go Up

It might sound wrong, but trust us, this is how to do it. In order to get the ball up in the air, you’ll have to hit down. In fact, the more you try and get it in the air using any other method, the more likely you are to fail.

Remember to keep your body turned towards where your target is. This advice is a tried and tested piece of both physics and golf experts, so you can’t go wrong.

3. Keep Your Arms and Shoulders in a Triangle

As long as you keep your arms and shoulders in a triangle formation, you’ll be on the right track to hit a good chip. It’s much like a putting stroke. When it comes to swinging, keep the club below hip level to ensure you maintain control.

4. Find the Best Ball Position

Adjust your ball back a little if you’re doing a shorter chip, and make it more central to allow it to go higher. When it’s back, it will have more spin, while central will give it less spin.

Analyze your situation and adjust the ball accordingly.

5. Learn the Best Club to Use

As mentioned above, you’ll have to choose which club method you’ll take on - one club for all or many. If you opt to go down the many-club route, know which club works best for you in which situation. The club you use will have a direct influence on your distance control.

6. Always Chip in Your Warm-Up

It’s cliche but true: practice makes perfect. Given that this is a great place for beginners, including the shot in your warm-up will get you in the right frame of mind to start your game. After all, golf is good for more than just your body.

Common Beginner Chip Shot Mistakes

Ball Position Too Far Forward

If your ball is positioned too far forward, you are far more likely to hit the ball thin. In that instance, the ball will likely go beyond the pinpoint, and your shot will be ruined. Keep the ball at the center or back of your stance for the ideal shot.

Concentrating on Getting the Ball Up

It’s an easy mistake to make, but try to avoid focusing on getting the ball up. Instead, focus on your target. If you focus on getting the ball up, you’ll likely end up tilting your body, and that will throw off your swing by forcing your club to bottom out before it touches the ball.

Forgetting to Rotate Lower Body

If you don’t rotate your lower body when taking a chip shot, you will likely end up with poor contact and even worse distance control. The chip is a whole-body shot, and therefore, you should be rotating your lower half as well as the top half of your body when you swing.

Focusing on Hitting, Not Swinging

You must concentrate on your swing and not on hitting the ball. If you focus on hitting the ball, another danger is that your wrist will twist a little. Twisting will throw off the good work you’ve done in your swing - don't let that happen! When you’re a beginner, it's tempting to concentrate on the ball, but trust us - it’s not the way to go.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do You Turn Your Hips When Chipping?

In order to get the most out of your chip shot, rotate your whole body. This includes the top half and the bottom half - including hips. When you swing, twist your whole body to drive into the ball - and remember to keep your eyes on the target.

Should Arms Be Straight When Chipping?

Yes. When you take a chip shot, you should lock your arms and rotate your whole body as you swing. Drive the club into the ball - which can be placed to the back or center of your stance - and keep your eyes on the pin ahead. Concentrate on the swing, not the ball.

Final Thoughts

When you're first starting as a golf player, you should begin with relatively easy shots that you can master quickly. By doing that, you will build your confidence and be able to see measurable differences in your game. Our advice is to start with the chip shot. If you follow this guide, you should be proficient in no time.

Once you're all set up with a club, you'll need to sort out all your golfing equipment. From apparel to golf bags, check out Stitch Golf's collections and start your golfing journey!