Chip in Golf: Perfect Your Technique, Chip vs Pitch Guide

Are you tired of wasting strokes around the green? A bladed chip over the back or a chunked shot that goes nowhere can turn an easy par into a frustrating double bogey in seconds. You know a solid short game is the fastest way to lower scores, but mastering the delicate chip in golf feels like an impossible puzzle.

A chip in golf is a low-flying shot with minimal air time and maximum roll, executed close to the green using a simple, pendulum-like motion. It is designed for precision and distance control to get the ball onto the green and rolling toward the hole like a putt. This shot is the cornerstone of a great short game.

Based on PGA professional advice and proven, tour-tested techniques, this guide breaks down the chipping motion into a simple, repeatable system. You’ll discover how to build a flawless setup, execute the perfect stroke, and eliminate those costly mistakes for good. Get ready to turn your chipping weakness into a reliable strength.

How Do You Master the Chip in Golf to Stop Wasting Shots?

The frustration of a poor short game is universal in golf. You can stripe a drive down the middle and hit a great approach, only to see it all unravel with a flubbed chip shot. These mistakes, from fat shots that dig into the turf to thinning the ball across the green, often stem from overcomplicating a simple motion. The key to mastering the chip in golf is not to add more moving parts, but to subtract them. This guide will teach you a simplified golf chipping technique built on solid chipping fundamentals, transforming this dreaded shot into one of the most reliable tools you have to save pars and lower your scores. By focusing on a proper chipping setup that promotes clean contact, you can finally get the ball close consistently.

The Ultimate Guide: Chip vs Pitch, What’s the Difference?

One of the most critical decisions in the scoring zone is choosing the right shot for the situation, and for many golfers, the line between a chip vs pitch is blurry. Yet, understanding this difference is fundamental to effective course management. A chip shot and a pitch shot are two distinct tools used for different jobs, each with its own technique, trajectory, and purpose. Choosing correctly simplifies execution and dramatically increases your chances of getting the ball close to the hole. This section will clarify the confusion once and for all, breaking down when and how to use each shot.

Chip vs. Pitch: The At-a-Glance Guide

Feature	Chip Shot	Pitch Shot
Ball Flight	Low trajectory with minimal air time	Higher trajectory with more air time
Roll	Maximum roll on the green	Minimal roll; designed to stop quickly
Typical Use	From the fringe or just off the green	20-50 yards from the green
Swing Motion	Small, one-lever, putting-like motion	Larger, two-lever swing with wrist hinge
Club Face	Stays relatively square clubface	Rotates more through impact
Common Clubs	7-iron, 8-iron, Pitching Wedge	Sand Wedge, Lob Wedge, Gap Wedge
Primary Goal	Land the ball on the green and let it roll out	Fly the ball to the target and have it stop

9 Steps to a Perfect Golf Chip Shot Every Time

The secret to a great chipping technique isn’t about having perfect, magical hands; it’s about having a simple, repeatable system that works under pressure. By breaking the motion down into a series of logical steps, you can build a fundamentally sound chip shot that eliminates the guesswork and the costly mistakes. This section provides a complete, step-by-step roadmap to a better golf short game. We will cover everything from the proper chipping setup that puts you in the perfect position for success to the simple drills you can use to groove your swing and chip better. This is your masterclass for turning chipping from a liability into a scoring weapon.

1. Setup with a Narrow Stance and Forward Weight

Pin this perfect setup to your ‘Golf Drills’ board!

A great chip shot begins before you ever take the club back. The proper chipping setup is designed to promote a slight downward strike on the ball, which is the secret to clean contact. Unlike a full swing, where you need a wide base for power, chipping is all about control and precision.

What You Need

• Your chosen chipping club (e.g., Pitching Wedge)
• A golf ball
• An optional alignment stick for checking ball position

Steps

1. Align your feet. Take a narrow stance, with your feet closer together than a normal iron shot—about hip-width apart.
2. Open your lead foot slightly (point it towards the target) to help your body rotate through the shot.
3. Position the ball in the back-center of your stance. For a standard chip shot, it should be just inside your back foot.
4. Lean your weight forward. About 70% of your weight should be on your lead foot (the one closer to the target).
5. Press your hands slightly forward so the club shaft leans towards the target. This is the forward press.

Pro-Tip: In our experience, most amateurs fail because their weight is too centered. To feel the correct weight forward position, try lifting your back heel slightly off the ground. This forces your weight onto your front side and simplifies the stroke.

2. Execute a Simple Putting-Like Stroke

Save this simple stroke key to remember on the course!

The chipping motion should be one of the simplest in golf. The goal is to eliminate unnecessary body parts and create a repeatable, pendulum-like swing. The best thought to have is to replicate your putting stroke.

What You Need

• Your chipping club
• A golf ball

Steps

1. Grip the club lower down the handle for more control.
2. Form a small triangle with your shoulders, arms, and hands. Your goal is to maintain this triangle throughout the stroke.
3. Pivot your shoulders to rock the club back, not your hands or wrists. Think of it as a putting-like motion.
4. Keep your wrists quiet and stiff; there should be no conscious hinging motion. This is a “one-lever stroke.”
5. Accelerate the club through the ball by rotating your chest towards the target. Do not try to “hit” the ball, simply let the ball get in the way of the clubhead’s path.
6. Finish with a short, controlled follow-through, with the clubhead low to the ground and pointing at the target.

Pro-Tip: To prevent a wristy stroke, place an alignment stick up the grip of your club so it extends past your lead hip. If you flick your wrists, the stick will hit your side. This drill forces you to use your big muscles (shoulders and chest) to control the swing.

3. Master the Versatile Chip and Run Technique

Add this high-percentage shot to your short game arsenal!

Not all chips require a high-lofted wedge. When you have plenty of green to work with and no obstacles in your way, the chip and run (or bump and run) is the safest, most reliable shot you can play. It minimizes air time and maximizes predictable roll, just like a putt.

What You Need

• A lower lofted club like a 7-iron, 8-iron, or 9-iron
• A golf ball
• A clear path to the green

Steps

1. Select your club. Choose an 8-iron for a standard chip and run. Use a 7-iron for more roll, and a 9-iron for a bit more flight.
2. Adopt the exact same proper chipping setup from Step 1: narrow stance, weight forward, ball back.
3. Grip down on the club as you would for a normal chip.
4. Execute the exact same putting-like motion from Step 2. Do not try to help the ball in the air.
5. Focus on a landing spot just a few feet onto the green. Your goal is to get the ball on the ground and rolling like a putt as quickly as possible.
6. Visualize the ball rolling along the ground all the way to the hole. The tempo should be smooth and controlled.

Pro-Tip: The chip and run is your best friend when you’re nervous or the lie is tricky. Because the stroke is so small and requires less precision than a high-lofted shot, the margin for error is much larger. Think of it as the smartest, not the prettiest, shot in your bag.

4. Choose Your Landing Spot for Perfect Distance Control

Pin this distance control secret for your next practice session!

One of the biggest struggles for amateurs is chipping distance control. The secret isn’t to focus on the hole, but to focus on a specific landing spot on the green. By learning to fly the ball a consistent distance, you can let the green do the rest of the work.

What You Need

• A golf ball
• A target hole
• Your eyes to read the green

Steps

1. Walk from your ball to the hole, paying attention to the green + slope. Is it uphill, downhill, or does it break left or right?
2. Identify your ideal landing spot. For a standard chip shot with a pitching wedge, a good rule of thumb is to fly the ball 1/3 of the way to the hole and let it roll the remaining 2/3.
3. Visualize a small circle on the green where you want the ball to land. This is now your only target. Do not focus on the hole itself.
4. Take a few practice swings, looking at your landing spot. Your brain will automatically start to calibrate the size of the swing needed to fly the ball that far.
5. Execute the shot focusing solely on flying the ball to your chosen landing spot with a smooth tempo.

Pro-Tip: Different clubs have different roll ratios. A Sand Wedge might be 1/2 air and 1/2 roll. An 8-iron might be 1/4 air and 3/4 roll. Practice with different clubs to the same landing spot and see how far they roll out. This knowledge is a key to advanced chipping techniques.

5. Practice the Towel Drill for Trajectory Control

Save this easy home drill to perfect your chipping!

A successful chip has a low trajectory. To groove this feeling, you need a simple chipping drill that provides instant feedback. The Towel Drill is one of the most effective golf chipping drills for better contact and can easily be done at home or at the range.

What You Need

• A golf towel
• A bucket of practice balls
• Your chipping club

Steps

1. Find a flat area in your yard or at the practice green.
2. Lay a golf towel on the ground about 3-4 feet in front of you.
3. Place your golf balls another foot behind the towel, so you will be chipping over it.
4. Using your standard chipping technique, your goal is to land the ball just over the towel.
5. If you hit the towel, your shot is too low (likely a bladed shot) or you didn’t carry it far enough.
6. If the ball flies way over the towel, your trajectory is too high. The goal is a low, controlled flight. Practice until you can consistently land the ball just a foot or two past the towel.

Pro-Tip: This drill is fantastic for understanding how different clubs affect trajectory. Try it with a Sand Wedge vs. an 8-iron. You’ll need a much smaller stroke with the 8-iron to clear the towel, which teaches you about effective loft. This is an advanced concept that separates good chippers from great ones.

6. Learn to Chip from the Rough

Don’t fear the rough! Pin this tip to escape any lie.

Chipping from the rough requires a different approach than chipping from a clean lie on the fairway. The grass can grab the clubhead, leading to inconsistent contact. The key is to make a few simple adjustments to your technique to ensure you hit the ball first.

What You Need

• A wedge with more loft and bounce, like a Sand Wedge (56 degrees)
• A golf ball in the rough
• A bit more courage!

Steps

1. Select a club with more loft, like your Sand Wedge. The extra bounce will help the club glide through the grass instead of digging.
2. Take your normal chipping setup, but play the ball slightly more centered in your stance (not as far back).
3. Grip the club a little firmer than usual to prevent the grass from twisting the clubface at impact.
4. This is the key: allow a little bit of wrist hinge on the backswing. Unlike a standard chip, you need a steeper angle of attack to hit the ball before the clubhead gets tangled in the thick grass.
5. Accelerate through the shot. You must commit to hitting down and through the ball. Any deceleration will cause the club to get stuck. The ball will pop up and out with less roll.

Pro-Tip: The ball will come out of the rough with much less spin. Plan for it to roll out more than you think. This is where bounce management becomes critical; a high-bounce wedge is your best friend here, as it prevents the leading edge from digging into the soil beneath the grass.

7. Fix the “Thin” Shot (Bladed Shots)

Stop blading chips forever with this simple fix!

There’s no worse feeling than hitting a perfect drive, only to watch your chip shot scream across the green. These “thin” or bladed shots are one of the most common and destructive faults in the short game. Luckily, the cause is simple, and so is the fix.

What You Need

• Your driver’s headcover (or any small, soft object)
• Your chipping club
• A bucket of practice balls

Steps

1. Understand the cause: A “thin” or bladed shot happens when you lift your head and chest up through impact, trying to “scoop” the ball into the air. This raises the low point of your swing, causing the leading edge to strike the middle of the ball.
2. The Fix – The Headcover Drill: Place your driver’s headcover on the ground under your head.
3. Take your normal chipping setup.
4. The goal is to hit chip shots while keeping your head still enough that you can see the headcover in your peripheral vision after the ball has gone.
5. This drill forces you to stay down through the shot and rotate your body, rather than lifting up. It trains you to trust the loft of the club to get the ball airborne.

Pro-Tip: The feeling you want is that your chest is pointing at the ground at the finish of your swing, not at the sky. This ensures you maintain your posture and deliver a slight descending blow, which is the secret to strike consistency.

8. Eliminate the “Fat” Shot (Chunking)

Chunked it again? Pin this drill and leave the turf where it belongs.

The dreaded “chunk” or fat shot—where you hit the ground behind the ball and the shot goes nowhere—is the opposite of a thin shot, but it’s just as destructive. This error almost always comes from one single mistake: an incorrect weight shift.

What You Need

• Your chipping club
• A bucket of practice balls
• Good balance

Steps

1. Understand the cause: A “fat” or chunked shot happens when the low point of your swing is behind the ball. This is almost always caused by your weight falling onto your back foot during the swing.
2. The Fix – The One-Foot Drill: Take your normal setup.
3. Before you swing, lift your back foot completely off the ground and balance on your lead foot. You can rest the toe of your back foot on the ground for balance if needed.
4. Hit chip shots while balancing on only your front foot.
5. It is physically impossible to hit a fat shot from this position, as your weight is forced to stay forward. This drill grooves the feeling of keeping your weight forward throughout the entire motion.
6. Practice hitting 10-15 shots like this, then go back to your normal stance and replicate the same feeling.

Pro-Tip: Another cause of fat shots is deceleration. Many amateurs are afraid of hitting the ball too far, so they slow the club down into the ball. You must learn to accelerate through the impact zone. A good thought is to feel like the clubhead is ‘racing’ your hands to the finish line.

9. Build Confidence with the Clock System Drill

Turn practice into a game and build unbreakable confidence. Pin this drill!

Good mechanics are important, but confidence is what allows you to perform on the course. To build real, lasting confidence, you need to turn your practice into a game. The Clock System is a fantastic drill for simulating on-course pressure and is a core part of any effective short game practice plan.

What You Need

• About 12 practice balls
• Your chipping wedge
• Access to a practice green (or a carpet and a cup at home)

Steps

1. Arrange 12 balls in a circle around a hole, like the numbers on a clock. Start with them all about 3-4 feet from the hole.
2. Go around the clock, chipping each ball in. Your goal is to make at least 9 out of 12. Don’t move on until you do.
3. Once you complete the circle, move the balls back to 6-8 feet and repeat.
4. To make it harder, create different lies for each ball. Place one in the rough, one on an uphill lie, one on a downhill lie, etc.
5. This drill forces you to adapt to different shots quickly, just like on the course, and the pressure of having to “make” them builds real confidence.

Pro-Tip: This is a fantastic way to end every short game practice plan. Don’t just mindlessly hit balls. Finish with a pressure game. According to PGA professional advice, the ability to perform under self-induced pressure in practice is the #1 indicator of how you’ll perform on the course.

Key Takeaways: Your Quick Guide to a Better Chip in Golf

Mastering your golf chipping comes down to embracing simplicity and consistency. Forget complex swing thoughts and focus on these core chipping fundamentals. This quick summary will help you remember the most important lessons from this guide.

• Setup is Key: A proper chipping setup with a narrow stance, weight forward (70% on your lead foot), and the ball back in your stance solves 80% of chipping problems.
• Think ‘Putt’, Not ‘Hit’: Use a simple, one-lever putting-like motion dominated by your shoulders, keeping your wrists quiet. This simplifies the stroke and guarantees more consistent contact.
• Chip vs. Pitch: A chip is a low-flying shot with lots of roll used near the green. A pitch is a high-flying shot with little roll used from further out. Knowing the difference is crucial for shot selection.
• Fix Your Faults: Thin shots are caused by lifting your head. Fat shots are caused by your weight falling backward. Use the Headcover and One-Foot drills to fix them.
• Practice with Purpose: Don’t just hit balls. Use specific drills like the Towel Drill for trajectory and the Clock Drill for pressure to build real, lasting skill and confidence.
• Use the Right Club: The chip and run with an 8-iron is often the highest-percentage play. Don’t be afraid to use less loft when you have green to work with.

People Also Ask About the Chip in Golf

Even with the fundamentals down, you might still have some specific questions about the chip in golf. Here are answers to some of the most common queries we see from golfers looking to improve their short game.

Pitch vs Chip: What is the main difference?

The main difference is that a chip shot is a low-flying shot designed to roll a long way, while a pitch shot is a high-flying shot designed to stop quickly. You choose a chip when you are close to the green with plenty of putting surface to work with. You choose a pitch when you need to carry an obstacle (like a bunker) or have very little green between you and the hole.

What is the best club to chip with around the green?

There is no single best club; the best club depends on how far you want the ball to roll. For a chip and run with lots of roll, an 8-iron is excellent. For a standard chip with moderate roll, a Pitching Wedge is most common. For a shot that needs to stop a bit quicker, a Sand Wedge (56-degree) can be used.

Why do I keep thinning my chip shots?

You are most likely thinning chips because you are trying to “help” the ball into the air by lifting your head and chest. This action raises the bottom of your swing arc, causing the club’s leading edge to strike the equator of the ball. To fix this, keep your weight forward and feel like your chest stays pointing at the ground through impact.

How do you stop chunking golf chips?

To stop chunking chips, you must ensure your weight stays on your front foot throughout the swing. Chunked or fat shots happen when your weight falls back, causing the club to hit the ground behind the ball. Practice the drill of hitting chips while balancing entirely on your lead foot to cure this problem.

Should you hinge your wrists when chipping?

For a standard chip shot, you should not consciously hinge your wrists. The goal is a simple, one-lever, putting-like motion with stiff wrists to maximize consistency. The only time you might introduce a slight hinge is when chipping from thick rough to create a steeper angle of attack.

Where should the ball be in my stance for a chip?

For a standard, low-rolling chip shot, the ball should be in the back-center of your stance, just inside your back foot. This position promotes a downward strike on the ball, ensuring you get the clean contact needed for a predictable roll. For a slightly higher chip, you can move it forward to the center of your stance.

How do you control distance when chipping?

You control distance by choosing a specific landing spot and then adjusting the length of your backswing to fly the ball to that spot. For a standard chip, pick a spot 1/3 of the way to the hole and let it roll the rest. A longer shot requires a longer backswing; a shorter shot requires a shorter one. The tempo remains constant.

What is a chip and run?

A chip and run (or bump and run) is a type of chip shot played with a lower-lofted club like a 7-iron or 8-iron. The goal is to get the ball onto the green as quickly as possible and let it roll like a putt the majority of the way to the hole. It’s a very high-percentage, low-risk shot.

How can I practice chipping at home?

You can practice chipping at home by using foam practice balls and setting up simple drills. Lay a towel on your carpet and practice chipping over it to control trajectory. You can also chip into a sofa cushion or a specific spot on a wall to work on your aim and contact.

Why does my chip shot go right?

Your chip shot likely goes right because the clubface is open at impact or your swing path is moving too far “out-to-in.” An open face is often caused by trying to “scoop” the ball. Ensure you are rotating your chest through the shot, which helps square the clubface naturally and promotes a straighter shot.

Final Thoughts on Your Journey to a Better Short Game

Ultimately, a great chip in golf isn’t born from complex mechanics but from a commitment to a simple, repeatable foundation. The journey from inconsistent contact to clinical execution begins with a solid setup and a simple, putting-like stroke. By understanding the core relationship between your setup, your stroke, and the resulting ball flight, you take control of your short game.

Embrace the chip and run as your default shot, practice the drills to eliminate common faults like fat shots and bladed shots, and learn to practice with purpose. You now have the complete blueprint for a reliable chipping technique. The next step is to put it into action. Which drill will you try first to transform your game around the greens?

Last update on 2026-03-17 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API