Chipping help needed

[teach]

Hello. I am a relative beginner and am just starting TGM. I am focusing on learning the swinging procedure first and intend to master chipping before moving on to stage 2 and full swings. I am willing to hit 10,000 chips in my back yard, but there is no point "grooving" a faulty procedure. Right now, I simply have no clue as to how to hit a swinger's chip.

Yoda, and other more experienced TGMers, I'd be very grateful if the swinging chip motion could be explained in layman's terms. I've done a search on this and have spent the last hour on it, but I'm still not sure. Yoda, I also watched your video with the young man, but I am not experienced enough to grasp the answers to my questions based on the side view camera angle of your demonstrated chip. I also can't tell if that was a hitting chip or a swinging chip. My questions are:

What exactly is the path followed by my hands, the clubshaft, etc.? Is this a straight back and straight forward motion, or should there be a small arc? Should I be using any pivot at all for a short chip just off the green? Where should the ball position be? How close together should my feet be? Should my stance be square or open? In more general terms, should a beginning swinger think of chips as a long putt with a lofted club, or a shorter version of a full swing? What would be a good swing thought for a beginning chipper?

Thank you all very much in advance for your help.

teach

[12 piece bucket]

Hello. I am a relative beginner and am just starting TGM. I am focusing on learning the swinging procedure first and intend to master chipping before moving on to stage 2 and full swings. I am willing to hit 10,000 chips in my back yard, but there is no point "grooving" a faulty procedure. Right now, I simply have no clue as to how to hit a swinger's chip.

Yoda, and other more experienced TGMers, I'd be very grateful if the swinging chip motion could be explained in layman's terms. I've done a search on this and have spent the last hour on it, but I'm still not sure. Yoda, I also watched your video with the young man, but I am not experienced enough to grasp the answers to my questions based on the side view camera angle of your demonstrated chip. I also can't tell if that was a hitting chip or a swinging chip. My questions are:

What exactly is the path followed by my hands, the clubshaft, etc.? Is this a straight back and straight forward motion, or should there be a small arc? Should I be using any pivot at all for a short chip just off the green? Where should the ball position be? How close together should my feet be? Should my stance be square or open? In more general terms, should a beginning swinger think of chips as a long putt with a lofted club, or a shorter version of a full swing? What would be a good swing thought for a beginning chipper?

Thank you all very much in advance for your help.

teach

Teach,

Go to the Basic Forum and watch Yoda's video on the Flying Wedges. Then go to the Movie forum and watch Yoda's video helping Vickie. You won't even need sound.

It's all there for you to see and hear. Get this and you'll chip and hit it better.

If you can get the concepts in your mellon and then execute you'll be a long way down the right road.

Good luck man!

B

[Yoda]

My questions are:

What exactly is the path followed by my hands, the clubshaft, etc.?

Is this a straight back and straight forward motion, or should there be a small arc?

Should I be using any pivot at all for a short chip just off the green?

Where should the ball position be?

How close together should my feet be?

Should my stance be square or open?

In more general terms, should a beginning swinger think of chips as a long putt with a lofted club, or a shorter version of a full swing?

What would be a good swing thought for a beginning chipper?

Well, Teach... all righty then!

I count eight actual questions and a couple of hundred more if we choose to meanander through hill and dale as we answer them.

Sounds like a video is in order. I'll do a short piece in Orlando this week that will supply the answers you need. Meanwhile...

Get your Hands ahead of the Ball and 'drag your wet mop' through Impact.

[teach]

Thank you Yoda and 12 piece bucket.

teach

[Yoda]

And everybody else just take up the slack and chime in now!

[nevermind]

I'm also unsure on the Swinging chip shot (Basic Motion). I seem to move the hands with the hands. Last time I tried I think it felt like I didn't have any accumulators to release. I Hit all these little shots now, but this is a dirty big gap in my understanding that I can do without. Looking forward to the video Yoda

[lagster]

With SHORT CHIPS, the stroke is so short that HITTING and SWINGING will LOOK very similar. Use a very narrow stance(six inches wide or so), square to slightly open with the feet. The whole left shoulder area will be in front of the ball.

To SWING-- The left arm is like a rope, so use a fairly light grip pressure. Sense the hands going back, up, and in, then down , out, and forward to the ball. Have a dragging, lagging sensation. Only use enough force so that you can comfortably finish with both arms straight, and the clubhead still below your hands, as in the pictures of Vicki(when she got it).

To HIT-- The left arm is like an AX. Use a little tighter grip. Put the right elbow in more of a Punch position(slightly out) to set up the punching(pushing) motion of the right arm.

The RIGHT ARM IS ACTIVE WITH THE HIT, MORE PASSIVE WITH THE SWING.

[birdie_man]

My ideas in bold.
--------------------------------------------

What exactly is the path followed by my hands, the clubshaft, etc.?

Trace a straight Plane Line! i.e. keep the club pointing at the Plane Line (on a STRAIGHT shot the Plane Line IS the same as the Target Line). i.e. Flashlight Drills (attach a flashlight to the clubshaft....or imagine one is there- keep beam shining on Plane Line).

Also, if one traces the Plane Line, the clubhead WILL move in an arc....the most important part though teach, is that the club points at the Plane Line.

Is this a straight back and straight forward motion, or should there be a small arc?

ARC!

Here's what our own putting guru Vijay Trolio says about that SBST stuff for putting...and it's more or less the same with chipping:

http://theputtingarc.com/puttingarc/...ory_splash.htm
http://theputtingarc.com/puttingarc/...aight_back.htm

...and it's true!

Should I be using any pivot at all for a short chip just off the green?

Nah, not really. Minimal body movement teach.

Where should the ball position be?

About middle of your narrow stance.

How close together should my feet be?

Pretty narrow. I'd say heels should be no more than a foot apart. This will allow you to have more pressure on the front foot and will set you with minimal Axis Tilt (i.e. shoulder tilt)....take an exaggereted, wide stance and try to hit a chip....you'll see the point. Can't hit down.

Should my stance be square or open?

I like mine slightly open (for some reason...I'm not even sure why). I'd say square is fine too. Maybe someone else will know for sure.

In more general terms, should a beginning swinger think of chips as a long putt with a lofted club, or a shorter version of a full swing?

I guess whatever works in your own head. I like to think of a long putt myself.

What would be a good swing thought for a beginning chipper?

You have said a good one- long putt....

Also, monitor varying distance with Lag Pressure, not stroke length.

Also, setup at Impact Address (which is essentially a slight forward press- set Left Wrist Flat, Right Wrist Bent) keep Left Wrist Flat at, and THROUGH, Impact. Hold that Flat Left Wrist right into your Finish (Finish essentially is at Follow Through [both arms straight] in this short stroke, or even before Follow Through

Another note...

I am also a Swinger teach.....and personally, I have had success with "erring" (if it is to 'err') to the longer (and smoother) side of the stroke length spectrum.

Whenever I'm chipping badly, I find it's usually because I get hurried and "choppy," if you know what I mean. I like to be a little longer (if anything) in stroke length to allow the club to Swing (...Swing!....).

Vary distance with Lag Pressure.

Good luck teach.

Ask more questions if you have them.

[ThinkingPlus]

Teach,

I am a TGM novice so any TGM references presented in this post are highly suspect, but here is what I do (some of this is based on instruction received at the recent SoCal school).

Assemble your flying wedges before addressing the ball. Step in to address with your right foot with your right big toe slightly behind the ball. Your right foot should be open to the plane line by maybe 10 to 30 degrees. Your wedges should still be intact with the ball slightly towards the toe of the club (~1/4" or so). Bring your left foot up parrallel to your right with a gap of 6" to a foot. You should now have your stance.

Your stroke should follow what Yoda is going to provide in the video. One tip that helps me (whether swinging or hitting) is to have a smooth transition as I started down. The chipping motion (Basic Motion) is so short that getting jerky is easier than being smooth. Take the club back a little further to quell the feelings of acceleration anxiety and concentrate on a smooth transition while maintaining lag pressure. Your impact will be all the better for it. Consistent chipping is all about precision impact which drives trajectory and distance control.

[EC]

Why would one EVER swing a true chip shot? Under the gun, it's much easier and more predictable to "hit" the short shots! You can hit with any hinge motion/action. Learn to straighten the right arm while maintaining a bent and level right wrist.

EC