CHIPPING
DO THIS Predictability in chipping is just as important as it is in pitching. Excellent chippers set themselves up to make the same quality contact every time. By moving closer to the ball at address and letting the handle stand more upright, you lift the heel of the club slightly off the ground ( left ). This reduces the amount of negative interaction the face can possibly have with the surface, and it dramatically lowers your chance of catching the club in tight turf and stubbing the shot. Contact with the ball will tend to be slightly more off the toe of the clubface, and that feel can take some getting used to. Don’t worry – with a bit of practice and level-setting about how far these shots run out, you’ll quickly dial in your chipping game with this easy setup adjustment.
PITCHING
NOT THAT What happens when you set up more like a normal iron shot, with your hands lower and the club flatter on the ground or even with the toe slightly up ( right )? You expose so much of the club’s leading edge to the ground that it gets real easy to interrupt its path through impact. When the heel is on the ground like this, you risk the club bouncing or twisting against the grass, producing hot, low pulls. See enough of those and you might start trying to scoop the ball into the air. Now you’re hitting fat shots, too. You’re now trapped in a loop of poor contact by focusing on the wrong prescriptions for your cure.
94 GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA
JULY/AUGUST 2024
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