Most golfers have a lot of trouble around the greens and the bottom line is poor technique. The problems are either hitting behind the ball, not being able to lift the ball, hitting too hard and not being able to stop the ball on the green and get it close enough to make the putt. These players usually revert to using a straight faced club as much as often as possible because they think they can control the ball much better but the problem is still poor technique. There are four key areas to developing good technique for Chipping;
1. Correct posture and ball position
2. Correct clubface and shaft alignment
3. Understanding how to use the bounce of the club
4. Turning correctly through the ball
I teach a sequence of movements involving these four key movements which guarantees a very soft ball flight and enables the player to have full control over the shot they are hitting. The technique is very simple and I have had great success with all kinds of players and all age groups. In relation to posture almost all golfers stand over the ball far too much, so start with a much straighter back and place the ball in the centre of the body. Use a sand iron or lob wedge but before you ground the club hold it out in front of you and look at the bottom edge of the clubface, it should be vertical or tipped back slightly (open). From this position pull the club and hands towards the right hip and this should place the shaft of the club along the same line as your toes (which should be parallel to the target line). Now bring the club back in front of your body at the starting point and turn altogether fully around towards the target allowing your hands to finish near your left hip with the shaft now pointing towards the target and the clubface will still be vertical or slightly laid back. This is a drill to check where the club and clubface should be at certain points of the swing.
Understanding what the bounce of the club is and how to use it allows you to understand what lifts the ball. Most wedges, particularly sand irons have a certain amount of bounce designed into the club. The bounce is the very back, bottom edge of the club and it sits lower than the front edge of the clubface. If you have a slightly more open face then you expose more bounce and it is this part of the club that makes it easy to lift the ball. This may sound funny but most players worry too much about getting the club under the ball to make it go up and continue to make poor contact let alone applying spin to the ball. So, for a drill open the clubface of your sand iron and hit the ground with the bounce of the club, you can mark the bottom, back edge of your club with a marker pen and then try to rub the mark off by bouncing it on the ground. To play the shot keep your back very straight, lower the club in front of you with the clubface slightly open, lift the hands to your right hip checking the shaft is on the target line and that the clubface is vertical or slightly laid back (never closed) now bounce the club on the ground and turn through to the target. It is always difficult to interpret words to explain a movement so call and make an appointment to get your short game in good order or join one of the many clinics I teach each week. You will be surprised how easy it is to hit lovely, high, soft shots over bunkers.