The basic chip: Nothing Fancy (切球)

Once you establish a good chipping technique, the battle is 90 percent over. Whether you’re chipping uphill or downhill, whether the shot is long or short or whether the lie is perfect or a little scruffy, to be a good chipper you need sound fundamentals. Some shots around the green are trickier than others, but they all revolve around the same simple approach.

–   I set my hands slightly ahead of the ball.

–   I grip the club as I do the putter. I don’t need a lot of hand action.

–   I lean to a little toward the target. That promotes a downward blow, too.

–   I choke down on the club for extra control.

–   I flex my knees a little. I want my legs to feel alive.

–   I narrow my stance. I don’t need a wide base of support.

–   I position the ball slightly back of center. That promotes a downward blow into the back of the ball.

See the shot happen before you hit it

The chip, like a putt, requires an advance “read”. But I’m looking for a more than how the ball will behave after it lands on the green. To control distance accurately (that’s much harder to do than start the ball on line), I choose a spot where I want the ball to land, and then form a mental picture of the ball actually traveling there.