[sherrferris]

When chipping, do you prefer to fly the ball to the hole or run it there like a putt?

I prefer to run it.

I generally chip with an 8-iron, although I’ll use anything I think I need in order to clear whatever fringe or light rough that lay between my ball and the green and I use a putting grip and stance to make the shot. If I have to clear three feet of fringe, I may use a 4-iron and I hit the ball just as if it were a putt and the loft of the club gets the ball over the fringe and then the ball sits down and rolls the rest of the way. If I have to clear the same length of fringe, but I’m chipping to a short pin, I’ll just go to a more lofted club, but everything else stays the same.

I think that it’s easier to control the speed and distance with the ball on the green and rolling than it is to try to gauge the distance in the air and hit the shot with the right amount of spin to get the ball to hit the brakes in just the right place so it doesn’t end up either too short or too long.

What’s your preferred chipping style and why?


-JP