Chipping: Develop a Feel for Distance

Video Transcript

One of the best ways to cut strokes off your score is to develop some touch a feel around the greens. The shot that Kim has here for example has a little bit of ground to clear before she gets over the fringe to pitch or chip the ball down to the hole. A little drill that we have developed to help people learn a little touch and feel is one where we have them take one practice shot to try to get a feel for what they need to do. Then we ask them to put a tee in the green where they want to land the ball in terms of the distance that they want to carry the ball onto the green and then you just carry that ball right to the tee. Now we are going to ask her to hit some shots where she just keeps her head right over where the ball was, feels the ball on her clubface and then she just tells us without looking where the ball is going to land in relation to the tee: short; even or long. If you do this drill on a consistent basis pretty soon you will be very accurate. You will know very quickly, as soon as the ball leaves your clubface, where it is going to land in relation to the area that you want to land it in. By repeatedly practicing this drill you will cut several strokes off your score because you will get more up and downs, and that is a good thing for everybody.

Dr. Richard Coop
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
School of Education
CB 3500 Peabody Hall
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3500

Dr. Richard Coop is a mental instructor to countless PGA Tour professionals, including Payne Stewart, Ben Crenshaw, Mark O'Meara, and Nick Faldo. He is also the author of The New Golf Mind and Mind Over Golf.

• Instructor Overview
• Videos
• Biography
• Concentration Scorecard
• Philosophy