How to Spin Your Chip Shots and Stop Them Near the Hole
The goal of your short game is to stop the ball as close to the hole as possible. The route you take to get there, however, is up to you, and is often dictated by what lies between your ball and the hole. You can take the ball up high, clearing any obstances in your way, or hit a lower shot that gets on the ground quicker. Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher Gary Gilchrist is here to teach you how to get both styles of shots to stop the ball close to the hole from off the green.
The two ways Gilchrist teaches are:
- Open the club face and hit a higher shop that uses loft and trajectory to stop quickly
- Hit a lower shot with more spin that checks and stops quickly
Here’s how to execute both shots.
The High Open-Faced Shot
The high shot is best for situations when there is an obstacle between your ball and the hole, usually a bunker. When you hit this shot, the ball will launch high and rely on the trajectory and steep angle of decent to stop quickly. Here’s how:
- Open the club face
- The ball position should be forward in your stance
- Open your stance to the target
- Your swing should be slightly outside-in
The Low-Spinner
The second option Gilchrist teaches is the lower-trajectory, higher-spin shot. This is a great option when you have a lot of green to work with. To hit the low-spinner from off the green, you can rely on a downward angle of attack to create spin, which will cause the ball to hop, check, and trickle out once it lands. Here’s how:
- Put the ball in the middle to slightly back in your stance
- Open the club face only slightly
- Lean your hands and the shaft slightly forward at address
- Hit down on the ball the produce spin
Stop the Ball Closer to the Hole
Even if you prefer one of these techniques over the other, it’s great to have both in your repertoire. This gives you more options around the greens when one shot doesn’t fit the situation.
Practice both shots until you are comfortable executing both the high and the low shot. Then take note of how far each shot rolls out from its landing spot, and practice hitting different landing spots with each type of shot. Before you know it, you’ll have a go-to shot for every short-game situation.