Improve Your Chip Shots with Michael Breed

Crisp chip shot impact is key to shaving strokes off your game and sticking it close from any greenside lie. Try these tips from Michael Breed.

One of the most frustrating feelings in the game of golf is duffing or skulling a chip shot from any greenside lie. You’ve seen your buddies do it, you’ve lost strokes due to it— heck, even arguably the greatest player ever to play the game has had well-documented chipping impact woes. Sure, length can help improve your scores and handicap, but throwing away easy strokes near the green is without a doubt one of the top reasons why players can’t find a way to break 80 or 90.

Being confident with your impact and control near the greens can give you all the momentum in the world. Excellent chipping allows players to go for par-5 greens in two as it provides a safety net and can help you maintain a good round by saving par or turning the dreaded double-bogey into a manageable single. So, just for a minute, let’s put down the weights and forget about swing speed— it’s time to go short and go low with The Golf Fix and Michael Breed.

One-Handed Chipping Drill:

Consistency with the handle of the club is vital in controlling your impact while chipping. The One-Handed Chipping Drill allows you to look down and watch the handle of the club, seeing where the shaft is relative to the ball. If the handle is behind the ball at impact, it leads to a higher rate of mishits— both chunked and thinned. Breed makes a great note here, telling the viewer to feel as if the trail palm is pushing down and through the golf ball. This will enable the handle to lead the club through the impact zone for consistent, crisp contact.

To try this drill, simply address any chip and remove the lead hand from the top of the club. For you righties this will be your left hand, lefties the opposite! Don’t worry so much about the contact in this drill, as we’re searching to see handle placement. Once you feel confident that the handle is leading the club through the ball, re-grip with two hands and feel the difference in your chipping impact!

Take a look above and start lowering your handicap in your next round!

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