W SPORT
L
GOLF MASTERCLASS
THE CHIP & RUN UP THE GREEN
by Tom Atkinson - Heswall Golf Pro
CHIP IT EFFICIENTLY
This month we will cover a shot that you, the club golfer
will find yourself facing more than any other short shot the chip and run up the green.
Chipping the ball is the same as any other shot in golf, a
task. Get the ball from A-B. When I ask my pupils to list
some 'tag' words that they associate with a chip shot, all
too often I hear words like "loft" "spin" "height" "wedge",
they want to get that ball into the air! Why?
Here's a scenario, you're at the local bowling alley, your
task is to get the ball to knock down pins (from A-B ),
you couldn't imagine the reaction you would get, if you
threw that ball down the lane using the same action as
you would a ‘throw in’ at football. ‘What's this guy doing?
Surely he knows the best way to get the job done is to keep
it on the floor'.
So what's different when chipping the ball in golf?
Nothing is the answer, apart from the misconception of
having to get that ball airborne.
Ben Hogan once alluded to this "if golf was designed to be
played in the air there would be grass on the clouds”.
THE TECHNIQUE
We all realise that the club in our bag that keeps the ball
hugging the turf the best is the putter and rightly so this
is a go to club when trying to push the ball through the
fringe grass and up to the hole.
When the putter isn't on though, our mind starts to get
confused. We try all sorts of ways to keep it low but the
right one, 7 iron, back footed lob wedge, hooded 9 iron.
No, no, no. Don't make the game any harder than it
already is.
Your putter is approx 4 degrees of loft on it, your 7 iron has
around 35. There's a tool sitting waiting to be hit that is
perfect for the job in the form of your hybrid / rescue club.
wirrallife.com 89