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Trail Hand Chipping Stroke
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Once you've got at least 500 reps in with your putting stroke, challenge yourself with the next step - the chipping stroke
Once you've got several hundred reps and where you can consistently make those four foot putts through the tee drill, you're probably ready to start challenging yourself with the next step up, which is a basic chip shot.
Seems really simple, but of course, once you get down to being able to do it properly with good fundamentals, it's a lot more involved than you think.
And really, what you're learning in the putting stroke is the exact same thing you're going to carry over here.
So what you're going to do first is you're just going to pick a short target.
This is a 10 yard chip to that white flag.
I've got my 60 degree here.
The higher lofted club is going to be the hardest to chip with.
So if you want to start with something easier, like a pitching wedge or a 50 degree wedge, gap wedge, what have you, that'll make this drill a lot easier.
Cause, What you're going to do is learn how to be very precise in how you're moving the golf club and striking the ball.
Because spin and trajectory and directional control is everything, not just in the short game, but of course in the full swing as well.
So what you're going to do first is take your basic putting setups.
I'm not going to go over all the details again about engaging your core and so on, But what you're going to do to focus on the chipping stroke is you're going to do a couple little things that are a little bit different than your putting stroke.
And again, once you get comfortable with this, you can adjust it to however you like, But you're going to start out with your feet about 30 to 40 degrees open, with the ball off the back toe, just a little bit.
So with a 60, it's going to de-lofted a fair bit.
And that's going to help me get the basic chipping stroke to feel like my putting stroke.
So at first I'm not going to do much of anything.
It should feel basically like the putting stroke and you're going to do it one handed only, just like the putting stroke before.
So I've got the ball off my back step, well off my big toe, and I'm going to take just my trail hand.
And as I go back, I'm going to use my whole body, just like you learn, I'm going to have a little forward press and then I'm going to rock my shoulders back, set my wrist.
The club face angle should basically match my spine.
If you're opening it like this, you're going to find this drill to be very, very difficult.
And you, of course, we want to be very consistent.
And the reason that Tiger often has that club face matching a spine angle is because he's just hinging his wrist like he does in the putting stroke and then unhinging on the way through.
And that's going to be your primary checkpoint is that when you're in the follow through, that that club face is still released in this fashion.
If it's like this, you've had rotation through the strike on a short shot like this, and that's going to make it virtually impossible to be a consistent chipper.
And as we move into the full swing, it's going to be you're struggling with controlling the direction of your ball flight.
So hinge back and through.
And as I go back, I'm going to again, rock my shoulders and control that release from the face on view.
It's this and this, not this.
So you're setting up with that goat drill arm.
You're getting that arm supinated, your wrist in the stronger grip position, so that this line is going up your forearm.
If you're like this, again, you're going to want to control, you're going to want to slap, you know, manipulate the face a lot.
So the stronger grip allows me just to hinge and unhinge.
And that's going to give you the ultimate control over this ball.
So watch as we do this.
These are going to be short shots.
Again, I'm wanting these balls to roll out.
So that's why we're playing it off our off our back big toe.
It's an open stance.
My weight's going to be a little bit more forward.
I'm getting into my posture, chin back.
And now from here, all I'm going to do rock my shoulders and through, and then just let the ball roll out.
Now, what you're going to want to make sure that you check on every stroke is your release.
So there you can see the club face has not, the toe has not tried to pass over the hill, the heel.
Sorry, my Oklahoma accident came out there a little bit.
So what I'm trying to feel is not this because now it's going to send the ball way left.
What you're trying to do is get the ball to come out the same way every single time, just like the putting stroke.
So again, I'm going to get in my posture.
I'm going to rock my shoulders back through and just let the ball release.
As I'm doing this, I'm checking my release every single time so that the club face has not tried to rotate over.
The toe has not tried to rotate over.
I'm just letting the club unhinge through.
It's all you're trying to feel.
Now let's take a look at that from face on.
Now from face on, There's a few other checkpoints that you're going to want to look at when you're videoing your swing.
Again, the ball is going to be off your instep.
Your head is actually going to be slightly in front of the ball because we want to catch the ball on a slightly descending blow.
And as you go back, your head is naturally going to want to move in front of the ball, which is a good thing.
And then as it comes back, it's naturally going to move back just a little bit.
So don't fight this.
Don't try to hold your head rigid.
Remember everything in the body is connected through this fascia.
So as you start moving one part, if you're pulling one part back this way, it's pulling another part of your body.
So this is a natural part of the stroke.
So let your head go forward just a little bit.
And then further, as your hips go forward in the downswing, as you're holding off this release, it's normal for that head to go back.
The other thing that you're going to really want to pay attention to is that you're not just using your arm.
And that's when you're going to find that toe of the club releasing, like we were looking at from down the line, is that when you're just using your arm and hand, the toe is going to turn over.
But if I go back using my shoulders and my arms and hands together, and as I come through, as I begin to release, my whole body is releasing through.
So I'm actually holding the face like this with my arm and my body.
And my arm is still in that goat delivery position, that elbow pit facing up.
You don't want that thing to start to pronate, that's going to slam the face shut.
So it's back and through and you're holding your release exactly like this.
This is super important to hold that release like this every time.
So let's take a look at one again, trail hand only get in your posture.
My head's just a little bit forward, my weight's a little bit more forward.
And as I go back, holding off that release.
That's what you're trying to feel on this basic chipping stroke, is that once your arm starts to come back down, again, the longer shot, your arm's going to swing away a little bit further.
These are a little bit shorter.
So if I was to make a longer swing, my arm's going to come away from more from my body.
But then as it starts to reconnect on the way down, it starts to go through.
So my trail side of my body is all working through to hold this release, to hold the club face steady through the shot.
If I don't let my body go, that's when my arms are going to take over and I'm going to be in trouble.
So get to the point where you can hit these chip shots the same way every single time.
You want to be just as precise as the tee drill, where you're hitting the ball with your putter right in the center of the face, making your putts right in the center of the hole every time, so that you get that club face control.
And now as we're making a bigger stroke than the putting one, It's obviously just as important to have that same control with the chipping clubs as you would with the putter.
Now, let's take a look at this drill and I'll walk you through some of the mechanics.
As I hit a few shots to show you what you should practice for and how to set goals for yourself as you're chipping these shots.
Your real aim with this drill is to try and get the ball to obviously do the same thing every single time, just like you did in the putting stroke.
It's just a slightly bigger putting stroke than what you were making before, essentially.
It's just a putting stroke with a wedge in your hands, effectively, is how you want to think about this.
So your goal is trying to get the ball to fly the same height, to roll the same amount, to have the same spin, and that's all you're really trying to do with this drill.
As you get better at this, you're going to start being able to put more spin on it and change trajectory and so on, But all you're trying to feel at first is just getting the ball to do essentially the exact same thing every single time.
You're not going to hit everyone perfect, especially with just one hand, but that is the goal.
That is the aim of this drill, is to be able to control that club face and get the ball to do the same thing.
Here's another set.
I'm changing the way that I'm hitting the shot just a little bit.
I'm aiming a little bit more left.
This shot does break quite a bit left to right, and I can use a little bit of cut spin on this, So you can adjust the face angle and the release just a little bit to put a little bit more cut spin on it.
Compared to what I was doing before.
The first set, I was hitting a little bit lower.
These balls are coming out a little bit higher, So I'm just altering ball position and release just slightly to change how these balls are going to perform.
You see there, I'm shaking out my hand.
I've been doing this for a little bit, so my right hand, I'm holding on to the club firm because I need to be able to control that club face, so I'll stop and shake out my hand in between a few reps.
Again, You're seeing these balls come out higher than the first set that I was doing and a little bit more left of the targets.
I'm trying to put a little tiny bit of cut spin on it to play that left to right break, taking a couple practice strokes, and that is the aim of this drill.
So I do it in sets of five, and then I score myself based on that.
So if I had, you know, eight out of ten that were good, or four out of five, and I did it twice, eight out of ten, that's my aim.
And so that's what you're going to do, how to score yourself.
Take some practice strokes, take a break, and then get a feel for it, and then just start grading yourself on how good the shot was, how consistent it was from the ones before.
Now let's take a look at Tiger doing the same drill.
Now Tiger's hitting a much longer shot than I am here, so take that into account.
Obviously it's going to be a lot longer backswing, but I'm going to walk you through a few things.
If you have, you know, a little bit longer shots that you can hit, and you feel comfortable after hitting these basic chip shots with different clubs in the bag, or I recommend practicing with shorter clubs, and then, you know, or, you know, a little bit less lofted clubs.
This is a lot easier drill with a pitching wedge than it is with a 60.
But as you get comfortable, start working on getting that 60 to fly the same way.
You're going to see a lot bigger difference and discrepancy in the 60 degree than you would, say, chipping with a seven iron.
So first thing you're going to notice here is Tiger's going to watch his right hand as he gets ready to start the stroke.
Everything moves forward.
So watch not just his right hand.
Obviously you're going to see that as a key part of the forward press, as we talked about in the basic chipping stroke.
But you're also going to see his lead shoulder.
Everything's moving.
Everything's moving forward to start to get some flow into the stroke, to build some tension in the body, to give something to help swing the club back.
Now you can see the left shoulder's moving, right shoulder's moving.
Everything's starting to move.
Left knee's moving.
He's getting that right hand hinge.
Again, he's making a much bigger stroke than I am.
But then as he comes down, you're going to see the same release pattern.
So let me clear out these arrows here.
Right side of the body, everything's starting to work through together.
And then he's going to hold off that release.
Notice the clubface angle there, still kind of looking back at him.
The toe has not released over.
He is using his whole body to drive that club through.
And this is key for consistency.
You've got to hold off that toe from releasing the proper trail.
Hand grip that is strong enough that you don't have to manipulate your hands to try and square the face at the last second.
If you take the clubface back, as we talked about getting that toe angle to be kind of matching the spine as you go back, That will help you get the feeling of not having to do anything.
When you release the club and get the ball to start coming out the same way every time.
Janne
Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Adam
Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Jay
Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
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