This pitch and chip guide came from iconian in the fourms and is very popular.

 

*This has been fairly popular. I finally have some free time to properly update it with more readable language and better formatting. A special thank you goes to drivnchaos for his help with the wording.

 

*I know many of you have trouble figuring exactly how the chip and pitch shots work. Since all clubs have different distances, when using the chip or pitch shot, this will be a general guide. If you use this as a guideline, and practice a bit, you should be able to improve your short game. During the first section of this guide we'll be using the standard clubs, standard green speed and standard ball. Later on the different green speeds and balls will be covered.

 

Due to green speed changes, at the end of this guide, I will update with the details on how to adjust it. If you do not read the last paragraph if this guide, then you might as well close the window now!

 

I'll start with the chip shot:The chip shot gives about 25% air travel, the rest is time spent rolling on the green. Chip shot is most important when a person in on a fringe and has a putt with major break and/or elevation change. It allows you to carry few yards in the air, bypass all the nasty elevation/break and then land on green and roll in the roll.

 

This means an accurate read of the green is needed when using this. Since the air time is so short, the distance from the green is also a big factor. If you are more than 2yds off the green, do not use the chip shot. The pitch shot is the better option. Most often the chip is played using a wedge, but can be played with any iron.

 

Remember that the ball spends alot of time on the green when chipping so the right/left break must be read accurately. It is probably best not to go any higher than a 9 or 8 iron for this reason. ie:You're trying to chip a 35yd shot. Your ball will land about 9 yrds away, and roll another 26 yds. That's a 78 ft roll where the break of the green will influence your shot. The distance of each club is the distance when playing from the fairway, to a level target.

 

If You are standing on the fairway, the hole is 17yds away, and the elevation is 0, your shot should go about 17yds. Since this is usually not the given lie, here are a few things to factor into your shot.

 

1) What is your lie in the rough and how far away is the green. Remember if you are more than 2yds from the green, don't use the chip.

2)What is the elevation difference.

3)What is the break of the green where your shot will first hit the green. The break may be slight near the hole, but remember that the ball rolls for 75% of the shot. Try dragging the aim arrow to where you think the ball will touchdown, and check the break there also.

4)Always practice using 1 type of chip. I always use backspin, very rarely using topspin or no spin, so all distances givin are using backspin.With these things in mind, here are a couple of examples.

 

For these I'll be using a 17yd chip shot

 

A) You have a 13yd chip from 40/50 rough and the hole is 1ft below you. Your ball is on the edge of the rough, so there should be no problem using the chip shot. Now since you're in the 40/50 rough, more power is needed, but the hole is downhill so there is more run involved. That's the tricky part.In general the 40/50 rough requires 40% more power to get the distance you want.That means in order to go 13yds, A shot with 19yds of power is needed. Remember this is with 0 elevation change.The hole being 1ft lower than the ball means that a full 17yd chip shot from the fairway, would run to about 20yds. This is where practice is needed.Knowing that the ball will go 20yds due to the downslope, and knowing more power is needed to release the ball from the rough, you need to find the midpoint of the 2 shots. From experience I've found that hitting with 15yds of power, and full backspin, I can drop it within 3ft 8 out of 10 times. Remember that this is a shot with no left/right break.

 

B) This one you're on the fairway chipping to an uphill green with a break to the right. A good example of this is Bethpage hole #11.You're about 19yds short and the hole is 2ft uphill. The green breaks hard left to right. Remember that hitting uphill will require more power, but since you're on the fairway, not alot more. Also, the break will add distance to the shot. 1yd per foot uphill, and since I'm aiming about 1yd to the left, I'll add an extra yd. Thats 3yds extra power, aiming to the left about a yard. Usually this gets me up close to the hole.

 

The best thing here is practice.The thing to think about with chipping is this. It is a recovery shot. You have missed the green with your first, second, or third shot, and now you just want to save par. Getting it close to the hole, for an easy putt, is the important part. Course management and effective use of the chip, will save you at least 1-2 shots per round. As you will be consistently getting close to the hole, the chips will start to fall in.

 

Now I'll move on to the pitch shot.The pitch shot gives about 50% air travel before hitting the green. This means less time rolling, and less influence from the break.The pitch shot works well when you're to far away to chip.

 

This is most often on Bethpage where the rough stops the ball quickly. The use of the pitch shot is essential on Bethpage.Here are a few rules to follow for the pitch shot:

 

1) From the fairway subtract 4 to 5 yards

2) From 30/40 rough add 0 yard

3) From 40/50 rough add 2 yards

4) from 10/20 sand subtract 1 yards

 

The same rules apply to pitching as they do on chipping when an uphill/downhill approach is encountered. Also take into account the right/left break of the green. As I said earlier, the break has less influence because the ball is not spending as much time on the green.The pitch shot is very useful when you are short of the green on Bethpage #10.

 

When I am in the rough or sand 22-28 yds out, I just follow the above rules, and I am within 5ft 90% of the time. There are some greens that have a large incline between the rough/sand and the hole. #5 and #6 on Bethpage are good examples of this. This is where being 2yds off your power can mean being stuck in the rough or being 10-12ft past the hole. The best advice I can give you is to keep notes on the trouble spots. That way when you are there again, and you will be lol, you can adust your shots for a better result.

 

As a final note on chipping and pitching. These 2 shots are probably the most consistent parts of this game. Being able to use them properly will easily shave 2-3 strokes off your game on Bethpage.

 

Just a few words on the punch option. I like to call this an advanced option. This shot works well on Bethpage to get yourself out a tough situation. The rough on that course is deep in most spots, and the punch shot can really save your round. I find that when punch is used, from the rough, the distance of the club travel is closer than that of a full shot.

 

This also works when you are facing a headwind, from the fairway. A good example of this is Bethpage #1. A 188yd punch shot into a 9 headwind will go about 185yds. A 185yd full shot will only go about 177yds.The punch has a few more fairway uses on Kiawah though. I regularly use it on holes #13, #15, and #16 for 2 reasons.

 

The first is those holes usually play a short by 3-4yds, and any kind of wind, along with deviations can cause havoc. I once hit a perfect 128yd club with a 5 tailwind only to land at 115yds on Kiawah #16. By hitting the punch shot there I can be sure it will get there. The punch shot does take more practice, and a gentle touch, so I will not go into much more detail. You will have to try it out, first by getting yourself out of trouble, then by experimenting with it in different situations.

 

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