How to Chip in Golf
There is a certain humiliation in standing ten yards from the green and discovering that the game has become much harder, not easier. You have survived the tee shot, managed the approach well enough, and now face the little in-between shot that looks harmless until it is not. Chipping is golf’s quiet test. It asks for touch without fear, simplicity without laziness, and enough humility to let the ball run when running is the sensible thing.
At its core, a chip shot is meant to get the ball on the ground fairly quickly and let it release toward the hole. PGA instruction materials describe a chip as a shot with more run than rise, which is a useful way to think about it for golfers of any skill level.
For beginners, chipping can feel mysterious because the swing is small and the mistakes are somehow large. For better players, it becomes a craft: trajectory, landing spot, spin, rollout, and nerve. Either way, the fundamentals remain beautifully plain.
What Is a Chip Shot?
A chip shot is a short-game shot played from near the green, typically with limited airtime and more rollout once the ball lands. PGA instruction distinguishes it from a pitch shot by describing the chip as a simpler motion with less wrist hinge and more reliance on the shoulders and body turning the club through the ball.
That distinction matters. Many golfers get into trouble because they try to turn every short shot into a miniature high soft shot. Often the smarter play is duller and better: land the ball on a spot, let it roll, and behave as though you are using a putter with loft.
When to Chip Instead of Pitch
Chipping is usually the right choice when you are close to the green, have some green to work with, and do not need the ball to fly very high. PGA guidance notes that a chip is designed to get over a small amount of fringe or rough and then release like a putt.
A pitch, by contrast, is better when you need the ball to stay in the air longer, clear more trouble, or stop faster after it lands.
A good rule for golfers at every level is simple: when you can keep the ball lower and rolling, that is often the higher-percentage play. Golf Digest instruction aimed at beginners likewise recommends a straightforward chipping technique that favors simplicity and body control over excess hand action.
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How to Chip in Golf: The Basic Setup
The setup for a basic chip shot should feel compact and organized, not dramatic.
Start with a narrow stance. Let your feet sit a bit closer together than they would for a full swing. Many teaching sources also recommend a slightly open stance and a modest favoring of your lead side to help encourage cleaner contact. PGA instruction specifically suggests feet close together, a slightly open body line, and weight favoring the lead leg.
Place the ball around the middle to slightly back of center in your stance for a standard chip. This setup can help produce the lower launch and cleaner strike most golfers want on a basic running chip.
Keep your hands quiet and your posture relaxed. The shot should feel as though your chest, shoulders, and arms are moving together. Golf Digest’s beginner guidance stresses using the bigger muscles rather than flicking the ball with the hands.
The Basic Chipping Motion
A good chip is usually a modest motion with modest ambitions. No one should be out there trying to perform opera from ten yards off the green.
Think of the motion as a short, connected swing. Rock the shoulders back and through. Let the chest keep moving. Avoid the urge to scoop the ball into the air. The loft on the club is more than willing to help if you do not interfere with it. PGA instruction describes the chip as a more one-piece motion, especially compared with a pitch shot that uses more wrist hinge and a larger motion.
The goal is not to help the ball up. The goal is to strike it cleanly, land it where you want, and let the club do its work.
For many players, especially beginners, the most common chipping mistakes are these:
trying to lift the ball
decelerating through impact
using too much wrist action
choosing more loft than the shot requires
Instruction from Golf Digest and PGA sources repeatedly points toward a simpler, lower, more rolling chip as the reliable option for most ordinary situations.
Which Club Should You Use for Chipping?
This is where golfers make life harder than necessary.
You do not need to chip every shot with your highest-lofted wedge. In fact, instruction from Golf Digest and PGA sources often recommends less-lofted clubs for standard chips because they get the ball moving toward the hole with more predictable rollout. Pitching wedges, 9-irons, and even 8-irons are commonly suggested for lower, simpler chips.
A useful way to think about club selection:
More loft: more carry, less roll
Less loft: less carry, more roll
That is not poetry, but it is dependable.
For beginners, one of the best ways to learn distance control is to practice the same basic motion with different clubs and watch how the rollout changes. For experienced golfers, that same exercise becomes a way of sharpening imagination around the greens.
Where Should the Ball Land?
Most good chips are built backward. You do not begin by thinking about the swing. You begin by choosing a landing spot.
Pick a place on the green where you want the ball to touch down, then picture how it will roll from there. Since chipping is designed to produce more run than rise, the landing spot is often closer to you than many beginners expect.
This is one of the quiet pleasures of the short game. It turns golf into a game of imagination rather than force. You are no longer trying to hit the ball hard enough. You are trying to tell it a story: land there, release here, turn a little, stop near the hole.
Common Chipping Mistakes
1. Scooping the ball
The ball does not need your assistance in getting airborne. Trying to scoop it usually leads to thin or chunked shots. A more stable setup and body-driven motion tend to produce better contact.
2. Too much wrist hinge
A basic chip is generally a simpler motion than a pitch. Too much wrist action can make low-point control unreliable.
3. Using too much loft
Many average golfers reach for a sand wedge or lob wedge when a less-lofted club would make the shot easier. Golf Digest instruction specifically recommends considering a pitching wedge or 9-iron for many chip shots.
4. Stopping through impact
A chip needs rhythm. When golfers slow down out of fear, the strike often suffers. Even on small shots, the motion should continue through the ball.
5. Ignoring the lie
A tight fairway lie, light rough, downhill slope, or grainy patch of turf can all change the shot. More recent PGA short-game advice encourages practicing from different lies and scenarios rather than repeating the same easy chip over and over.
A Simple Chipping Drill
A sensible drill is to drop several balls around a green and chip each one to the same hole using the same setup, then repeat with a different club. This lets you learn the relationship between loft, landing spot, and rollout. Recent PGA practice guidance also emphasizes varied short-game practice with different targets and challenges, which mirrors how chipping actually appears on the course.
Another useful version is to place a towel or small marker on the green and try to land your chips on it. That teaches the skill that matters most: not merely striking the ball, but controlling where it first lands.
How Beginners Should Think About Chipping
Beginners often imagine that improvement comes from adding complexity. Usually the opposite is true.
Use a simple setup. Choose a sensible club. Make a short motion with your body staying involved. Pick a landing spot and trust the shot. The game around the greens becomes friendlier once you stop trying to manufacture something heroic.
That is the real charm of chipping. It is less about flair than about judgment. And judgment, unlike speed or strength, tends to improve with attention.
How Better Players Get Better at Chipping
Seasoned players already know the shot is not just about contact. It is about choosing the right trajectory, reading slope like a putt, matching rollout to green speed, and rehearsing a motion that fits the lie. They understand there is no single chip shot, only the correct response to a specific problem. PGA and Golf Digest instruction both support this broader view by separating the standard running chip from higher or more specialized short-game shots.
In that sense, chipping is one of the purest forms of golf intelligence. It rewards restraint. It rewards clear eyes. It rewards the golfer who can look at a shot and say, without ego, this one should stay low.
FAQs About How to Chip in Golf
What is the difference between a chip shot and a pitch shot?
A chip shot usually flies lower and rolls more, while a pitch shot flies farther in the air and stops faster. PGA instruction describes the chip as a simpler motion with less wrist hinge than a pitch.
What club is best for chipping?
For many standard chip shots, a pitching wedge, 9-iron, or 8-iron can be a smart choice because less loft often makes rollout easier to predict.
Should I use a sand wedge to chip?
Sometimes, but not always. A sand wedge can be useful when you need more height or less rollout, but many everyday chips are easier with a less-lofted club.
Where should the ball be in my stance for chipping?
For a basic chip, many instructors recommend ball position around center to slightly back of center, paired with a narrow stance and a bit more weight on the lead side.
Why do I keep chunking chip shots?
Chunked chips often come from trying to help the ball into the air, using too much wrist action, or letting the low point fall behind the ball. A simpler setup and body-driven motion usually help.
Why do I blade chip shots across the green?
Bladed chips often happen when the club bottoms out too early and rises into the ball, or when a golfer gets too handsy and tries to scoop it. Keeping the motion connected and continuing through impact can help.
Is chipping better than putting from off the green?
Not always. If the ground between the ball and the hole is smooth enough, putting can be the easier option. Chipping becomes more useful when fringe, rough, slope, or other conditions make a putt less practical. That broader short-game decision-making is consistent with PGA guidance on using a chip when you need to carry a little bit of turf before letting the ball run.
How can I practice chipping at home or on the practice green?
A good starting point is to pick landing spots and test different clubs with the same motion. Varied practice with different lies and targets is also recommended in recent PGA short-game advice.
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