“Golf’s three ugliest words: still your shot” - Dave Marr
By Ian Hardie
Many times over the years I have been asked by golfers;
Should I use a wedge and get the ball up in the air
Or should I run the ball along the ground
When chipping
The first part of my answer is always
“It depends”
Which is not the most definitive answer, I guess
But it’s the truth
As the first part to consider is whether there is anything between the ball and the hole
Like a sand trap
A reasonable patch of rough
A ridge running through the green
An upper tier of the green where the hole is positioned
Not to mention how the ball is lying in or on the grass
So the rule of thumb I use to decide
As you might have guessed by now
Is that I generally look to play a chip shot when there is no trouble between the ball and the hole
Which leaves me looking to play a pitch shot when there is something between the ball and the hole
Something that would be simpler to play over
If you’re not sure of the difference between the two types of shot
Here it is
With a chip shot you are trying to strike the ball with a club that will get the ball briefly into the air
Come down on the green as soon as possible
Then the ball rolls the rest of the way to the hole
As you will have guessed by now – the chip shot has a low trajectory because it is not intended to be used to hit the ball over any trouble
When playing it you are usually fairly close to the green
Most golfers would use a 7 or an 8 iron but it can be played with longer clubs
An exceptionally long chip could easily call for a 5 iron to be used for example
A pitch shot on the other hand is a higher trajectory shot
That is intentionally played up in the air quickly
In an effort to land the ball close to the hole
And have it stop very quickly afterwards
A very effective shot to play when there is trouble between the ball and the hole
It is generally attempted with the golfers pitching, sand or lob wedge
So while the first part of my answer to this question is always
‘It depends’
The second part of my answer is usually
‘It depends’ as well
Way to definitively answer the tough questions Ian!
But it really does depend
On your personal competence with both types of shot
And your preference and experience when it comes to deciding which way to go
My suggestion is that you need to go spend some time either on the course or around a practice green
And put a few balls down in a bunch of different situations
Then hit each ball with a different club
Watching how the ball reacts
Where it finishes
And taking note of whether you feel confident in reproducing that shot in a game
Or did the shot go poorly
As it simply wasn’t the right one to play?
After a few weeks of doing this you can build up a very good mental framework
As to which shot and club
Suit which situations around the green
For you personally
A final point that may help
Many years ago as a young professional I played almost every shot as a pitch shot
Mainly because I was pretty good at it
As well as the fun I had putting a load of backspin on each shot
Which if you can do it – you know what it’s like!
Anyway, one day I was playing a round with a very experienced tour professional
Having missed the green in regulation, I played a shot towards the hole
I expect I was probably trying to demonstrate my pitching prowess to the tour professional
Even though there was no trouble between my ball and the hole
I struck it perfectly and as a result it hit the green with a significant amount of spin
But instead of stopping by the hole
It bit and spun sideways about 4 feet from the hole
Next to play from a similar position
The tour pro calmly selected a 7 iron from his bag
Played a simple chip and run shot
That rolled on a direct line to the hole
And fell in for birdie
After I subsequently missed my par putt
He took me aside and explained that many years ago
He played a lot of shots like I had tried to play on that hole
But years of experience on the tour had taught him
That the most consistent way to play those shots
And in the process avoid stupid bogeys – like I had just made!
Was to select the club and the shot
That gets the ball onto the green and rolling towards the hole as soon as possible
Instead of trying to figure out if the ball will spin sideways when it lands
And inviting the possibility of bogey or worse
It was good advice
You should try it sometime
Play well
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