Use an alignment stick to fix wrist breakdown in chipping - Short Game #86.
Use an alignment stick to fix wrist breakdown in chipping - Short Game #86.
Hi, I’m Mel Sole, Director of Instruction at the Mel Sole Golf School, headquartered at Pawleys Plantation Golf and Country Club in Pawleys Island, SC. We conduct 1, 2, and 3-day golf schools, hourly golf lessons, and senior golf schools—any golf instruction program your heart desires. Give us a call at 800-624-4653 or 843-237-4993. We will be happy to book a commuter school or a package that contains accommodations, golf, and golf school.
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The breakdown of the lead wrist in either chipping or putting will cause inconsistency in the impact position. The loft at impact in a chip shot controls the amount of roll, depending on which club you are using. Here is a way to cure your wrist breakdown in chipping once and for all.
The Method.
Place an alignment stick at a slight angle in the ground with your hands' top of the alignment stick level. The idea is to hit your chip shot and let the back of your lead wrist hit the alignment stick. This gives you feedback that your wrist is not breaking down, and you should notice an immediate improvement in the strike. The ball will come off the middle of the clubface with a consistent trajectory time after time.
While working on the technique, do not select a target. In fact, this is something you can do at home on your lawn and even indoors on the carpet. Focus on finishing in the correct position each time. There should still be a straight line after the chipping stroke through the lead arm and shaft.
Introduce the Target.
Using different clubs to control the roll is the final step in improving your chipping. The Golden Rule in chipping is "Fly the ball as little as possible and roll the ball as much as possible while landing the ball on the putting surface." This means that you will be using a different club each time. Here is an earlier article on which clubs give you the correct airtime/ground time ratio.
There are three reasons why chipping with a straight face club is the best method.
- When chipping with a 6 iron, for example, you will need a smaller backswing than, say, a Sand Wedge. The smaller the backswing, the less chance of error.
- When chipping with a straight-faced club, the roll is more predictable. Chipping with a Sand wedge or Lob Wedge sometimes has spin, which affects the roll's consistency.
- The miss-hits with a straight-faced club will finish closer to the hole than a lofted club. Reason - the backswing is smaller, so there is less clubhead speed at impact.
Head to the range and work on all these aspects to really become a great chipper.
https://youtu.be/6fo3VF5_FCs
Source: Mel Sole Golf School
Thanks for watching - Use an alignment stick to fix wrist breakdown in chipping - Short Game #86.
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