Chipping Distance Control - Club Selection Tips to Chip it Close

Chip Shot Club Selection – Golf lesson and golf tips on how to select the correct club for chip shots.

► Chipping Club Selection Tips – Video Golf Lesson Summary

Let’s now look at how each club in your bag produces a different height and roll ratio. Note that the figures provided are ballpark figures and the results you will see will vary based on the inclination and the speed of the greens.

The most lofted club in one’s bag is often the lob wedge with a loft of around 60 degrees. A chip produced using a lob wedge will see the ball travel some 80% of the total distance in the air, and 20% of the distance rolling on the green.

In contrast, the pitching wedge will come in at around 48 degrees of loft. That club should produce around an even split of 50% of the distance in the air and 50% roll.

Going down further in loft we can look at the 7-iron with a loft of approximately 36 degrees. That club should produce a ball distance where 20% of it was spent in the air and 80% spent rolling.

Use these figures to determine the best club for the shot at hand. In some instances it will be impossible to use a 7-iron because the ball will need to fly over a bunker, for example. But in other instances, it might be wise to use that club and see the ball roll towards the flag when there is a lot of green to work with.