I Wish A Golf Coach Had Told Me How To Chip Like This Sooner

Have you ever wished you could effortlessly improve your short game in golf? This quick and effective guide introduces you to a simple five-minute chipping routine that will transform your approach to every short shot around the green.

Chip shots breathe life into a round. When you can trust your strike and control the low point of your swing, short-game anxiety evaporates and par saves start to feel routine. If you want a simple, repeatable method for how to chip that fits every around-the-green situation, this five-minute warm-up routine will do the trick.

This routine focuses on three things: establishing a consistent low point to ensure clean contact, keeping the trail arm stable for predictable face control, and developing an underarm-throw rhythm to control distance. Spend five minutes with this every time before a round, and your short game will improve dramatically.

Table of Contents

• Step 1: Forget Distance. Focus Only on Strike (how to chip)
• Step 2: Lock the Trail Arm, Keep the Wrists Quiet (how to chip)
• Step 3: Use an Underarm-Throw Rhythm to Control Distance (how to chip)
• Five-Minute Warm-Up Routine to Practice How to Chip
• Common Mistakes and Quick Fixes When Learning How to Chip
• Practice Progressions to Make This Your Default How to Chip Method
• How quickly will I see improvement if I practice this five-minute routine before each round?
• Final Notes on How to Chip

Step 1: Forget Distance. Focus Only on Strike (how to chip)

Calm your short-game nerves by guaranteeing consistent contact. Consistent strike is key, determined by where the club meets the ground and the depth of the arc through the turf. Any inconsistency can lead to poor shots.

Set up with a neutral hand position opposite your lead leg, standing close to the ball. Focus on keeping the upper and lower centers stacked for a predictable swing low point.

Feel the Leaning Tower of Pisa concept by tilting forward from the hips toward the target. Lock the trail leg almost straight to prevent swaying or collapsing during the stroke, maintaining the stacked centers for consistent contact.

Practice rocking your body forward and back while bracing the trail leg. The movement should take you up through the shot, leading to clean, ball-first contact.

One simple drill to lock in consistency is holding a golf bag or similar weight like an underarm throw, swinging it gently side to side while maintaining the lean and locked trail leg. The goal is to create a repeatable pivot for reliable impact.

Step 2: Lock the Trail Arm, Keep the Wrists Quiet (how to chip)

With a reliable pivot, integrate the trail arm into your swing. A calm, pendulum-like trail arm ensures consistent contact without unexpected wrist manipulation.

Use the setup from the body pivot practice. Let your trail arm hang naturally, like an underarm throw—this keeps the motion on the desired arc and prevents the instinct to flick at the ball.

Avoid rotating wrists to lift the ball. This disrupts face control and consistency. Instead, trust the pivot to set the arc. A disciplined trail arm contributes to clean strikes and reduced errors.

Step 3: Use an Underarm-Throw Rhythm to Control Distance (how to chip)

With control established, shift focus to distance through feel. Chipping resembles an underarm ball throw, focusing on swing length and tempo for consistent distance.

Maintain your setup and hand positioning. Treat the act like an underarm motion, using the body pivot and a calm trail arm as guides. Vary tempo and pendulum length for distance adjustments.

For height and trajectory adjustments, rely on ball position and club choice rather than wrists. Move the ball forward for height, back for low rolls—the same motion maximizes consistency.

How hand position influences strike

While hand position is crucial, it’s about setting wrist angle and trusting the pivot for downward interaction, not manipulating the ball up. Keep palms forward and the trail arm swinging; attempt no wrist flicks.

Five-Minute Warm-Up Routine to Practice How to Chip

This routine can be completed on the practice green before a round or during short game practice sessions. Consistent execution will ensure reliable strike.

1. Minute 0–1: Body pivot and Leaning Tower of Pisa
   • Set up with a slight forward lean and the trail leg almost locked straight.
   • Rock the body forward and back while keeping the centers stacked.
   • Do this without a club to feel the pivot.
2. Minute 1–2: Bag swing drill
   • Hold a bag or club like an underarm throw and swing side to side.
   • Keep the body lean and trail leg locked. No turn, just a pivot.
   • Feel the pendulum of your trail arm.
3. Minute 2–3: Short chips focusing on strike
   • Pick an easy target but ignore trajectory—focus only on clean, ball-first contact.
   • Keep wrists quiet and let the body pivot do the work.
4. Minute 3–4: Vary loft and ball position
   • Move the ball forward and open the face for higher shots, or back for low running chips.
   • Maintain the same pivot, trail arm position, and wrist calmness.
5. Minute 4–5: Distance control with underarm feel
   • Practice a range of 5, 10, 20-yard chips using the underarm throw rhythm.
   • Adjust swing length and tempo, not wrist action, to control distance.

Common Mistakes and Quick Fixes When Learning How to Chip

Problem: You thin or fat the shot because your body collapses. Lock the trail leg and maintain the Leaning Tower of Pisa tilt. Practice bag swings to instill the pivot feeling.

Problem: You flip your wrists to try and get the ball up. Keep the palms forward and the wrists passive. Let the body and trail arm produce the arc. If you feel like you must flick, go back to bag swings and slow-motion swings to retrain the nervous hands.

Problem: You can’t control distance. Treat chipping like underarm throwing. Use swing length and tempo to vary distance. Adjust ball position and club choice for trajectory. Focus on strike first, then distance.

Problem: You spin out or over-rotate and slice chips. That often comes from long-game tendencies leaking into the short game. Keep rotation minimal. The bag drill is crucial here. If you want to stop spinning out, practice small swings with the trail leg locked and trail arm swinging in a pendulum path.

Practice Progressions to Make This Your Default How to Chip Method

Follow these progressions over four practice sessions to ingrain the movement patterns.

1. Session 1: Focus purely on Leaning Tower of Pisa and bag swings for 10 minutes. No ball initially, then 20 short chips focusing only on strike.
2. Session 2: Add loft variations. Move ball position and open the face to feel higher chips. Do 30 chips at varying distances keeping the same feel.
3. Session 3: Simulate course lies. Use tight lies, light rough, and uphill/downhill chips. Maintain pivot and passive wrists.
4. Session 4: Play short-game challenges. Give yourself a target circle and try to land the ball inside it using the underarm rhythm for distance control.

Final Notes on How to Chip

Chipping does not require complex mechanics. It requires a predictable pivot, a calm wrist and trail arm, and a repeatable rhythm. Start by training the body pivot with the Leaning Tower of Pisa feel and the locked trail leg. Use a bag or club to practise an underarm-swing rhythm. Keep the wrists passive and let the trail arm swing like a pendulum. Use ball position and club loft to change trajectory, not wrist manipulation.

Spend five focused minutes before you play and commit to the practice progressions. The biggest benefit is confidence. When strike becomes reliable, your nervousness disappears and your short-game creativity returns. That leads to lower scores and more enjoyable rounds.

Practice the routine, trust the pivot, and let the club do the work.