The One Stop Trying to Chip Like a Tour Player
The most common chipping fault I see has nothing to do with technique. It's shot selection. Amateurs reach for loft when they should be thinking about roll, and it costs them more shots per round than any swing fault ever could. Tour players make flop shots look easy because they practise them for hours every week, have perfectly grooved technique, and choose them only when nothing else will work. What you see on television is the exception, not the strategy.
The rule that changes everything
If the green is firm and relatively flat, get the ball on the ground and rolling as early as possible. A ball rolling on the green behaves far more predictably than a ball in the air — and predictability is what turns three shots into two. The simplest version of this rule: use the least loft necessary to clear whatever is between you and the green. If there's nothing to carry, a 7-iron bump-and-run is often a better shot than a wedge.
What to look for in your own chipping
- You only look at the flag when greenside
- Your first thought isn't keeping it low
- Your ball spends more time in the air than rolling
Why most amateurs do the opposite
Loft feels safer. A high, soft shot feels like it gives you more control — but that's an illusion. The higher the ball goes, the more variables come into play: wind, spin, contact quality, bounce. A low, running chip removes most of those variables in one decision. The other issue is ego. Nobody wants to be seen playing a 7-iron from twenty yards off the green. Tour players have no such hesitation, and that's partly why they make it look effortless.n.
Building a simple decision framework
Before every chip shot, ask yourself three things: what am I carrying, how much green do I have, and what does the ground between here and the flag look like? The answers to those three questions should dictate your club choice far more than habit or comfort does.
Pick one spot around the practice green and chip ten balls to the same hole using a wedge, a 9-iron, and a 7-iron. Count how many of each finish within three feet.
Most golfers are surprised to find their lower-lofted shots are significantly more consistent. Let the numbers change your instinct — not theory, evidence.
Submit a chipping or pitching video and get a detailed personal breakdown from Gregg — including exactly what to change and what to practise first.
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