Jonathan Yarwood: Short game drills (part 2)
Jonathan Yarwood shows us that the key to chipping correctly is learning to keep your movement natural. Adjusting your stance and set up will buy you a better movement.
Technique
“Ball back, hands forward, weight forward” How many of you still rely on that coaching mantra around the green?
It’s a phrase that has been around in golf since the year dot – and one that only rewards you with a limited repertoire of shots.
Problems arise from the fact that as the ball is played back in the stance. This causes you to have a chipping action where the angle of attack becomes steep and the club face is massively delofted.
The end result is a very aggressive strike on the ball that denies you the versatility to control spin an trajectory.
By contrast, tour players work on much smarter technique, one that enables them to play these finesse shots.
With arms hanging naturally, the ball is drawn in towards the body, so the sole of the club is flush on the turf and the shaft gently leans towards the target.
Ideally, you play the ball in the centre of the stance, directly below the sternum and with your wright spread evenly as you gently lean your upper body to the target.
The key is that the arms and the torso are encouraged to work together to get the club swinging back and through on a shallow, U-shaped arc.
The right hands play a subtle but vital role; the right writ hinges going back before releasing through impact.
As you develop this skill so you will enjoy delivering the true loft of the club face to the ball.
