Eric Axley on Chipping

I wanted to do a post on Robert Karlsson's swing, but it'll have to wait until tomorrow. Instead, I found this chipping tips video by tour player Eric Axley. It caught my attention because he shows how to adjust for three different types of chip and flop shots.



The thing to note here is that he has to make multiple adjustments to play different types of chips:

• Ball position: forward in the stance for flops, back in the stance for low chips
• Hand position: behind the ball for flops, ahead of the ball for low chips
• Clubface position: open for flops, square for low chips
• Length of stroke: long for flops, short for low chips
• Amount of wrist hinge: lots of movement for flops, keep them firm for low chips

Granted, this is just one player's short game method. But it may give you some idea of just how much you need to adjust to play the chip shots that give you the most trouble.

Oh, and one extra note not mentioned in the video: If you intend to play flops off a tight lie the way Eric does here, you'll need a wedge with very little bounce. Otherwise, the front edge will be too high when you open the clubface and you'll skull your flops. (That even sounds painful.)