The Power of Connection: To improve your chipping, focus on keeping your trail arm connected to your torso during the backswing. When the arm becomes disconnected, the swing often falls off plane, leading to inconsistent strikes.
Rotate the Chest, Not the Arms: Keeping the trail arm tucked forces you to rotate your chest back and through. If you only move your arms, your chest will stay static, which kills the rhythm and “sync” of the chip.
The “Soft” Trail Arm: Avoid letting your back arm get rigid or tense. Keeping the arm soft allows the club head to stay outside the hands during the takeaway, preventing the club from being sucked too far inside.
The Skill vs. Target Mindset: When practicing these movements, focus entirely on the “skill” rather than a specific target. Once the connection feels natural, then you can begin transferring that skill to aiming at specific flags.
The Vertical Hinge for High Shots: For a higher flight, open the clubface and add a vertical hinge. If you rotate your chest correctly, the club should naturally “drop” into the ball without you having to force it.
Lies Matter: High, soft chips require a decent lie. If the ball is sitting deep in the rough, avoid the high-hinge shot and opt for a simpler, lower-trajectory technique.
Questions and Answers
Q: Why does my club keep getting “sucked inside” on the takeaway? A: This usually happens when the trail arm disconnects from the body. By keeping that arm tucked and focusing on chest rotation, the club head will naturally stay outside your hands.
Q: Should I be tense to keep my arm connected? A: No. You want the trail arm to be “soft.” Rigidity in the arms leads to jerky movements; softness allows the chest to lead the swing.
