Jay Golden: Hi! I am PGA member, Jay Golden and the purpose of this series is to teach parents how to get their children to enjoy golf. This segment is on chipping. The first fundamental in chipping is a short back swing. Short back swing and a chip, short chip. I have seen a lot of children, and some adults as well, bring the club back too far and then slow up into the ball. That isnt what we want. We want a short back swing and a solid hit; Short back swing.

The short back swing is the first key to good chipping. Next is a solid hit. Every shot in golf, the number one fundamental is a solid hit. Its true in chipping. You don't want to decelerate with a big back swing and slow up into the ball. You want to bring it back short, as we have already discussed and you want to hit the ball solidly. Nothing is more important than a solid hit; Solid hit. A follow through is very important in chipping because if you hit and stop, there is a possibility of hitting behind the ball and hitting the ball a very short distance, if at all. So if I hit and stop, I can hit the ground first very easily; but a follow through, which is approximately the same length as your back swing or a little longer. But if you bring a club back this far, your follow through at least that far, or you can even go a little further. But a follow through gives you a better chance for acceleration and not deceleration, which is one of the things you do in this chipping that really helps you. It helps you accelerate, it keeps that club moving and it makes it less likely that you are going to hit behind the ball. A great way to improve your chipping is with a drill that I call, take your ball for a walk. Take a 7 Iron. Chip and walk, chip and walk. Hit it only between 3 feet and 10 feet, chip and walk, chip and walk. If you take your ball for a walk and if you walk it several times a day, you will definitely improve your chipping. Now stay with us for some more fun drills.