Three Steps And A Sleeve Of Balls... That's All You Need To Become A Better Chipper

Improve your chipping in three easy steps

(Image credit: Howard Boylan)

published 7 December 2023

A number of amateurs struggle with chipping, especially those with high handicaps. Indeed, the stats show a significant difference between scratch, 10-handicap and 20-handicap players. But it's not something you need to lose sleep over.

Below, Golf Monthly Top 50 Coach Alex Elliott delivers a three-part lesson, with the aid of a golf ball box, that should help boost your confidence around the greens...

1) Let’s use something you’ve already got in your bag, a golf ball box, and get you finding the middle of the clubface more. Those strikes towards the heel or toe give us all sleepless nights, so place the box a fingertip’s width outside the ball (image below). The idea here is to just miss the box. If you move your hands closer towards the ball on the through swing, then you’re going to catch the box. If you go a little bit out and pull the club in, again you will catch the box. Nice and simple.

2) The biggest route to consistency with your pitching and chipping is keeping that club on plane. If you whip it inside on the way back, you’re going to have problems. Grab a wedge and place it underneath your front foot, under the ball of big toe on your left foot for a right-hander (image below). If you whip the club on the inside, you’ll come into contact with the grip. The club may feel a bit more out on the way back, but that’s a great feeling if you do bring it back on the inside. You should soon start noticing crisper strikes.

3) This is one of my favourite chipping tips. I’ve placed the box roughly a foot behind the ball (image below) and my only aim is to avoid the box on the way back, and hopefully on the way down, to help create a more descending blow. If you are prone to scooping your chips, the box will feel like it’s massively in your way. The objective here is to change your angle of attack. Practise this and you’ll quickly build confidence around the greens

Location: Mottram Hall

Alex spent a great deal of time learning the game from fellow northwest golfer, Andrew Murray, who was a European Tour regular from 1979 to 1995. He spent three years on the European Tour caddying for Andrew’s son, Tom, before taking his PGA qualifications. His passion for the game and personality in front of the camera has helped him to create a thriving social media platform on Instagram and YouTube, where he offers a whole host of tips and advice to help viewers shoot lower scores.

Most significant influences on your teaching:

Mike Bender's book, 'Build The Swing Of A Lifetime', which I read during my PGA qualifications. He uses so many different tools to help students deliver the club better when hitting the golf ball. Andrew Murray, too. He helped form the way I interact with golfers and simplified what can be a complex game for a club golfer.

Advice for practice:

I like to get students to work in sets of five golf balls – three drills shots to two course shots. The drill shots have no consequence, but with the two course shots, I ask the student to create a green or fairway and go through a full routine.

Greatest success story:

One of my students hadn’t played golf for ten years - he'd lost his love for the game. After watching my online Instagram and YouTube content, he came for several golf lessons and has now joined a local golf club. Knowing I've helped get someone back into golf... you can't beat that.

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