Chip and run technique video

Paul Foston has some useful tips on the chip and run technique, including correct club selection and proper technique.

Chip and run technique

I see the chip and run as an extension of a putt, so the technique is very simple. Start by positioning the ball in the centre of a relatively narrow stance.

Split your weight evenly, slightly favouring your left side. Set an athletic posture and let your arms hang naturally down, the club should be an extension of your left arm.

For the chip shot your right hand is a passenger, focus on moving the upper body ensuring the backswing and throughswing are of equal length.

Avoid hinging the wrist like you would with a pitch and it will help your feel. This will ensure you don’t add any loft through impact, and by simplifying the action, you’re more likely to make sweet strikes. The club should just brush the ground through the strike, collecting the ball as it goes.

Your options

One of the best things about the chip and run is that it involves just one technique. And that same technique should be adopted for a range of different clubs, with each producing a different result.

If this is a shot you haven’t practised, or are learning for the first time, take three clubs – a pitching wedge, 8-iron and 5-iron.

Use these three clubs to hit a series of chips to no target in particular. Try to keep the chipping stroke and rhythm the same, and make a mental note of the ratio between flight and roll for each.

When you get to the course, this positive picture will prove invaluable in picking the right shot. I also use this technique for my hybrid chips.

This is a great option for longer chip and runs, but will require some practice before you take it to the course as the ball can come off the face quite fast.

More top golf tips

Your options

One of the best things about the chip and run is that it involves just one technique. And that same technique should be adopted for a range of different clubs, with each producing a different result.

If this is a shot you haven’t practised, or are learning for the first time, take three clubs – a pitching wedge, 8-iron and 5-iron.

Use these three clubs to hit a series of chips to no target in particular. Try to keep the chipping stroke and rhythm the same, and make a mental note of the ratio between flight and roll for each.

When you get to the course, this positive picture will prove invaluable in picking the right shot. I also use this technique for my hybrid chips.

This is a great option for longer chip and runs, but will require some practice before you take it to the course as the ball can come off the face quite fast.

 Watch Peter Uihlein's chip and run video lesson

Don’t dig

One of the traps I often see amateurs fall into is placing the ball too far back in the stance and putting too much weight on the front foot at address.

This leaning of the shaft promotes an angle of attack that is too steep. Through impact the club is likely to dig, and you’ll end up duffing the shot.

Keeping the ball in the centre of your stance will lead to a shallower angle of attack, resulting in more consistent strikes.

Find your rhythm

A great drill for the chip and run is to only use your left hand. Your upper body is the engine room for this shot, moving the shoulders both back and through will ensure that your left wrist doesn’t collapse through impact – also remember the technique points we’ve already discussed.

This drill is a great way to develop the pendulum rhythm that is at the heart of consistently good distance judgment.

The more shots you hit, the better the strikes will become – this is a great way to groove the feel for this essential shot.

You should notice how effective a smooth, flowing rhythm is for producing more predictable results.