This story is for you if...
• You're afraid of decelerating the club when you chip...
• ...so you accelerate it and run the ball past the hole
• You have the chipping yips
The Fault
When you only concentrate on accelerating through the ball, you'll be too fast and won't make enough of a backswing. That'll give you a sure case of the yips.
The Fix
Focus on solid contact and forget about decelerating or accelerating.
Try this drill:
Lay your bag down about 18 inches in front of your ball. Address the ball with your sand wedge, and keep your weight shifted forward and your hands ahead of the ball. Make your normal chipping stroke so that the ball clears the bag but the clubhead doesn't touch the bag.
Why It Works
The bag forces you to make a chop-like stroke and hit the ball with a sharp, descending blow. This stroke puts spin on the ball, which gives you more control of the speed on the green.
To get the speed right, think about how you clap your hands to make noise. For a louder clap, you strike your hands together harder. The same principle applies here. Expect a light clap of the ball to go 5 yards in the air, a medium clap 10 yards, and a fast clap to fly 15 yards.
