"Develop a pattern and follow it."
Carrying over ideas from one realm of thought to another and integrating them is the sign of intelligence. Retaining the essential characteristics of the idea while putting on a new face is the theme of preservation. The stroking motion developed in putting will also be used as the technique for chipping. Chipping is 'putting with a tilted club'.
Stroke saving is the cornerstone of a good short game. Momentum can gained or lost on one simple small stroke. No one will hit every shot perfect, so being able to 'scramble' is the signature of the skilled player.
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"GO with what you got"
In chipping, distance is the primary consideration. Getting the ball 'up' close to the hole in one chip, then 'down' in one putt is the objective. Chipping is simply putting with a lofted club.
The Short Game Family
Proper club selection for a particular chip can be an art. The chip requires that the club face stroke the ball below its equator. This descending strike lofts the ball out of its lie onto the putting surface where it rolls to the cup.
The eight iron, sand wedge and pitching wedge comprise the 'short game family'. Which along with the putter, will be the clubs mainly used for chipping.
The eight iron will be used to deliver a low trajectory shot which rolls the majority of the distance to the cup, while the wedges will be used to loft the ball onto the green with relatively shorter roll. The higher the trajectory of the shot, the less roll, the lower the trajectory of the shot the more roll. In manufacturing chipping distance, the eight iron will produce a distance equivalent to a putter utilizing the same stroke size and rhythm, whereas the sand wedge will only go half the distance and the pitching wedge will go 75% distance. Another way to look at it: the sand wedge requires twice the stroke size of the eight iron to produce the same distance as the eight/putter, while the pitching wedge requires 1.5 times the stroke size as the eight/putter to produce a similar distance.
Sizing it Up
For proper club selection recognize this rule of thumb. The eight iron flies about one third of the distance to the pin, the pitching wedge flies about half the distance and the sand wedge flies two thirds or 66% of the distance with the remainder in each case being the roll. The lower the trajectory the more consistent the roll pattern.
Next Chapter: Here Comes the Pitch