Watching the match play tournament this weekend from southern
California you may occasionally see a player chipping with a 3 wood
from the fringe of the green.
Watching the match play tournament this weekend from southern California you may occasionally see a player chipping with a 3 wood from the fringe of the green. This shot has been made popular by Tiger Woods and really works…under the right circumstances.
Understanding what club to chip with under what circumstances is the most important selection to successful chipping. You may be the most talented chipper around but if the wrong club is in your hand for the situationyou will suddenly become a poor chipper.
The main question is how much loft you need to execute the shot. If you have an obstacle to go over such as a sand trap or you need to stop the ball quickly because of pin location use the highest loft club in the bag. If you have some room to carry the ball and some room to let it roll then a mid lofted club such as a 7-9 iron will work well.
When you have very little fringe tocarry and alot of green to work with then use a lower lofted club (like the 3 wood) this allows you to get the ball on the ground like a putt early and is not very risky because you don’t have to loft the ball. Hold the 3 wood just like a putter and take a nice long stroke. With some practice you can be just like “Tiger”.
Remember, when all else fails, take a lesson, you’ll be surprised how much we can help.
