then you’ve gotta get up and down when you’re around the green.

This becomes even more amplified for the mid to higher handicap golfer simply because by definition the higher handicapper won’t be as accurate with their approach shots, hence they will miss more greens… when you miss more greens; you need to have a short game that can get you up and down from off the green.

A good short game is a great remedy for earlier misguided shots…

not to mention a good short game will put more pressure on your opponents.

A good practice drill for you is to take a handful of golf balls and from just off the practice green play a round of par 2 golf. Chip your five or so balls at the hole…

once done putt your chips in starting with chip that came the closest. If you’re down in 2 then you par… if not… you bogey.

A couple of benefits will happen here. First your chipping and putting will begin to improve. Secondly, you’ll be simulating what really goes on when you’re playing your rounds of golf.

Now if you want to even more accurately what reflects an actual round of golf, get together with one of your playing partners and work this drill with a bit of friendly competition added to the mix.

No matter what the stakes (or steaks) are, this will assuredly heighten your focus or even make you pucker up a bit… but this is what we want…

to get you to a comfort level with some real time pressure and game like environment. The more you put yourself in this type of situation the more comfortable you and your game will become. Don’t under estimate the value of this.

Now get out there and start getting better!

This becomes even more amplified for the mid to higher handicap golfer simply because by definition the higher handicapper won’t be as accurate with their approach shots, hence they will miss more greens… when you miss more greens; you need to have a short game that can get you up and down from off the green.

A good short game is a great remedy for earlier misguided shots… not to mention a good short game will put more pressure on your opponents.

A good golf chipping practice drill for you is to take a handful of golf balls and from just off the practice green play a round of par 2 golf. Chip your five or so balls at the hole… once done putt your chips in starting with chip that came the closest. If you’re down in 2 then you par… if not… you bogey.

A couple of benefits with this golf chipping drill will happen here. First your chipping and putting will begin to improve. Secondly, you’ll be simulating what really goes on when you’re playing your rounds of golf.

Now if you want to even more accurately what reflects an actual round of golf, get together with one of your playing partners and work this golf chipping drill with a bit of friendly competition added to the mix.

No matter what the stakes (or steaks) are, this will assuredly heighten your focus or even make you pucker up a bit… but this is what we want…

And that is to get you to a comfort level with some real time pressure and game like environment. The more you put yourself in this type of situation the more comfortable you and your game will become. Don’t under estimate the value of this golf chipping tip.

The golf chipping shot mandates a slow rhythmic tempo with crisp content. Probably the biggest mistake I see with people executing the chipping stroke is that they decelerate the swing just before impact and scuff the club on the ground behind the golf ball.

With your chipping stroke, try to stand a bit closer to the ball. This will make it easier to keep your swing path more direct.

Press your weight slightly forward over your front leg this will help you keep your body still and it will help promote keeping your hands ahead of the clubhead through the stroke (very, very, important I might add).

Think of the chipping stroke as a brush stroke and not a ‘hitting’ stroke because you are just trying to ‘brush’ the golf ball off the grass.

With your weight slightly forward, you’ll want your left arm (right handers) to dominate the stroke. In fact, a quick drill you can use while you’re practicing your chipping is to put your right hand directly over your left hand when you grip your club… this force your left hand to take a dominant role and you’ll get the sensation of the left arm ‘pulling’ the club through the stroke. This type of practice grip will make it very difficult for the clubhead to incorrectly pass ahead of the hands.

With the lower body there is virtually no movement throughout the chipping stroke. The only movement at all is just at impact; and this is barely noticeable. It is only used as a slight bit of tempo and allows you to finish the motion through the ball and keep you club going down the target line.

Remember, keep your arms leading the shot.

Your golf chipping strategy should always be one of getting the golf ball on the green and rolling toward the pin as soon as possible.

With this in mind play the ball back in your stance and work on making contact with the golf ball with a slight descending blow. Not too much… you don’t want to ‘jab’ at the ball… remember you want to just sweep the ball off of the turf.

Don’t become ‘pin’ oriented with your target. Yes, it’s true you want to gather the right distance, but distance control will come. Always chip to the landing spot you want to hit and allow for the ball to roll to the hole. Your distance control will come as you learn to make consistent contact with your chips.

When you are first learning don’t try to master several techniques and specialty shots when chipping… keep your practices straightforward and boring….

Ho… hum… another routine up and down from just off the green… that’s what will keep you wallet in your pocket.

like a butterfly with sore feet!

The problem here is that for us mortal golfers this is also one of the most difficult shots to perform.

Not to worry though… here are a couple tips on how to play the golf lob shot.

First… you’ll want to weaken your grip by rotating your grip counter clockwise on the club just a bit (your left thumb will be pointing directly down the shaft slightly more counter clockwise).

A weaker grip will have the tendency to keep the clubface open which allows the club to ‘slide’ under the ball more readily.

The clubface as it addresses the ball will be open.

With your stance open, position the ball just to the inside of your left heel.

As you begin your swing, you’ll set your wrists early. I don’t mean to say that you just pick the club up with your hands… not at all.

We actually want a full swing with an early wrist set. In other words, you want to get the shaft of the club vertical to the ground as your hands reach the halfway point.

Now for the most difficult part… the mental part. Take a full swing. The tough part here is to convince your mind that you do have to take a full swing even though the actual distance you want the ball to travel is minimal.

Most of our brains have trouble with this one. This is the part where you may hear someone tell you that you have to stay committed to the shot. A tough commitment to be sure… but you must.

It’s the commitment to the full swing that usually goes awry for the average golfer. At the last moment, doubt creeps in and the swing suddenly decelerates. When this happens all bets are off and so are the chances of making a good shot.

Like any other part of the golf swing or golf game, the lob shot just takes practice. Practice not only leads to better execution but confidence as well.

And a large part of executing the golf lob shot in golf really boils down to your confidence in yourself.

The purpose of keeping your wrists firm during the golf chip shot (not allowing them to hinge) is keep you from popping the up, burying the club head behind the ball, or blading the shot clear across and maybe off the green.

Remember, the goal of the golf chip shot is to get the ball coming off the club low and get it on the green and running toward the hole as soon as possible. We don’t any more air under the chip shot than is necessary to just make it to the putting surface.

Here is a little practice drill that will ensure that your hands are ahead of the ball not only at address but at impact as well.

Take an extra club and put it along the shaft of the club you use to chip with. In other words you are going to extend the grip of your original club by a couple of feet. So now when you grip the club you’ll be gripping your original club plus the shaft of your extender club.

This golf chipping drill will make certain that you don’t break your wrists down as you make your chip shot. If you do… you get a little reminder tap on your left side from your extender club.

The purpose here is to create a very simple motion type of drill. You don’t have to (and initially probably shouldn’t) use or chip a ball with this drill. Also, you don’t necessarily have to use an extender club; you can use a rod or even a broom handle… the reminder will still work just fine.

Take some time working up your chipping stroke with this drill and you’ll soon be able to get the feel of what keeping your wrists firm through the shot is all about.

Once you can begin to consistently and confidently apply this technique to your game day golf chipping you’ll see an immediate reduction of your strokes as a result of not having soooooo many of those ugly three (and dare I say four) putts on the greens.