How Do You Make Chip and Pitch Shots More Consistent?

Most golfers make the short game far more complicated than it needs to be. I could give you the exact weight distribution, how much your body should tilt and the pitch of the shaft. But if you’re already confused, adding more information is only going to make you more confused.

Here’s what I’d focus on instead, and how to practice it so it carries over to the course.

This post comes from my YouTube lesson: The BEST Way To Make Your Chip and Pitch Shots More Consistent!

What is the difference between a chip and a pitch?

Here in the States, it comes down to how far the ball flies compared with how far it rolls.

Don’t get too stuck on the terms. We’re out here to enjoy our golf, and the skill that improves both shots is the same.

What matters most in chipping and pitching?

There are three fundamentals in golf, no matter what level you play at: impact, speed and control. The golf ball only cares about those three things.

Impact is the most important of the three. So as a recreational golfer, you really only need one focus point: where is the club hitting the ground?

There is really one skill to develop: learning how to hit the ground in the same spot every single time.

Why don’t more swing thoughts help?

Because everyone interprets them differently. I could tell you to put 80 percent of your weight on your front foot, but how do you measure that? I could put a scale down for you, but it won’t be there when you’re playing with your buddies.

Standing over the ball asking yourself where 80 percent is, that’s the last thing we want. All of those details are only there to help you hit the ball more consistently, so if they’re cluttering your head, drop them.

If you’re catching it heavy right now, read how to stop hitting fat chip shots.

How should you practice your short game?

Every shot has three parts. Most golfers only care about the middle one, and it’s the least important.

Reflection is the most overlooked part, and it’s the most important, because otherwise you don’t learn. Assessment is second. Execution comes last.

Watch the average golfer with a big pile of practice balls. It’s rapid fire. They only base the next shot on the last one. It came up short, so they pull another ball over and hit it harder. But how often on the course do you hit the same shot from the same spot?

Before you hit the next one, ask yourself these questions instead:

• Did the club strike the ground first, or the ball first?
• How was the direction?
• Did I feel balanced at address?
• Why did it not get to the pin?

Done properly, that pile of balls would take me about three hours to get through. Most players go through it in 20 or 30 minutes.

Why does your practice swing matter so much?

Picture two golfers. The first has people waiting behind, feels stressed, skips the practice swing and just hits it. The second takes their time, thinks about the clubhead and their weight transfer, makes a careful practice swing, then hits the shot.

The second golfer can still have a problem. If that practice swing never touched the ground, they just rehearsed a bad shot. When I show this one, my practice swing is well above the turf, and then I hit the top of the ball.

Imagine the ball is there and move through it like you’re hitting it. For a full drill on strike, try this pitch shot drill.

Why do my chips get worse when I change something?

Because that’s how learning works. Say you learn one song on the piano and play it perfectly every time. Then you need to play a new piece. It’s still a piano, but you keep making mistakes, and you wonder why you can’t do it.

In golf, we expect to nail that new piece of music straight away. Doing something different or uncomfortable will give you a different result at the beginning. Being okay with striking it a little inconsistently early on is just part of the process.

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