One of the main causes of poor chipping and pitching is excess hand action or ‘flicking’ the club through the ball.
A full release of the club head is important when hitting full shots, but when it comes to delicate chip shots around the green, it is essential to have control of the club head at the moment of impact and through the ball.
By altering the left-hand grip to show more knuckles into what is commonly known as a ‘strong’ grip, it becomes much easier to move the club into the ball with control.
Table of Contents
Strong Left Hand Golf Grip for Chipping
Keeping the hands ahead of the club head is very important when chipping. If a golfer uses a conventional grip, it requires the hands to release the club to square up the face.
This means the hands and forearms become active, which is very dangerous on small shots around the green. However, if a golfer adjusts the grip by turning the left hand clockwise to show more knuckles, it automatically pushes the hands forward in front of the ball.
Because the left hand is now in a hooking position, the golfer will automatically keep the hands and club in a unit to avoid letting the clubface close at impact. This automatically keeps the hands leading through the shot, which gives the action much more stability.
Ball Position for Chipping
When the left hand is turned into a strong position on the club, it is important to also alter the ball position. If the ball is too far forward, the strong grip often forces the left shoulder up too high, which affects the arc of the swing.
With a strong grip, it is important to have the ball further back in the stance for chipping and pitching, as this lowers the left shoulder, which promotes the correct arc through impact.
Not only does this ball position help the hands to keep in front of the club head, but it also helps catch the ball on a slight downward arc, thereby guaranteeing a solid strike.
Choosing Clubs for Chipping and Pitching
It is important not to try to lift the ball into the air when chipping – it is vital to let the club head naturally loft the ball into the air without help.
Normally, when a golfer tries to lift the ball into the air, the left shoulder comes up, which lifts the arc, which results in a thin or fat shot.
Make sure when hitting a soft shot around the green that the head stays down until well after the ball has been hit. Keeping the head down will help the left shoulder stay down, which will allow better contact of the ball.
