If you are one of the fortunate golfers to have received a PNP Putter or Rake Wedge
under the tree this year congratulations. You must have been nice, Santa didn’t deliver
those clubs to everyone you know. If you didn’t get that special PNP club order one
now and give yourself a gift you will enjoy for years to come.
Throughout the coming year I will give you some golf tips you can apply to your game
regardless of the equipment or skills you may currently have. These tips are only
helpful if you practice them but I believe you will be pleasantly surprised when you do. I
always encourage you to seek a professional to better hone your skills and find proper
equipment (like the PNPGolf products) that will allow you to play your best round after
round.
Golf Tip – “How to Chip it Close”
Improving shots around the green is the quickest way to lower scores. Too often
golfers play the shot in front of them with many other shots floating around in their
mind, particularly around the greens. Although a solid technique is helpful, technique
will only take you so far. I have found that to consistently “Chip it Close” you must BE
DECISIVE.
Lets face it, every golfer has the physical ability to chip a golf ball. Strength is rarely
needed and the skill to carry the ball 3 – 20 yards can quickly be developed with
practice. Often times the variables of a chip shot (condition of stance or lie, down
and uphill speed, carry distance, break, etc.) will cause confusion and naturally leads
to “Indecisiveness”, a short game killer. Indecision causes tension and tension will
inevitably cause miss hit shots. Being decisive can turn a decent chip into a good chip
and a good chip into a great chip. It also allows you to play the shot at hand with more
confidence and frees your mind to perform at an optimum level.
I often see players immediately think it is a lack of skill when they make a poor chip
shot even when the skill set required to chip the ball is there. What the player didn’t
do is decide which shot they wanted to play and instead aimlessly golfed their ball with
the hopes of getting it close. Being decisive is the only skill the player lacked, not their
technique, not their club choice, indecision was the killer. So how can you become
more decisive?
First, I encourage you to practice being decisive as to the shot you are playing when
you practice your chipping. Don’t aimlessly chip balls to a green without a plan in mind.
This is as or more important than learning technique. With practice you can train your
brain to think “BE DECISIVE” over every chip shot which will improve your thinking
process on the course.
Second, when you miss a green take the time to analyze the slope, break, etc. and
make a clear decision as to how you want to play that particular shot. Even if you make
a wrong shot choice but are very clear about how you want to play the shot you will
often be surprised out how well the ball can turn out all because you where decisive.
Third, once you decide where you want the ball to land and the club you are going to
use to execute the shot, DO NOT change your mind. Be VERY SPECIFIC as to where
you want the ball to land on the green and TRUST that decision. Picking a general area
to land the ball is generally not going to produce your best result, focusing on a specific
spot (the size of a silver dollar) to land the ball will clear your mind of the outcome and
erase any doubt and fear. I am confident that with a little practice you can learn to
become very decisive over your chip shots and learn to Chip it Close.
On behalf of those at PNPGolf we wish you a Merry Christmas to you and your loved
ones. I hope all of your family traditions and gifts from Santa make this Christmas
a special year. Take some time to remember the reason for the season and the
continuous blessings we have around us. God bless.
Eddie Heinen
Eddie is a Journeyman and golf professional and has been since 1988. He is a qualified golf instructor and has developed training that has seen him introduce over 8000 students to golf. He is passionate about golf and wants to share his 30+ years of experience to help make it an enjoyable experience for everyone.
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