Stroke Saver: Learn To Chip, Pitch And Lob To Lower Your Score

This weekend, Padraig Harrington won for the first time in over 8 years. He managed to put together one of the most ridiculous stats in European Tour history in doing so – he made managed to make it off the green in 51 shots in 25 attempts. That included 2 chip-ins and a holed out bunker shot. This means, on the remaining 22 holes, that Mr. Harrington made a chip on put on 18 of those 22 and a three and out on the other 4. That equals out to one amazing short game effort. Of course, the 23 under that he shot for the tournament was also rather impressive as well, so lets get down to dropping your scores with a bit of short game magic, just like Padraig had at the Portugal Open.

Mastering your short game will take some time, but understanding the three shots you will need to nail it won’t take you nearly as long to understand. When you land near the green, you have a few options to look at. First off, if you are close enough and there’s no obstructions, how do you feel about putting? If that’s a no go, or if there is something in the way (like a sprinkler or a dead patch) you should consider chipping the ball. A chip is a shot that will travel about 10% of it’s distance in the air, then roll out the other 90% of the way to the hole. Usually, chips are performed with a 7 to 9 iron and look much like a putting stroke. The pitch shot is the next option and is especially useful if you are working over flat traps, water or other trouble that allows the ball to roll out to the hole. A pitch shot will fly about half way to the target and then land and roll about the same distance. In other words, it’s about a 50-50 shot that is usually performed with a pitching wedge, approach wedge or gap wedge. Some people even venture down to a sand wedge on this particular shot, but it’s better to stay with a wedge with a smaller amount of bounce on pitches. Finally, there’s the lob, which some people turn into a “flop shot” all too often. A lob traditionally flies about 90% of the way to the hole in the air, then settles quickly and only rolls out a few feet. This shot is the go-to shot when you have a tight landing area or have to fly the ball over trouble to get to the flag stick. It also works very well when the ball is below the landing area and it comes down at a sharper angle with more control over the roll out.

Understanding these shots and how to use them is a scoring key to golf that many amateurs never quite master. The majority of 90’s shooters simply take a bag of balls over to the chipping green with a pitching wedge and hit ball after ball at the same practice hole over and over again. They master that little 20 foot chip shot, but it’s one that will never be hit on a real course. Then to make it worse, they try to adapt that shot to fit the situation they are really in on the course only to have things go horribly wrong. Working all three shots during your practice sessions is key to putting them into play on the course. The three club short game drill is a great way to work these into your game going forward. For this I recommend grabbing a chipping club (8 iron), a pitching club (PW or GW) and a lob club (SW or LW) and about 6 balls. Start by hitting two chip shots to the hole of your choice. Get them as close as you can. Next, pitch the ball half way to the hole and try to get it inside your chips. Finally, lob the final two balls to the hole and try to get them inside the pitches. Which ever set landed the closest, mark the closest ball with a tee or ball mark, and start it all over. Vary your position and hole location if you want to, but this game is all about beating the ‘inside marker’ each time you attempt it. When you can consistently hit all three types of shots inside 3 feet, you are set to move back and try a bit longer shots.



The great news about chipping, pitching and even the lob shot practice is that you can do them right in your front yard or at a local park. What you should equip yourself with is a chipping mat (mainly to avoid damaging the yard or the park that you are headed to) and a chipping basket or net. You can use many different targets, but the nets and baskets just make life a bit easier. The Revord Chipping Mat is a good quality mat that features anchor points that will keep it from moving around on you when you hit the ball. The 20” Portable Chipping Net is also a great addition to a travel setup as well. It collapses down into a tiny carry bag that will make it very easy to keep with you. A simple setup like this (under $50) will let you practice these three shots just about anywhere you’d like. If you combine these two items with either a quality foam ball or plastic balls, you can even practice it indoors when the weather doesn’t allow you to get outside.

Working these shots will do everything you need to drop 2-5 strokes a round off you next seasons numbers. Not having them in your bag means you will need to scramble a bit harder next year, which means less progress to your best possible rounds. Knowing how your you ball flies, and how it will run when it lands, is key to getting it closer to the hole. Getting it close every time will give you numbers like Padraig and help you get up and down just like he did at the Portugal Masters. You may not win a big trophy, but winning bragging rights with the friends might be just as important.

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