Chipping off front foot

[Matt OB]

Hi guys (and girls)

I have just got back from the range and was practicing chipping to a flag about 30 yards away. So I was set up like this:

1) Feet almost together
2) Stance slightly open
3) Club (PW) angled toward the target
4) Ball in line with my back foot.

So I was chipping ok like this. The results were a bit mixed but generally I was hitting them well and didnt really hit any terrible shots. I had 100 balls to hit and not much time as I was on my lunch break so I kinda just started playing around with the ball at different positions and found that I was actually chipping them well, if not better with the ball in line with my front foot. I was still concentrating on keeping my hands in front of the club at impact and I think a slight push forward before taking the club back helped me to achieve the contact that I was getting.

So I guess I have a few questions:

1) Is it fundamentally wrong to chip off your front foot?
2)What, if any disadvantage is there of doing this? The only one I can think of is your more likley to blade the ball??
3) Does anyone else chip like this?

Thanks in advance.

Matt

[BrianW]

Re: Chipping off front foot

The further forward you place the ball the more loft you will have at impact so the higher the balls initial flight will be. When chipping you aim to have the ball in the air the minimum amount of time and rolling as much as possible. This is why the reccomendation is to play the ball off the back foot so that loft is reduced and roll out maximised. Maybe you should ensure your sternum is set ahead of the ball so that you strike crisply down into the back of it.

You should try to land the ball a few feet onto the green and use a club that will alow it to roll out to the hole from this position.

[GBergstrom]

Re: Chipping off front foot

Aaaaaah, the art of the short game.

There is definitely more than one way to skin a 20 yard cat, and there are those who set up a chip just inside their leading heel. All the weight is on the front foot and stays there, the hands & head are directly over the ball (center or front, either is fine), choked way down on the club, arms fully extended. There's just a slight bit of forward shaft lean (no more than 4 degrees) with this setup. The shot does come out higher than if you played it back a bit and hit down on it. Want more roll? Pick a pitching wedge or 9 iron.

The reason this technique works for some folks is they like the feel of the bounce of the club sliding on the turf under the ball, as this is assurance they are going to catch the ball in the center of the club. It's also assurance that if you accidentally hit the ground first, the club keeps going through the shot. Naturally, adjustments need to be made for thick/fluffy/wet/bad lies, just as they would with any chip you make.

The point of this diatribe is that playing a chip forward is one of many valid ways to get it done. The trick is to not come into impact with more degrees of forward shaft lean than you have bounce on your club, and to feel the bounce sliding on the turf. Come out of the chip before contact? Yeah you will blade the ball, but you're not going to do that, are you?

Cheers, GB