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Tom's Featured Tip: Chipping Options - What's Best?
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Chipping Options - What's Best?
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Chipping Options - What's Best?
For simplicity, all advice on actual swings or drills is provided from a right handed perspective.
When we think about the short game, many players automatically reach for a wedge. But a recent study has shown that a different club can offer even more consistency and control than a wedge, especially for golfers struggling with the yips.
A recent study led by Todd Nelson, Chelsea Hoyle, Matheus Quon, Serena Skinner, Pawel Kudzia, and Joaquín Hoffer from Simon Fraser University looked into this exact question: does a hybrid club have a place in our short game? Here’s what the researchers discovered and how their findings might impact your approach around the green.
Study Overview
The study conducted by Nelson and his colleagues tested three methods of chipping:
- using a traditional wedge,
- using a hybrid with a standard grip,
- and using a hybrid with an unconventional “arm-lock” grip, which reduces wrist movement and could theoretically help golfers affected by the yips.
This research was split into two parts:
- Part 1: Each participant chipped 60 balls to a target 40 feet away. They chipped 20 shots each with a wedge, a hybrid using a normal grip, and a hybrid using the arm-lock grip.
- Part 2: Each participant chipped 20 balls with each club type to four different target distances: 40 feet, 30 feet, 20 feet, and 10 feet.
Key Findings
Across both parts of the study, chipping with a hybrid produced tighter leaves compared to chipping with a wedge
- Accuracy with a Hybrid: The hybrid resulted in smaller average leaves from the target across all distances compared to the wedge. Notably, chipping from the
closest target (10 feet) with the hybrid and arm-lock grip achieved the most accurate leaves on average.
- Consistency and Swing Speed: The study found that participants generated lower swing speeds with hybrids than with wedges, yet this did not compromise
distance or accuracy. The data showed that shots using the hybrid were often more consistent, as swing speed and shot length were better correlated, suggesting
that players had better distance control with the hybrid. This trend held true across all handicap levels.
- The data clearly showed a tighter grouping of shots with the hybrid, and the hybrid with the armlock grip did better from the closest distances.
- When I use a hybrid or 8 iron for chipping, I use a reverse overlap putting grip instead of an armlock grip. Both grip methods lock out wrist movement (especially a flip).
- Consider the Hybrid: The study suggests that a hybrid can offer a controlled, putt-like stroke that keeps the ball close to the ground and reduces variability.
From personal experience, if you’re trying to chip from the fairway or short rough and you have a lot of fairway and/or green between you and the hole, a hybrid is a great option.
- For shots closer to the hole, the arm-lock grip or a reverse overlap putting grip on a hybrid is something you should try. The study results suggest that the arm-lock method
could be a game-changer for golfers dealing with yips or other short-game inconsistencies. As I said, I think the reverse overlap putting grip accomplishes the same thing, and it's not as radical of a change
as the armlock grip. It's simple and easier to learn.
- Consistency: This study suggests that a hybrid might be the club to achieve the best consistency for certain types of short game shots. Using a hybrid can help reduce the number of big misses and keep more shots near the hole.
Again, from personal experience: it requires less practice to become relatively proficient with a hybrid for chipping than it does to become equally proficient with a wedge for the same purpose. Fat strikes become a thing of the past when you use the hybrid.
This research from Nelson and his team reinforces my own experience with the use of hybrids for the short game. While a wedge is an essential tool for many chipping situations, the study makes a strong case for adding a hybrid to your short game tool arsenal.
Try it, you'll like it.
Email Comments: to TomTuckerGolf@gmail.com
Mike Bennett and Andy Plummer, The Stack and Tilt Swing
Love your practice, own your swing, own your health, and remember that golf is a game of discovery. Dont be afraid to experiment when you practice, it's good for your golfing brain.
Tom
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All the best,
Tom Tucker
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Cell: (716) 474-3005
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