SHARPEN YOUR SHORT GAME

Golf Tip by Poh Eng Wah
Golf Professional
Member of Singapore PGA

If you often ‘top’ your chip shot, it could be the result of a back swing which is too flat, causing you to hit the upper part of the ball instead of going under it.

Here’s a good drill to practise the correct back swing for your chip shots: * Place another ball ’B’ about 8 inches behind your ball      ‘A’. * Take a steep back swing to ensure it does not hit ball    ‘B’.  This will allow you to go under the ball when    when making impact. * If the back of your club touches ball 'B', causing it to    roll backwards, your back swing is too flat and you will    ‘top’ your chip and lose control of your shot.

Golf Tip by Emma Poh
Golf Instructor

For a straight forward chip shot with plenty of green to work with & without any obstacles in front, pick a spot where you want the ball to land depending on the club you have selected.  The amount of roll will vary with each club. For a 7 or 8 iron, land the ball approximately 1/3 of the way to the hole.	If you have selected a SW or PW, you should land the ball closer to the hole, approximately 1/2 of the way.

Golf Tip by Serene Poh
Golf Instructor

In a situation where your ball is buried in short, dense rough on an up slope with the pin just 10m away, you will need to ‘pop’ the ball onto the green and let it roll towards the pin. This calls for a steep downswing that cuts between the back of the ball and the rough. In your setup, make a few adjustments: 1.  Place the ball slightly closer to the back foot. 2.  Put more weight on your back foot to balance your       footing. 3.  Keep your hands slightly ahead of the ball. 4.  Choke down on your grip to add precision to the shot.

Take a short back swing and hit firmly down. As the up slope will add loft to the ball trajectory, select a lower lofted wedge (eg. 9 iron) or something between 44 deg  - 52 deg.