Before I met Parker McLachlin, aka Short Game Chef, I was scrambling to find success around the green.
Sure, I’d have decent shots here and there, even getting the customary “hey, that’s a great shot,” from playing partners. But once my ball would stop rolling and I’d find myself with 8-10 feet left for a par putt, that’s when I realized I needed to hit tighter chips from off the green.
It’s where the help of McLachlin really made a difference.
After spending a morning with the chef himself, he cooked up the perfect recipe to improve my game from within 100 yards or so. How? By modernizing my approach.
In the video above, McLachlin provides his advice to help you do the same, showing how a simple change in your mindset can lead to higher, softer chips. Take a look below for more info.
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Try this modernized chipping technique around the green
As I mention above, the first thing McLachlin had me change was my mindset, breaking the old way of setting up to hit chips in order to incorporate a softer touch. Out with the old, in with the new!
“One of the things I always see, and we’ve seen it for years, is getting your weight forward, leaning the shaft forward, putting the ball position back in your stance,” he says in the video. “This is all in an effort to get good contact with your chips and pitches.
“This is not what I want to see. I want to see good contact if I’m hitting a 7-iron or I’m hitting a driver.”
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Instead, McLachlin says that golfers want to soften the ball while chipping. This starts with creating a different angle of attack.
“I want the weight 50/50. I’d like the shaft to be in a more neutral spot, with my feet fairly close together. I want my ball position to be slightly off the inside of my front foot.
“These things are going to allow me the ability to soften the ball speed, and to still be able to make an aggressive swing through — which is going to give me the ability to spin the ball on these chips and pitches.”
By following McLachlin’s adjustments, you’ll be able to engage the bounce of the club, which will help you hit soft pitches around the green.
“Don’t go searching for ball contact and compression,” he adds. “Search for a shallow angle of attack so that you can start engaging that bounce [of the club]. This is going to be that mythbuster that changes your world around the greens.”
If you’re interested in seeing more from the Short Game Chef, check out McLachlin’s website, where you’ll find more ingredients to help improve your game around the green.
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