Chipping and pitching are similar…

But today I’m here to help you better understand the difference between chipping and pitching…

There are slight technical differences and situational uses for them both…

Watch this video now to learn to use them to your advantage and get up-and-down like a pro!

What's Covered: The prime difference between chipping and pitching.

Recommended Training Aids: none

Publish Date: October 30, 2015

Last Edited Date: May 8, 2016

Golf Pros Featured:

Instructors Featured: Clay Ballard    

Video Transcription:

Open/Download Transcription File (PDF)

Hi guys, I’m Clay Ballard, and this is the Top Speed Golf Chipping Series. We’re going to go over everything you need to know, just the most important pieces, to be able to chip really, really crisp, solid chips with great distance control.

Before we get started though, let’s talk about the difference chip and pitch. Sometimes these terms are used interchangeably, somebody may be talking about a pitch shot and they call it a chip, or vice versa.

So I want to be really clear on the differences in technique when we’re talking about a chip versus a pitch.

A chip or a pitch can be done from any distance, it’s really about the technique that we’re going to have when we’re chipping or when we’re pitching.

With the chip, this is also will be something the way that I’m referring to a chip when I say a chip, I’m talking about a bump and run shot.

So we’re going to get very little wrist hinge, it’s going to be very similar to what you would see with a putting stroke. So we’re just going to be rocking and back and through, a very simple stroke, not a lot of extra wasted movement.

That’s going to be a shot that’s going to land typically on the front of the green and then roll out to the hole. So I’m not trying to get a lot of carry distance, I’m not trying to get a lot of spin when I’m hitting a chip shot.

I’m trying to keep it low, I’m trying to keep the spin off the shot so it can run out to the hole.

So for example, a chip shot, let’s imagine here that I’m just going to chip a few feet onto this green and let it roll across, you’ll see that I’m getting very little wrist hinge as I’m coming through I’m letting the ball run, and it’s a very simple stroke back and through.

I could also hit a shot about the same distance but use more of a pitching motion which we’ll go over in a different series, but that’s going to be more wrist hinge, so you can see how my wrists are cocking upward, and then I’m letting that club really release as it’s coming down through contact, and it’s a little more action and a little bit more spin on that.

So here’s the same club, another 9 iron, and that’s going to be more of a pitching type motion, so I’m actually hinging the club going back, and letting it release coming through.

So that’s the main difference is in the actual technique itself. How far we’re hinging the club, and how we’re letting it come through contact is going to be the difference between a chip and a pitch.

Typically when we’re talking about a chip, it’s going to be a fairly short shot, so anywhere from 5 yards to maybe 30 yards. 30 yards is probably about the max that you’re going to be able to hit a chip.

Pitch shots you can go much farther, because I’m getting the wrist action, I can go farther back and farther through, and I can hit that shot a little bit farther.

So that’s what there is to be about a chip, it’s a low running shot, we’re trying to keep the spin off of it.

Simplify the stroke, you can do it with any club from all the way down to 5 iron up to a lob wedge, we’re trying to get that ball to land on the front of the green and then to roll out to the hole and make it as simple as possible.

So good luck to you guys, let’s go ahead and get started with the first section.