Can Gravity Make You A Better Chipper ?

Do you have problems controlling the distance of your chips and pitches ? Do you have difficulty making consistent contact ?

These are two of the most common causes of problems in the short game, and they often come from the same thing — a tempo that is too quick and/or a backswing that is too short. Because it’s a shorter swing and only a few yards have to be covered ( and we’ve been told WAY too often that we have to “accelerate through the ball” ), our tendency is to get too short, quick and choppy with our tempo and swing rhythm.

The good news is that the route to a “cure” is a single word — gravity.

That’s right . . . gravity.

The reason we have so much trouble achieving consistency of contact and good distance control is that we let our backswing get too short and then make a quick “jab” at the ball with the clubhead.

Get out a wedge and try this drill to help you achieve a smoother and more reliable swing tempo on the short shots.

Imagine a short pitch of only a few yards. Very slowly, take the club back to the backswing position you think is about right, then deliberately pause. Now, just think of letting gravity take over and drop your arms, hands and the club back to and through the ball.

Try this in your office or den a few times, then take the drill outside.

As you get a feel for allowing gravity to control the pace of your forward swing speed, you’ll find it much easier to make consistent contact and control your distance — for longer shots, just make longer backswings.

Try it, I think you’ll be pleased.

I’ve never seen a golfer who’s tempo is too smooth !