Exclusive by Gary Edwin
Golf Australia's Teaching Editor

Many players who have short game problems can get distracted by what happens in the chip swing and lose their focus on how the ball will react after they hit it. While these players may pick a spot on the green to land their chip shot, this will mean nothing unless you are able to match the trajectory the ball flies on to the spot where it lands on the green.

Ben Hogan, whilst regarded as a tremendous ball striker, also possessed a very good short game. In the 1930s, when Hogan was still working as a mechanic, he used to practice in the garage by chipping balls into an oil drum. While the drum had a wide opening, Hogan had to get the trajectory of the chip shot right to make the shot (off a concrete floor mind you!).

What he did was to chip through a space or an imaginary window between him and the target. He would picture this space before each shot and aimed to hit through it.

Hogan worked on trajectory only and he knew that if the ball went through the “window” on every chip it would hit the green almost exactly where it needed to land to finish close to the hole. This technique made Hogan a great judge of greenside distance.

Another problem for poor chippers arises from bad advice to “watch the ball” or “keep your head down”. These players tend to face the target too much with their body. They start off with a slightly open stance before they look at the target. By the time they hit the chip their body is almost square to the target and they“fbub” the chip because their arms can’t swing into the ball properly.

A drill I like to get poor chippers to use involves chipping into a basket* or a bucket. This is a small version of Hogan’s oil drum.

To overcome flubbed shots, you should look at the basket as you hit and trust that the shaft of the club will come back to the same position it was in at address. This will help you eliminate becoming impact focused and let you see the “window” that the chip flies through. You will then be in a better position to know where the ball will land with every chip shot.

• Gary’s chipping basket is distributed by Dunlop Sports and is available at Rebel sports stores.

From the June 2005 issue of Golf Australia magazine.