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How to Chip in Golf: Beginner Basics

2 October 2026 · 4 min read

A chip is a short, low shot from just off the green that flies a little way and then rolls to the hole. It's the easiest shot in golf to get good at, and the quickest way for a beginner to save strokes.

If you miss the green, a good chip turns a likely bogey into a par. Here's how to do it.

Chip, pitch or putt?

• Putt when the grass between you and the green is short and smooth. A bad putt is usually better than a bad chip.
• Chip when you're close to the green but there's fringe or light rough in the way. The ball spends a little time in the air and most of it rolling.
• Pitch when you need to carry something (a bunker, or long rough) or stop the ball quickly. The ball spends most of its time in the air.

The golden rule: get the ball rolling as soon as you can. A rolling ball is easier to judge than a flying one.

The chipping setup

1. Stance: feet close together, narrower than your hips.
2. Weight: about 60–70% on your front foot (your left foot, for a right-hander), and keep it there.
3. Ball position: back of centre, closer to your back foot.
4. Hands: slightly ahead of the ball, so the shaft leans towards the target.
5. Grip: hold down the grip a little for control, with light pressure.
6. Open stance: turning your front foot slightly towards the target helps your body turn through.

The chipping stroke

Think of a chip as a putting stroke with a lofted club.

• Rock your shoulders back and through, like a pendulum.
• Keep your wrists quiet. Very little hinge on the way back and no flick at the ball.
• Hit down slightly. The club strikes the ball first, then brushes the grass. The loft gets the ball up; you don't have to.
• Keep the length even: the follow-through should be about the same length as the backswing.
• Keep moving through the ball. Slowing down is the most common cause of a bad chip.

Which club should you chip with?

There's no single chipping club. Pick the one that lands the ball just on the green and rolls the rest of the way. Less loft means more roll.

These are rough guides on a flat green. Slopes, grass speed and how firm the ground is all change them.

Example: you're 3 paces off the green and the pin is 15 paces on. With a 1 : 4 ratio, an 8-iron that carries the fringe and lands a pace or so onto the green should roll out near the hole.

Beginners often get on well with one club for every chip, learning how it rolls, then adding a second club later.

Pick a landing spot

Don't aim at the hole. Aim at the spot where you want the ball to land, usually a pace or so onto the green, where the bounce is predictable. Then let the roll do the rest.

Common chipping mistakes

• Scooping: trying to lift the ball with your wrists. It leads to thin and fat shots. Keep your hands ahead and trust the loft.
• Slowing down: a short, firm stroke beats a long, gentle one.
• Weight on the back foot: this makes the club bottom out behind the ball. Keep your weight forward.
• Ball too far forward: it makes clean contact harder. Move it back.
• Looking up early: watch the ball until it's gone.

Three chipping drills

1. The towel drill: lay a small towel a pace onto the green and try to land every chip on it. You'll learn carry distance quickly.
2. One ball, three clubs: chip to the same hole with a sand wedge, a pitching wedge and an 8-iron, and watch how differently each one rolls.
3. Up and down: drop a ball somewhere around the green and try to chip and one-putt. Keep score out of 10 and try to beat it next time.

Practise chipping in Mashy

You can learn the feel of distance control between real rounds in Mashy. When your ball finishes near the green, choose a wedge and set a short, smooth swing: chip carry scales with how much power you set, so a half-power chip carries about half as far. Watch how the ball checks and rolls on each green, then finish with a drag-and-release putt.

More short-game reading: golf clubs explained: irons, chips and putts and golf game tips to lower your score.