How a chipper can eliminate the dreaded yips and get your handicap down

Equipment
Ping chipping iron

If you think that you might need a chipper then the chances are that you do. A chipper is a speciality club that is designed to make those uncomfortable shots around the green a lot easier and far more consistent.

It is designed to combine the features of a putter and a lofted iron and to take out those unwanted knifes, fats and sometimes even worse shots.

The chipping yips are probably far more common than most of us appreciate. How many golfing mates do you have that struggle to find the green from less than 20 yards away and often leave their ball in a far worse position?

The general characteristics of a chipper are:

– It has 30-45˚ of loft which is similar to a 7 or 8-iron. That loft means that the ball will react like a chip-and-run shot

– It is more upright than a standard wedge so you play the shot similar to a putting stroke

– There is a heavier head which helps with stability which leads to more consistent strikes

– It has a wide sole to prevent digging into the turf

– It will often have a grip that is longer than standard so you can choke down the club for more control

The most frustrating shot in golf is that straightforward one around the greens where there is seemingly no danger.

There is plenty of green to work with but you can’t quite putt it as there is a bit too much rough to carry and you just need to get the ball rolling.

We can all make mistakes when trying to hit a flop shot over a bunker or trying to escape thick rough but there should be little excuse for just getting the ball airborne and advancing it onto the green. But we then employ too much wrist hinge and all sorts of funny shots begin to appear.

This is where a chipper excels.

Over the years I’ve used a collection of different chippers and, as well as saving myself plenty of shots (and embarrassment), it begins to feed into the rest of your game a confidence as you lose the fear of dread over that short, simple chip.

The latest chipper that has been in my bag is the Ping ChipR which has the catchline – ‘Bump Up Your Confidence’ to tie in with the bump-and-run nature of the shot – BUY IT HERE.

It has the loft (38.5˚) of a 8/9-iron but is something like 5.5˚ more upright than the 9 so the shaft sits more vertically. So you can only really use your putting stroke and that then takes the wrists out of play which leads to better shots.

It is noticeably heavy at 325g, which is a good thing for this shot, as it limits what you do with it.

The other real kicker is that it has some spin on it and doesn’t just roll and roll like other chippers.

The MicroMax grooves have a tighter spacing and therefore more grooves and that increased ball contact maintains the spin.

It also works well from light rough where it very easily pops the ball up in the air.

The ChipR is certainly one of the pricier chippers on the market but it is also one of the best looking, being less clunky with a far superior finish.

And, while you will hear a lot about the ability to bump and run shots, it is also very handy from as far out as 40-50 yards.

This of course is a horrible distance for many golfers with little clue as to what club and what length of swing works best but, with some practice, the ChipR is more than capable of producing consistent and reliable shots.

READ MORE: 7 reasons why a golf shoe fitting matters

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