Most shots around the green aren't lost in the swing. They're lost before it. The wrong club, the wrong setup, the wrong shot type for the situation.

A solid short game comes down to two things: knowing how to chip in golf with the right fundamentals, and knowing which shot the situation actually calls for. Here's both.

How to Chip in Golf: Getting Your Setup Right

Get the setup right and a lot of chipping problems fix themselves. Most chunk shots and skulled chips trace back to address, not the swing.

• Narrow stance: Feet closer together than a full swing, which keeps lower body quiet and focused.

• Ball position: Middle to slightly back in your stance, toward the trail foot, to encourage ball-first contact.

• Weight forward: About 60-70% on your lead foot at address, and keep it there through impact.

• Forward shaft lean: Hands just ahead of the ball, which sets up a descending blow and creates backspin.

• Light grip pressure: Tension in the hands kills feel, and feel runs the short game.

Lower body stays quiet throughout the chipping motion. Arms and shoulders run it, like a putting stroke with a small descending blow added. Short backswing, matching follow-through, equal length on both sides. That's your distance control checkpoint on every chip.

Club Selection: Which Club for Each Chip?

The most common mistake around the green is too much loft. Most chips don't need a sand wedge or lob wedge. Use the minimum loft the shot requires, and club selection almost decides the outcome before you swing.

Here's how to match your club to the situation:

The rule: less loft means more roll-out, more margin for error, and a lower-risk shot. Only reach for more loft when the shot genuinely requires it.

When to Run It and When to Add Loft

Once you know the club, you still need to pick the shot type. Here's how the main options break down.

The bump-and-run

Clean lie, no obstacle to carry, plenty of green to work with. Club up to a 9-iron or 8-iron, narrow stance, forward shaft lean, and a short controlled swing. Ball lands just on the green and rolls along the target line. Pick a specific landing spot using the carry-to-roll ratios in the table above.

The pitch shot

Use a sand wedge or gap wedge when you need more carry than a standard chip. Open your stance slightly, let the ball move forward, allow the arms to swing more freely. Good for pitching onto the green over rough, a bunker short of the green, or shots from 20-40 yards out where you need the ball to stop.

The flop shot

Open the face of your 60-degree lob wedge wide. Ball forward, stance open to the target. Slide the club under the ball with speed and full commitment. Phil Mickelson made this shot famous for good reason. Use it when you're short-sided with a tight pin, or the green is running fast away from you.

Avoid it on tight lies or firm turf. A chunked flop makes a tough situation worse. When a lower-risk option is available, take it.

How a Simulator Sharpens Your Short Game

Repetition builds feel. Data builds a better short game faster. PGA Tour scrambling stats show that even tour players miss about four in ten greens per round, which means short game execution never stops mattering at any level.

The TruGolf APOGEE (from $7,995) tracks launch angle, ball speed, spin rate, and carry distance on every chip. You'll see exactly which clubs and shot types are improving your distance control and up-and-down percentage, not just how each shot felt.

Frequently Asked Questions About Chipping in Golf

What is the most common chipping mistake?

Weight on the trail foot through impact. When your weight drifts back, the club bottoms out before the ball and you get a chunk shot. Keep 60-70% of your weight on your lead foot at address and don't let it move. That single fix solves most fat chips.

What's the difference between a chip and a pitch?

A chip flies low and rolls most of the way to the hole. A pitch carries higher, lands softer, and stops faster. Chips use less loft and a shorter swing. Pitches use more loft, a slightly open stance, and more arm swing. When you have green to work with, chip it. When you need to go up and over something, pitch it.

How do I stop skulling chip shots?

Skulling usually means the club is catching the ball on the upswing. The cause is almost always weight too far back or standing too far from the ball. Get your weight forward, stand closer, and keep your hands ahead of the clubface through impact.

How do I get more backspin on chips?

Backspin comes from ball-first contact and a descending blow. Weight forward, hands ahead of the clubface at impact, and clean grooves. Worn or dirty grooves reduce spin significantly. Check your wedge grooves regularly and clean them before short game sessions.

Can I practice chipping at home?

Yes. A chipping mat, foam balls, and a target build real repetitions indoors. For actual data on ball speed, launch angle, and spin rate on every chip, a launch monitor takes home practice from guesswork to a real feedback loop.

To start seeing real numbers on every short game shot, the TruGolf Starter 10 puts full launch monitor data in a complete, easy-setup home package.