The Chipping Secret for Ladies That Nobody Tells You (Hint: It's Not About Your Wedge)
Stop overthinking your short game. The chip shot isn't a mini full swing - it's its own thing with its own rules. Ball back, weight forward, body quiet. And here's the plot twist: you can use almost any club in your bag. Your 7-iron might just become your new best friend around the greens.
If you've ever duffed a chip that stays three feet in front of you or bladed one across the green into the next zip code, this one's for you. Georgia (I just love her) breaks down why so many of us struggle with chipping - spoiler alert: we're treating it like a full swing when it needs its own completely different approach.
The setup is everything here: ball position back in your stance, 60% of your weight forward, standing close to the ball with the club heel-down-toe-up. (That visual alone changed my whole perspective.) From there, it's all about the pendulum motion - your shoulders rock, your body stays quiet, and your belt buckle works halfway back, halfway forward. No big turn, no wrist hinge, just smooth and controlled.
But here's where it gets really good: the bounce is your friend. We've all been told to "hands forward, deloft the club" and it creates this choppy, inconsistent mess. Instead, you want to maintain that natural bounce angle - not scooping, not digging—just letting the club glide off the turf like it was designed to do.
The drill with the towel under your arms? Chef's kiss. It keeps everything connected and stops you from getting too handsy or trying to help the ball up. If the towel drops, you're doing too much.
Now for the absolute game-changer: you can chip with literally any club. Your 60° when you've got no green to work with. Your 54° for that trusty middle-ground option. Pitching wedge when you want it to run halfway. And the real MVP? Your 7-iron. It acts like a putter with a little pop - gets the ball just over the fringe and rolls the rest of the way. No obstacles in the way? Why go high?
The ShePars Take: This is the kind of instruction that makes you want to head straight to the chipping green and experiment. Same setup, same technique, different clubs for different situations. Golf's hard enough without overthinking every shot within 10 yards of the green. Get creative, find what works for you, and stop doing what you think you're "supposed" to do.
(Real talk: if you're not using your 7-iron around the greens yet, you're missing out on the easiest shot in golf.)
What's your go-to chipping club—are you team wedge or ready to join the 7-iron revolution? (And be honest: are you a duffer, a thinner, or have you figured out the pendulum magic?)