Club Selection for Chipping

In the video above, we have Brad Smith suggesting that you use three clubs (8-iron, Pitching-wedge and Sand-wedge) for chipping. Brad provides a rough formula for roll-out: Sand-wedge 1:1, Pitching-wedge, 2:1 and 8-iron, 3:1.

As a young player, I had the chance to see Gary Player at the Milwaukee Open in the 1960's. Player seemed to chip with every iron in the bag depending on the distance from the hole. When I recently followed college players in the Big Ten Championship at University Ridge, all the college players seemed to chip exclusively with the 60-degree wedge.

I am basically a mediocre chipper. Over time, I have had success with the Gary Player approach (to include chipping with a 22-degree utility club), with the a single club (usually an 8-iron, Sand-wedge or 60-degree Wedge), but I have not tried Brad Smith's three-club approach. Since this tip was passed on to me by Tom Scott (see Tom chipping here), it's certainly worth a try.

One concern I have about the Brad Smith video is that I have had very little luck chipping out of the rough with anything other than a Sand-wedge. All of Brad's shots in the video above were out of the rough and my guess is that he fluffed them up for the video. Where I have the most problem is from tight lies. At my home course, the Orchards in Egg Harbor, WI, the mowed areas around the greens have bent grass and are closely enough cut that putting (Texas Wedge) seems to be the most effective approach. So, we're back to Gary Player: use whatever club works for the conditions!