Phil Mickelson: Hinge and Hold Chipping

I have to admit it, my short game is miserable. In recognition of Phil Mickelson's recent wins in Scotland (the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open and the British Open Championship at Muirfield Golf Links -- Phil now has 42 PGA Tour wins), it's long past time for me to look carefully at Phil's great short game. The video above starts the explanation of the "hinge-and-hold" chip shot done with the 60 degree wedge. For me, this is really a difficult shot: on the short grass and the hole is no more than a few yards on the green (normally I putt this shot). My favorite is the third shot below: hit it fat like a bunker shot for the high lob (I can certainly hit it fat and I love playing out of the sand)!

Here's a summary Phil's approach from the first video:

1. Break wrists immediately going back.
2. Hold/accelerate going through impact.
3. Continue hands toward hole.
4. Keep leading edge and bounce the same.
5. Arm and club form a straight line on follow through.
6. Arm and club move at same speed.

The video above is Part 2 of the "hinge-and-hold" chipping stroke, where Phil discusses variations. When we need to get the ball to stop more quickly and land more softly on the green.

1. Open the face
2. Open stance until face aimed at target
3. ...then regrip

The second approach is to come in steeper at the ball with a slicing-type impact position:

1. Put weight forward.
2. Move ball fractionally forward
3. Open face.
4. Align body so that face is aimed at target.
5. ...then regrip

The third approach for softer impact, is to hit it fat like a bunker shot for a high lob:

1. Hit "fat" like a bunker shot.
2. Open Face
3. Come in steeper, drive club in behind the ball (three inches!!!!).

Look at the swing length, the height of this shot, how far he hit behind the ball and how it almost landed on the cup. Amazing!

This is excellent instruction, Phil is a great Open champion, one of our generations best golfers and a nice guy on top of all that. At some point, I will report back on whether I have been able to pull off these shots (practice, practice, practice,...).

NOTE: Phil's hinge-and-hold method completely contradicts other post I have written on chipping (here, here and here). Obviously, I have had poor results with the other methods since my short game is still mediocre. One reason I think I will be successful with hinge-and-hold is that it is similar to an approach I used with the width swing: sand wedge open face, sharp wrist break, and hit slightly behind the ball using the bounce of the sand wedge to prevent the club from digging in (Phil's third approach, above). I dropped this approach because it didn't seem to "fit" with Stack and Tilt!