Chipping and Putting Tips - Fix Your Short Game Now

Address the ball with most of your weight on your front foot. The ball should be positioned slightly towards your back foot. Place your hands ahead of the ball. This set-up will produce a descending blow with limited hand and wrist movements.

Take a smooth, short backswing and then accelerate the club through impact. A major cause of poor chipping is taking too long of a backswing and then decelerating the club at impact to prevent hitting the ball too far.

The hands must lead the clubhead throughout the chip shot. That is, the hands should always remain in front of the clubhead. A tendency of poor chippers is to allow the clubhead to overtake the hands, causing a flipping of the hands in an effort to scoop the ball into the air. Keep the hands in front of the clubface throughout the swing, letting the loft of the club elevate the ball.

Of all the chipping and putting tips and techniques, this one may be the most important.

Belly putter or long putter, cross hand or claw, blade or mallet. Whatever your putting style, you must be comfortable and confident over the ball. Great putters always think they'll make the next one.

To be comfortable and confident, you must have a solid putting routine that gets you focused on fundamentals that produce positive results. Your confidence is bolstered and your mind is freed from negative thoughts. So, after you read your putt, you might try something like this:

Take a few relaxed practice strokes
Place your eyes directly over the ball
Set the putter face square to the target line
Align your feet, hips, and shoulders parallel to the target line
Look at the hole one time, look back at the ball, immediately putt

Of course, you must keep your head still during the stroke. The following drill can really help you to keep the head quiet.

Place a dime 6 feet from the hole. Place your ball on top of the dime and take your putting stance. Stroke the ball and see the dime. Keep focused on the dime until you hear the ball go into the hole. This drill will train you to keep your head still throughout the stroke.

For more on chipping and putting tips, fundamentals, and drills that will definitely make you a better player, visit my free Short Game Guide.

Below are my favorite chipping and putting drills. Give these a try and watch the scores come tumbling down.

Chipping Drill - Between the ball and the hole, stick a tee in the green where you think a chipped ball needs to land to roll close to the hole. Using a 7 iron, try a few shots, adjusting the tee as necessary. Try to land the ball as close to the tee as possible. Repeat until you can consistently chip close to the tee and roll the ball close to the hole.

Now move the tee closer to the hole and switch to a 9 iron. Go through the same process. Then, move the tee closer to the hole again and switch to your favorite wedge.

Putting Drill - Place 5 balls in a straight line at intervals of 2 feet leading away from the hole. This sets you up for putts of 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 feet. Beginning with the 2 footer, make every putt through the 10 footer. If you miss a putt, replace the balls, and start all over with the 2 footer.

This drill adds a little bit of pressure and a sense of competition, similar to what you might feel when you get on the course.

These are proven chipping and putting tips that will definitely lower your scores.