Recreational players tend to think that all chipping is the same — and for many of us, that may be true.
But at the pro level, where players have a number of different short-game shots and techniques in their arsenal, deciding which weapon to deploy is an art form, and one that generally needs to be honed in the days before a tournament.
At this week’s Honda LPGA Thailand, Danielle Kang explained how she prepares herself for the shots she’s likely to face around the green.
“I try and calibrate to how the golf course is playing, how the ball reacts,” she said. “I try and check the shot, and if it checks up, how much it checks up with different clubs. I use a 58 all the way to 9-iron.”
Kang’s strategy of using a number of different clubs should be aspirational for recreational players. While many of us tend to use only one wedge for chip shots — and maybe also a lower-lofted club for bump-and-runs — Kang tests all of them to find the right fit.
“[I want to see] how much it’s going to roll out depending on what shot I was hitting,” she continued. “Wanted to see how far I could throw it and spin, et cetera. I’m just basically just calibrating.”
Kang said that she reserves Tuesdays for calibration and Wednesdays for testing. And while not every player has the luxury of spending that amount of time practicing on the course, there’s a good lesson here in pre-round prep: Devote some time to hitting chips with a number of different clubs so you can make an authoritative decision on the best option for your given conditions. Your score will thank you!
