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18 September 2008
The dreaded chip-yip
comments: 2
Picture the scene: tough par four, you smoked your drive, career-best 3-wood, just off the green, pin invitingly in the middle, just four metres of semi to carry…
And what do you do? You offer a tragically short twitch with your lob-wedge which sends your ball embarrassingly two feet forward. Your friends cough loudly to stifle their laughter. It's your turn again and although the arc is good, contact is a tad anorexic and you hit it 50 metres too far into the pond. Sound familiar?
When making a chip-yip, your left arm bends coming into the ball, causing either the legs and the body to drop into the chip (the duff), or your hands to flick through (thin shot). If you first set 60 percent of your weight on the front foot and then focus on not bending your left arm (for right-handed players), including, most importantly, after you have struck the ball, you will not yip. (Click on the picture above right to see how it's done.) Not bending the left arm for the entire motion back and through is the secret move. Go on, try it.
This tip is demonstrated by Julian Show, long-time member of the PGA and member of the Compleat Golfer Top 20 Teachers panel. Julian is the head professional at Hermanus Golf Club.
Reader comments: (2)
•putting yip please advise on this problem & also on the super grip in october issue
posted by: Mike on 2009/01/02
•finally! a fail-safe anti-yip tip the chipping yips have plagued me in the last four games I've played and threatened to form a habit - this works. THANK YOU
comments: 2
