Every year Canadians shake the winter doldrums off their golf game, and head out to the fairways. Those early weeks in the season as we whip the rust off our games can be a challenge. With that in mind, each week in April, Golf Town Instructor Franco Sirianni will share a tip on how to prepare for the season. 

Consider this your Golf Town Spring Tune-up.

The concept: The short game is undeniably the most important part of the game to put yourself in position to score. Golfers tend to practice more on driving and iron play but aren’t always clear what to do when it comes to chipping. The end result is a poor short game. But don’t worry–it can be easily fixed with a few simple drills and tips. With all of these tips, keep in mind I recommend you consider two key factors when chipping: keep your head still by focusing on a single dimple on the back of the ball, and striking that dimple with the center of the clubface.

Tip 1: Hinge your wrists to chip-and-run 

With the chip-and-run shot, the goal is to bounce the ball short of the green and roll it to the hole. In order to do this properly, set the ball back in your stance with the shaft leaning forward, which will reduce the loft on the shot. Hinge your wrists during the backswing, and maintain that wrist set all the way to the finish, while pivoting your chest towards the target as your arms swing through. You should make a descending blow, and take slight divot in front of the ball.

Tip 2:  Soft hands for chip shots

In order to chip to the best of one’s ability, soft hands are a necessity, just as they are in many other sports. Light grip pressure is key—think of gripping the club at four on a scale of one to ten. That will ensure limited tension in your arms. Then, you simply use the basic chipping technique, with the ball a touch back in a slightly open stance to promote contact with the ball first.

Tip 3: Lead with your left arm (for a right-handed golfer)

Your left arm is the key to the correct chipping stroke. With that in mind, let the left hand and arm start the backswing together as a unit, with a slight hinging of the wrists. Then on the downswing make sure the left arm leads the clubhead into the ball.

Tip 4: Chip with an extended shaft drill

An easy tip for the golfer struggling with their short game is to extend a second shaft or alignment stick onto the grip at the end of a club. When you hit chip shots with this extended club, the extra shaft shouldn’t touch your body as you swing through the ball. If it does, it means you’re scooping at impact, the most common fault in chipping and not moving your body in sequence. Here’s a good swing thought—keep the butt end of the grip pointing away from your body as you swing through to the target. If you do that, you’ll chip the ball with more consistency.

A Class A PGA of Canada Professional, Franco Sirianni teaches at Golf Town’s store in St. Hubert, Que. He can be reached at fsirianni@golftown.com.