GIVE YOURSELF A CHIPPING ARSENAL
By: Barry Goldstein
Sometimes, when I'm working with my students on the short game, I'll ask them to hit chip shots to three targets: one at 20 feet, another at 30 feet and the third and 50 feet.

If I ask them to hit to the 50-foot target first, almost invariably, they'll pull out their sand wedge or pitching wedge. I think that this is a big mistake. Here's why:

Generally speaking, good players-those with excellent short games-want to get the ball on the green and rolling toward the target as quickly as possible. Poorer players tend to throw the ball up in the air and take a chance on where it might stop. With minimum air time and maximum ground time, your chip will behave more like a putt and you'll know-with precision-where the ball will stop. When you add a stiff breeze to the scenario, the decision to fly the ball closer to the hole becomes even more questionable.

Using a complete chipping arsenal-from at least the 7-iron through your lob wedge-has another benefit. If you use one favorite chipping club-say, your pitching wedge-for all of your shots around the green, you're going to have to make somewhat dramatic changes to your technique for shots of various lengths. For example, the swing you'd make for a 50-foot shot will be much longer than the one for the 15-footer. But if you choose a 6- or 7-iron for the longer shot, now you can make approximately the same motion-with the same rhythm-for the longer shot as you would for a shorter shot; you let the longer club do the work for you rather than making a significant adjustment to your swing.

So experiment using a variety of clubs around the green. Use your wedges on faster shots, shorter shots, and those where you have to carry the ball over trouble. Use longer clubs for longer shots when you have no trouble to carry and plenty of green with which to work.