In golf, chip and pitch shots are all about making crisp contact with the ball first and you do this by hitting positively down into the back of the ball. If the players you played with had said, "nice pitch" when you really chipped, then they are just referring it to as a good shot without noticing the difference between chip and pitch.



In other words, great recovery shots are the result of well-made chip and pitch hits. If you want to succeed at learning to play golf and becoming a better player, it is essential that you increangly hone your skills in doing chip and pitch shots. In order to play a successful hole, or to make up for poor driving or long iron play, you must be able to chip and pitch the ball well.

The Important Recognition

You need to recognize that most golfers will spend 90% of their time making shots that are far from being on-target and that then lead to recovery shots.

In order to score well you must learn to recover from these off-target shots. In other words, great recovery shots are the result of well executed chip and pitch hits.

No matter how accurate and how well you are able to perform from the tee, without developing expertise at your short game, you will not be able to enjoy the exuberance that comes from lowering your scores. Remember that your short game is what matters most. By executing a great chip or pitch, you bay be able to tower over the scoring zone (that 6' circle around the hole).

Is It a Chip or a Pitch

When playing golf, no game is the same, and you may not always hit the ball onto the green with the standard amount of shots taken. Many times your ball will land somewhere within the range of a short iron shot from the green. This is when you have to decide if it is best to do a chip, or is the pitch the right choice. Sometimes the decision is not clear-cut.

The Chip Shot: A chip shot is made when your ball lands within 5 to 10 feet from the putting surface. Said another way, it is simply any shot that you make which is close to the green. Your goal when making a chip shot is simply to lag the ball just as close to the hole as possible in order that you have a very easy putt.

The Pitch Shot: A pitch shot is made when the ball lands further from the green. Although the chip and the pitch are hit from different distances, the objective is the same. You want your pitch shot to end just as close to the hole as possible.

Conclusion:

Chip and pitch shots make up the crux of the short game. If you want to succeed at learning to play golf and becoming a better player, it is essential that you learn how to chip and pitch great shots. In other words, great recovery shots are the result of well-made chip and pitch hits. In order to play a successful hole, or to make up for poor driving or long iron play, you must be able to chip and pitch the ball well.

A great deal of success is in your frame of mind, In other words, deeply believe that you have the creativity, courage, and concentration to chip and pitch well. This is a big step toward your success.