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Newsletter - Issue 114 Date 09/27/09
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Equipment - Books - DVD's - Instruction 
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I have viewed the "Phil Mickelson - Secrets of The Short Game" DVD
several times since I mentioned it in the last newsletter, and here are my thoughts.

First of all I want to make it clear that I'm a big Phil Mickleson fan, he's second 
on my list to Tiger.

Having said that, his DVD was interesting but nothing in there was an earth
shattering revelation. I've seen most of the same type of techniques in many other
instructional videos done by teachers of the game. 

The one aspect that I want to discuss a little is his "hinge and hold" method of chipping.

One of the things that I take exception to in his video is him saying that essentially
it's the only way to chip, and if anyone teaches the method where the hands are less 
active, that you should run away and look for someone that teaches the "hinge and hold"
method exclusively.

I take exception for two reasons, One is that there are lot's of different - and valid - ways
to accomplish just about any stroke in golf. Two is that the time tested method of chipping
with hands and wrists that are less active than the "hinge and hold" is a much better approach
to chipping for the beginner and even some intermediate to advanced players because 
of one important consideration. It's the main consideration that I use when deciding
what type of swing to teach a player after I've done my analysis of their capabilities.

It's this: what is the best method for the shot necessary to accomplish the objective, and 
at the same time produce a better miss if the contact is less than perfect? 

Now I personally have gotten in about four rounds during the time frame that I've been reviewing 
his DVD, and I've used the "hinge and hold" almost exclusively for my chip shots while I've been 
considering this review.

I've actually hit some excellent chips most of the time, but had one disaster hole that would
not have occurred had I been using my usual "go to" chipping method with less wrist action.
To be fair, there was one occasion where that was the only type of shot that would have 
produced the good result that I got from the technique.

Here's the bottom line: the "hinge and hold" works, and it's a good shot to have in your bag.
However, I will continue to favor the "less active wrists" approach as my default method 
because the "hinge and hold" is too risky to use as a default chipping stroke. It's good to 
know if you find yourself in a situation that calls for a chip that stops very quickly on the green, 
but it's not necessary the vast majority of the chipping situations you'll find yourself in. PLUS,
I think that a chip that is allowed to run out more by using a less lofted club has a better 
chance of getting in the hole.

I'll still give two thumbs up to the DVD if you can hunt one down on Ebay for $15 or so, it
will broaden your knowledge on the subject.

Enjoy,

Tom


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TCT Quick Tips - Approach Shots
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Avoid hitting approach shots into slopes if you have a choice. Aim for a flat area 
on the green where the bounce is easier to predict.


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Golf Tip: Chip It Closer
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I received this on one of my emails from Dave Pelz, and I thought it would fit
with the theme of this newsletter - a more traditional way of chipping. The odd thing 
is that Dave Pelz is now one of Phil Mickleson's short game coaches - go figure! 

Chip Two Times Closer, Hole Four Times More Do the Math ... 
A Little Chipping Practice Goes A Long Way 

Who doesn't love the sight of a chip shot tracking to the hole, just touching the flagstick 
and dropping straight down? There's no reason why you can't enjoy the sight more. The 
chip is one of the simplest, most straightforward swings in golf. Good chippers can hole 
as many chip shots from a given distance as good putters can hole putts. If you will work
on your chipping periodically, I'm sure you can become a good chipper, too. 

First, before you spend a lot of time practicing, make sure your chipping technique 
is reasonably sound. Position the ball just back of center in your stance or in the center of 
your stance if the lie permits. Lean slightly forward to insure a descending blow, and 
accelerate smoothly through impact. Acceleration is a key to good chipping, but it 
must be gradual and never rushed or abrupt. To get a good rhythm in your mind, think 
"back slowly", then "through". If you'll make your follow - through swing only about 20 
percent longer than your backswing, this will insure a gradual acceleration through impact. 
A good way to remember this is to always think "short back … longer through".

When you set up to practice, get a dozen balls and carefully read how much the chip shot 
will break as it rolls to the hole before you start. Take two practice swings before every chip, 
reminding yourself to have a short motion going back and a slightly longer follow-through. 
Now chip all twelve balls to the hole and carefully analyze the pattern you have created. 

I want to give you an example here how improving your chipping pattern a little will result 
in a big improvement in your game. In a recent practice session, I rolled 24 chip shots 
into a pattern around the hole that created a 30-inch radius circle. One ball went into the 
hole. In round two of this practice session, I rolled 24 shots twice as close, into a 15-inch 
radius circle around the hole, and holed four of them. In round three, I rolled all 24 shots 
into a radius that was three times as small (a 10-inch circle around the hole), and nine 
times as many shots fell into the hole. 

These patterns illustrate a well-known mathematical principle: the probability of 
you holing chip shots depends not on the pattern of your “miss-distance”, but on the 
square of that distance. This means whatever the radius of your chipping pattern is now, if 
you can improve it by a factor of two, you'll hole four times as many shots. If you can practice 
enough to improve it by a factor of three, you'll hole nine times more chips. 

What I'm telling you is: learn to chip it closer and you'll make a lot more shots. Once you're 
making consistently solid contact with repeatable mechanics, your chipping practice will 
produce consistently smaller patterns around the hole. Once you see this result, you're on 
your way because you know mathematically, as you improve your chipping just a little, a 
lot more of your shots will start dropping into the hole. 

Enjoy, Tom