I recently conducted a poll about which non-wedge do you most to chip around the green. I personally love using my 7-iron, but I was surprised that approximately 15% of the respondents use a hybrid to get the ball rolling quickly on the intended target. I have tried hybrids before, but have not really had much success getting the ball close to the hole. Do you use a hybid or a different club to chip around the green?
I have a general idea on how to use my hybrid, however this short video should help.
I can see the utility to using a hybrid, but it is a shot that I would have to practice often to get the feel of how the ball jumps off the club face. If this particular video did not work for you, try this one:
In the second video, Kathy Hart Wood used her hybrid from a distance I would not have thought of; yet she is putting after her stroke. I guess there really is not wrong answer on which club to use when chipping, but everyone seems to agree that practicing different shots is a great approach to lower our golf scores.
I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!
The Grateful Golfer 
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This is a technique I often use especially if I’m in the midst of a chipping meltdown with my SW, PW or 9 iron. Short game is such a difficult yet integral part of the game of golf so anything one can do to take the pressure off of things that aren’t quite working is going to be beneficial in my eyes. I find the hybrid ‘bump and run’ a very easy and simplified way of getting the ball from fairway to green and to somewhere resembling close to the pin. This might just be me being able to feel these type of shots more than a standard chip/pitch shot though, as in my opinion there are more factors to concentrate on when executing ‘standard’ chip shots, i.e, not breaking the wrists, not lifting the head, worrying about chunking or blading the ball, how much to takeaway and how much to follow through etc…for me a simple putting stroke with a hybrid is a far more simplistic method of execution and so long as your pace and feel isn’t ridiculously off, then more times out of 10 I would get the ball onto the green and closer to the hole. So for me I often utilise the hybrid bump and run and often with more success than the traditional methods, although I have to admit it doesn’t feel like the right / proper way to play the golf shot and in a way it feels a bit like cheating! But heck if it works and saves you a few shots per round then why would that really matter!!…each to their own i say….
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Lee,
It is definitely not cheating to use any club in your bag anyway you want. If it is bad form, there would be a rule outlawing it. Personally, everything you described is how I feel when using a 7 iron. That is my club of choice and it works very well for me. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Cheers Jim
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Jim, I will pick a club based on how far I need to carry the ball and how much roll out is required. I want to get the ball rolling as soon as possible. Usually, I’ll grab a PW and drop to an 8-iron for longer chips. Have used a 7-iron for very large greens with a ton of roll-out. The key for me is to not make too big of a swing and let the club do the work.
Thanks,
Brian
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Brian,
I like your approach! Situation is definitely the driving factor when selecting a club.
Cheers Jim
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I’ve tried a 4 hybrid and a 3 wood and the driver to chip with over the years but I never did like using a wood/hybrid. The faces are too hot. There was just too big a difference in the distance I got between a perfect strike and one that was just off perfect for my liking. When I want to get it on the ground and rolling out to the hole AND the grain of the grass is against me, I’ll use the 8 iron. Otherwise, I’ll have a wedge in my hand. I’ve duffed enough in the past though to have learned to let the grain make that decision for me. In Florida, even a full swing against the grain can cause a fat shot. And especially this time of year when it’s so wet out.
Today I worked on two things. First, I wanted to see more center strikes with my irons. I’ve noticed of late that the wear pattern is edging outward and I want that to stop asap. And secondly, I thought I’d try something different. I played two balls again, and this time, I tried for a draw with the first swing and a fade with the second. The first couple of holes I got neither of them right. But before I finished, I was hitting some pretty nice little draw shots that turned just a few feet in the air. The fade attempts though never seemed to turn today. The ball rose higher, but seemed to stay straight as an arrow and I hit them all to the left of the pin. Not so when I hit my 3 wood. No draws, no fades, but I did slice it pretty good. Twice. Oops. Oh well, I hit two good ones even if they didn’t draw. All in all, it was a pretty good day. Still too hot and muggy, but I think I was hitting center face pretty well for the most part, and I did love watching those draws track towards the pin, and I shot 1 over with the fade ball (thanks to one of those sliced 3 wood hits) and par with the other. So I came out pretty happy.
The new putter was still amazingly behaved but it will get it’s first real test tomorrow when I go play a bigger course that actually has the holes in the ground instead of above and greens that harder and faster than what we have here. Ours are pretty good, but Chi Chi’s are just over a year old now. They were rock hard this time last year but they are just coming into their own now and with all the rain we’ve had, I’m betting they’ll be especially receptive.
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Kevin
Sounds like you had a great outing yesterday. Lots of on course practice. As for hybrids, I am not convinced either, but it is good info for those who want to try. Have fun on the big course!
Cheers Jim
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