Chip Shot
A compact lofted shot from close to the green that carries a short distance and then rolls to the hole.
Overview
A chip is a small swing with a big purpose: get the ball on to the putting surface early and let it roll. The stroke is closer to a long putt than to a full swing, with a narrow stance, the weight settled toward the front foot and the hands slightly ahead of the ball.
The club does the lifting. Because the ball is struck with a descending blow rather than scooped, chipping feels counter-intuitive at first — the way to get the ball up is to hit down on it.
How to do it
- 1Pick the spot on the green you want the ball to land on.
- 2Take a narrow, slightly open stance with your weight favouring your front foot.
- 3Set your hands a little ahead of the ball with the club resting behind it.
- 4Swing back a short distance, keeping your wrists quiet.
- 5Strike down through the ball toward your landing spot and let it release to the hole.
Key points
- Choose a landing spot on the green, then let the ball run to the hole.
- Different clubs change how much the ball rolls from the same stroke.
- Hands stay ahead of the clubhead so the club strikes the ball first.
- The stance is narrow and the swing short — this is not a small full swing.
Where it’s used
Sports that use chip shot:
Related techniques
Golf Full Swing
The complete rotational swing used for tee shots and longer approach shots, from setup through backswing to a balanced finish.
Putting Stroke
The short, quiet stroke used on the green to start the ball rolling on a chosen line at a chosen pace.
Bunker Shot
The greenside sand shot where the club enters the sand behind the ball and lifts it out on a cushion of sand.
How it connects
The meaning-bearing relationships that place Chip Shot in the wider knowledge graph — each one with the reason it exists.
Frequently learned together
Taught side by side in the same stage of a learning path.
Explore across the knowledge base
Follow the threads that connect Chip Shot to the rest of SocialSportHub.
Go deeper with Chip Shot
Everywhere else on the platform that covers Chip Shot — assembled from what actually references it, so nothing here is a dead end.
Learn it
Structured courses and paths on the platform that cover this directly.
Take it away
Open data and the whole-platform view of this subject.
How this page is maintained
- Content type
- Technique
- Provenance
- Tier A — evergreen educational
- Verified external sources
- 0
- Content updated
- 2026-08-30
Evergreen, first-party explanation — it makes no claim that needs an external source. How we handle sources and reviews.