There is no doubt that golf is one of the very hardest sports to actually master, if not the hardest.

Golf is an incredibly complicated game – one that is often made more complex than it needs to be.

One of the best ways to lower your scores immediately is to sharpen up your short game.

There are three keys to improving your chipping. As a former touring professional, I have seen amateur golfers make the same mistakes around the greens time and time again.

*Antony Martin is a scratch golfer who played professionally for years in America. He is the on-course expert for the Golfing Gazette, and wants to share his knowledge and decades of experience to help you improve.

Three common mistakes amateur golfers make around the greens

Club and shot selection

The key to improving your short game is keeping things as simple as possible. When you are faced with a chip or a pitch, your first thought should be: ‘What is the most simple way for me to get my ball on the green?‘ If there is no kind of hazard between your ball and the hole, your priority should be to ensure solid contact between clubface and ball. In order to do this, select a straighter faced club – a 9, 8 or 7-iron, and get the ball running towards the hole. This may not be the best way to get as close as possible to the hole, but it will eliminate the big mistakes. If you manage to avoid the thins over the green and the dreaded chunks, your scores will almost certainly come down. On occasion, you will have to loft the ball up in the air. For instance, if there is a bunker between your ball and the hole, a sand wedge or a lob wedge will be required. This brings more risk into play and depending on your handicap, you could always play either side of the hazard to eliminate the big numbers. However, if you do need to loft your ball up high, you should always err on the side of caution. If the pin is cut close to the front of the green, you should aim to leave yourself 20 feet or so past the flag. Meanwhile, if the pin is cut close to the back of the green, do not mess around with it. Aim to leave yourself a putt 10-15 short of the hole. Always play the percentage shot, and your scores should improve as a result.

Hands far too active

The key to a solid chipping action is having your arms and body remaining connected as one unit. Far too many amateur golfers have overly-active wrists through their chipping and pitching motion, especially mid-high handicappers. When the wrists and hands are too active, the bottom of the arc in your motion is never the same from one chip to the next. Sure, you may hit an incredible chip or pitch one day when your timing is immaculate. However, there will also be plenty of times when you blade your ball through the back of the green or you duff your shot, leaving your ball just in front of your feet. The less wrist hinge you have in your chipping motion, the more consistent you will become.

Angle of attack, ball position and upper body rotation

Having a steep angle of attack when chipping is a recipe for disaster. This also relates to the tip above regarding the over-active hands. If your hands are not active at all and your upper body is in control of your chipping motion, it is incredibly difficult to have a steep angle of attack, if not impossible. I would suggest always having the ball further back in your stance when chipping, regardless of what shot you are hitting. The only exception to this is when you are hitting a high flop shot, and that should only be something you try if you are a highly skilled golfer or if you have no other option. With the ball further back in your stance, initiate your takeaway by turning your chest away from the ball. Your arms should follow in unison and the same applies throughout your down swing, on into impact and then into your follow through. This obviously requires practice, but it will be worth it in the long run. It is an incredibly simple technique to master and while you won’t be hitting ‘hero shots’, your consistency will undoubtedly improve.

To summarize the key takeaways here, it is vital to select the correct club for each shot. You then must fully commit to the type of chip you wish to play, before keeping things as simple as possible with regards to your technique.

Minimal wrist hinge is required, while keeping your arms and chest together as one unit throughout your motion. Try these tips on the practice ground and you will almost certainly become a more consistent chipper and pitcher of the ball.