Chipping
with a 3 Wood
If you watched last week’s
"Battle at Bighorn" between
Tiger Woods and Sergio Garcia, you might
have heard Sergio make a comment regarding
his poor club selection for a chip shot
for eagle on the back nine. He chipped
it with a fairly lofted club, the ball
came out hot, and fortunately for him,
he made the long birdie putt coming back.
However, he did mention afterwards that
he should have chipped it with his 3 wood.
A 3 wood may seem like a
crazy choice for chipping, but it has
been done for years and just recently,
Tiger’s frequent use of the shot
has brought it back into fashion. You
can use it from just off the green or
when you are quite a distance away, provided
the turf will allow a shot bouncing and
running along the ground. You set up just
like a normal chip shot, only use your
3 wood or even a 5 or 7 wood depending
on the lie and the amount of carry you
need. Choke down, use a narrower, open
stance, and keep a little more weight
on your left leg. The ball position should
be in the center or slightly back in your
stance.
The motion is primarily
an arm and shoulder stroke and it is important
to keep your hands ahead of the ball and
not allow any left wrist breakdown. The
shape of the clubhead will glide through
the turf better than the clubhead in a
lot of situations, and the ball will pop
out nicely and run quite a bit afterward.
Like any shot, this will require practice
to control your distances, but once you
get the hang of it, it can be a valuable
shot to \have in your bag!
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