Chipping - Setup - Weight

An article by: Bobby Eldridge on 12-17-2007
This article has been read 17265 times.

Chipping Setup - Weight

Let's talk in more detail about Part Six-70% of your weight should be on your left side at address.

What this means is that after you have centered the golf ball in your stance and you have grounded the clubhead behind the golf ball and then moved the handle across from your belt buckle, you will move 70% of your weight over to your left leg.(#10)

Once you start the backswing your weight stays on your left side during the entire backswing, downswing and after your low follow thru. You still have 70% of your weight on your left side.(#11)

I'll repeat. It is always 70% on your left leg.

The reason for the weight being 70% on the left side is to keep you from trying to hit up on the golf ball. Weight on your left side will force you to bring the clubhead in the downswing towards the golf ball in a chopping motion.(#12)

That chopping motion will make the golf ball come off of the club face with consistent direction and loft.

If you can contact the face in this position you will get a more consistent impact and the golf ball will fly in the air the correct amount with the proper roll after it makes contact with the putting surface.

This weight balance should be there throughout the entire swing. Notice it does not change from setup, the takeaway, during the backswing, on the downswing, at impact, or in the follow through.

Some of the most common mistakes golfers make when chipping are topping the ball, hitting it fat, hitting behind the ball, or hitting it too thin. Some of these mistakes take place if the weight moves in the backswing.(#13)

The first three steps are static steps. There are no moving parts in Part 4-5-6. This is the setup which will enable the golf club to swing more vertical.

With 70% of your weight on your left foot the golf club will swing up and down and not down and up. In other words you will start to see the clubhead swinging into the bottom of the golf ball and not the top.

Now that you understand where your weight goes at address let's move on to Part Seven-Arms only in the Backswing.

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You can continue on to the next series of chipping lessons about the chipping backswing. The first lesson in the Backswing series of golf lessons is on the correct length of the backswing. Or you can view golf lessons on the chipping Downswing, Follow Through, or the Introduction.