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One can Chip with virtually every club in his or her bag except the Driver and Putter. These clubs provide or present very little factory ‘Loft’ to the ball. Why? Because they only have a little. (Driver 8 to 12 … Putter 1 to 5)

Our ‘5 Set-Ups’ are a wonderful advantage for all golf strike procedures. Let us take a quick, progressive and simplistic look at Chipping?

1. Posture … proper Forward Inclination and Lateral Tilts (Target & Brace)
2. Grip … fairly neutral and similar to ‘Putting’ (lots of variety)

By this term we do not mean the presence of any ‘Sidehill Lie’ condition. The ball is not above or below your feet!

Our ‘Set-Up is really important. A key element is to ‘Match Our Shoulder Axis to the Ground Slope’. This enable our ‘Clubhead Path and Shaft Plane’ to be compatible and functional.

Remember that this ‘Downhill Lie’ tends to launch the ball on a ‘Flatter Trajectory’. It will not get very high. You might thus select a slightly more lofted club. You might also alter your ‘Ball Location’ to accommodate your needs. A little more forward will deliver slightly more ‘Loft At Separation’.

If you have ‘Worked For A Living’, the baseline tasking is very likely ‘Trading Time For Dollars’. It takes personal time investment to make money! We know this to be true!

When you take a golf lesson, make sure it is with a known and proven teaching entity. If your instructor is short on science and experience, you shall surely waste ‘Time’. Time has value, therefore poor instruction is also logically wasting ‘Money’. Exercise your prerogative early!

‘Time Is Our Universal Currency’ whether we are buying or selling!

What stimulated these thoughts?

This is actually an ‘Out-Of-Plumb Spinal Condition’. When one is plumb, the Sternum (and Spine) are roughly in line with the ‘Belly Button’. The ‘Plumb Line’, bridge of your nose, Adam’s Apple and sternum, navel hit the ground between your feet … in the center of your Stance.

To accomplish ‘Aft Tilt’ one must ‘Tip To The Brace Side’ with the ‘Shoulders’ while the ‘Hip Girdle’ remains relatively stationary. ‘Aft Tilt’ created by ‘Sliding The Hips’ Target-ward is mechanically wrong. ‘Stacking & Tilting’ is worthy of discussion.

Starting from a perfect ‘Address Position’ (Plumb Spine), your golfclub will be fairly ‘Neutral’ depending on ‘Grip’. This ‘Neutral Plumb’ means ‘Lie and Loft Correct’. If we want more ‘Launch Angle or Trajectory’ to get over a big obstructing tree, what might we do?

Posture Is The Essence Of A Good Golf Swing!

You will certainly recall our ‘555 Team’ ‘5 Set-Ups’ … Posture, Grip, Stance, Ball Location & Alignment. From a ‘Sequential Perspective, ‘Posture Trumps Grip’. It is a higher priority! By the way, there is no golf procedure anywhere that does not have all five of these bedrock components so, they may be worth our earnest and reverent attention?

Right now we have a topic to address … “Stepping Into The Ball”.

We must ‘Extend, Reach Into or Measure To The Ball’ with our ‘Lever Assemblies’. (see ‘Bottom Of Swing Arc’ - BOSA)(see ‘Forward Inclination’) Once extended and inclined, we must establish our ‘Target Stance’ by ‘Stepping Into The Ball’. How do we do this properly? Willey Nilley won’t cut it! We must ‘Step In’ correctly.

We all have the gift of ‘Free Will’ (converting Desire and Dreams into Outcomes) but occasionally we fail to exercise this power efficiently. When our ‘Intuition’ speaks to us … we would best listen! Behind its music, its melody and lyrics there is meaning and opportunity.

‘Dream Big’ in technicolour always with a sprinkle of courageous realism! Evaluate your visions. Formulate a game plan, a ‘Best Practice’ spreadsheet. “I am going to focus on my ‘Putting & Chipping’ over the next month. Invite and expect at least small miracles!

Next, ‘Do Big’, even feeling a little at risk, take ‘Big Action Steps’ on course. Stretch your total machine! When is the last time you had a really productive golf review and lesson resulting in a written ‘Game Plan’ that you applied over time, one that made you happier via lower scores and with more praise from your playing buddies?

Your ‘555 Team’ often shares ideas with you. They describe the chronic faults that can potentially arise with an over-extended or longer backswing. The longer ‘The Clubhead Travel Distance’, the more problems one may discover in ‘Component Positions’ and ‘Timing’. Staying solidly seated on a wild mustang is unavoidably a test of courage and skill. Golf as well!

Let us refer to the ‘Impact & Separation Zone’ (Swing Sequence #8 & #8a) as ‘The Dog House’? The farther the pup gets away from that doghouse, the more exposure there is to getting lost or disoriented! Can one survive the known or unknown wilderness? 555 Golf helps guide us!

You must understand how to properly use the lower body machine (LBM) to create more kinetic or dynamic power without taking a longer swing. (see ‘Pivot Resistance and Core Thrust’)

I rather like the mental image and actual motion drill known as ‘Skipping The Rock’. (Side-Arm Underhanded) You can do this wonderful educator exercise in your back yard of local park using a golf or tennis ball. (no club) Doing it at the local pond is magically better. You can see the truth! (as ball flight)

Start by stretching to warm up at least a little. Now that you are ready, set up in a ‘Normal Impact Fix’ (Address Ready is OK) do five ‘Skip The Rock’ repetitions in slow motion. No golf club required.

Want to make this ‘B-P Drill’ a home run? Start with your feet two inches apart. To start the ‘Skipping Rocks Skill Drill’, you will naturally have to ‘Step Brace Side’, say your ‘Little & Word’, Bump or Transition followed by ‘Step Target Side’ to a comfortable width. This step mechanics will fall within your normal ‘Golf Parameters’ and the ‘Skipping Drill Discipline’.

THE ‘PUSH’ SHOT
“Oh No!”

Being professionally disciplined, always accomplish your ‘Pre-Shot Routine’ as well as your ‘Post-Shot Routine’. We must know what we are going to do as well as what we have done.

Always strive to ‘Fix It Fast’ in the simplest manor possible. Keep it simple and execute!

A ‘Push Shot’ is a ball flight that goes to the Low Energy Side of the Target Line primarily due to a ‘Clubhead Path Error.’ A ‘Push Cut Shot’ is the same error but with an added ‘Open Clubface’ that induces a required ‘Side Spin Rate’ in the direction of the ‘Push’.

‘Push, Push, Path’ Corrections:

Conservative or moderate ‘Stress’ can be used as an asset! It is really a net gain for golfers and ‘Hikers On The Trails Of Life’… courageous or timid. Stress often activates performance.

Stress builds resilience. Our brains are equipped and tempered to see and manage ‘The Stresses Of Change’. Let us open a door to our wilderness world and invite what might initially be a skeptical guest? Could be YOU.

To do the best we can do, we must become competent in making and accepting changes regardless of magnitude. We must be able to make them on short notice. This requires that we are spontaneously open-minded and flexible. We must commit to a multidimensional flight plan!