Keep a Firm Left Wrist for Chipping and Putting

Mark Oswald
General Manager
The Highlands at Dove Mountain in Marana, AZ.
Marana, AZ
oswaldpga@gmail.com

More Information

Try this simple tip to improve your chipping and putting. Maintain a firm left forearm and wrist position (for the right handed golfer, right forearm and wrist for the left handed golfer) during the backswing and forward swing for chipping and putting. Swing from your shoulder and minimize the amount of wrist movement in the swing.  

A very common mistake while chipping is to let the left wrist cup or bend as you are hitting the ball. This will make for very inconsistent chipping. If you are allowing the wrist to break during the swing, you will have inconsistent impact and inconsistencies with lofting the ball into the air while trying to keep the ball low to the ground and rolling smoothly. 

Look at your finish of the stroke in putting and chipping. You should see no bending or cupping in the left wrist. The end of the grip should be pushed out away from your left side; the grip end should not be pointing back towards the middle of your body. If you can maintain this firm left side you will increase the solidness at impact and improve your chipping and putting.

The chipping and putting stroke are the same stroke with different address positions. If you can keep this left arm firm and going down the line to your target you will cut strokes off your score. 

For more help with your golf game, contact Mark Oswald at Oswaldpga@gmail.com