I can't chip, will a Square Strike save me?

[dlow206]

I only want to hear from people who have actually tried one, but i know i will get a lot of comments from the peanut gallery anyway lol.

 

i have become super yippie with chipping, so much so that i chip like someone who has never held a club in their life. maybe i can turn around my chipping, but need something that will be playable on the course until i figure it out, because my chipping won't improve over night. anyone had success with a Square Strike?

[RogerinNewZealand]

Narrow feet or feeet together.Ball right there. 8 iron.Putter Grip...Go.

[Striker Ace]

You can chip, just need to take more time. 

 

You can do eet!!!

[dlow206]

2 minutes ago, RogerinNewZealand said:

Narrow feet or feeet together.Ball right there. 8 iron.Putter Grip...Go.

 

that chipping method is about the only thing that will work decently for me right now. works fine from the fairway, not so good from the rough for me. 

[Davidv]

Square Strike use putting stroke good to go.

[underwater]

Tiger used to say, regarding chipping and pitching, "Once the shoulders stop rotating, the clubhead can only pass the hands and stub into the ground leading to a chili dip or bladed shot.  Keep the shoulder leading the way and drag the wedge through the hitting zone"

 

...I know you only wanted to hear from people using that square strike club, but you could save yourself from a lot of pain and open up your wedge choices if you think about that comment from Tiger. (and frankly many old timer Pros).

 

The moment you stop turning/rotating (and in a chip or pitch, that's shoulders) your wedge will chunk or skull.  I can chip off concrete for hours with clean contact.  Not because I'm awesome, but because I was taught to keep rotating even after contact..  Nothing more.

Edited May 13, 2022 by underwater

[hammergolf]

2 hours ago, dlow206 said:

I only want to hear from people who have actually tried one, but i know i will get a lot of comments from the peanut gallery anyway lol.

 

i have become super yippie with chipping, so much so that i chip like someone who has never held a club in their life. maybe i can turn around my chipping, but need something that will be playable on the course until i figure it out, because my chipping won't improve over night. anyone had success with a Square Strike?

Do you have a hybrid? They can be very easy to chip with. Cleveland has a very good option as well. The smartsole C is super easy to use. Just basically use your putting stroke. 

 

 

Edited March 7, 2022 by hammergolf

[dlow206]

my problem may also be partially playing conditions related. i struggle with hitting chips from the rough where there should be grass but its partially bare wet dirt/mud, and also tight lies in winter wet fairways in the PNW. 

[SEP1006]

Two words for you, cross handed !!!!!!!!

[Billfitz]

3 hours ago, dlow206 said:

 

that chipping method is about the only thing that will work decently for me right now. works fine from the fairway, not so good from the rough for me. 

I doubt that a chipper would be any better. You're far more likely to slide under the ball than with an iron. If you're not comfortable hitting out of the rough with a wedge using a normal wedge swing then use a putting stroke with an 8 iron. It's a lot less likely to slide under the ball. I have a chipper, it's been in my garage for 15 years, exiled to there when I learned how to use a putting stroke with everything from my fairway woods to my 9 iron.

[Fairway14]

3 hours ago, dlow206 said:

I only want to hear from people who have actually tried one, but i know i will get a lot of comments from the peanut gallery anyway lol.

 

i have become super yippie with chipping, so much so that i chip like someone who has never held a club in their life. maybe i can turn around my chipping, but need something that will be playable on the course until i figure it out, because my chipping won't improve over night. anyone had success with a Square Strike?

 

Yes, absolutely Square Strike (or other very wide sole wedge design) will yield consistently better results than a traditional wedge or short iron.

But, if your stroke is truly yippy no club design can overcome that to produce respectable shot result. Also, know that big name Tour pros such as Tom Watson and Vijay Singh have had chipping yips so bad they struggle to hit the green with a 10 foot chip shot, so please don't feel too bad.

[cgasucks]

I was a terrible chipper a few years ago then the pandemic came along and was so bored stuck indoors I practiced my chipping off a mat against a net and got pretty good at it.  After the lockdowns, I became even a better chipper practicing off of tight and bare lies. 

 

Maybe you should start hitting chips off a net in your basement.

[ChipNRun]

Don't be afraid to take a short-game lesson. I am fairly good in close, but I take a short-game about every three years and always learn something.

 

 

[dlow206]

3 minutes ago, ChipNRun said:

Don't be afraid to take a short-game lesson. I am fairly good in close, but I take a short-game about every three years and always learn something.

 

 

Yep. Since creating this thread, I already have a short game lesson scheduled with Monte over video coming up (i already work with Monte). 

[philly2kuk]

2 hours ago, dlow206 said:

my problem may also be partially playing conditions related. i struggle with hitting chips from the rough where there should be grass but its partially bare wet dirt/mud, and also tight lies in winter wet fairways in the PNW. 

I think most golfers struggle when chipping off mud. You’ve either got to nip it clean or if it’s soft/wet I play it like a bunker shot and splash it out.

[nsxguy]

5 hours ago, dlow206 said:

I only want to hear from people who have actually tried one, but i know i will get a lot of comments from the peanut gallery anyway lol.

 

i have become super yippie with chipping, so much so that i chip like someone who has never held a club in their life. maybe i can turn around my chipping, but need something that will be playable on the course until i figure it out, because my chipping won't improve over night. anyone had success with a Square Strike?

 

Yippie isn't a physical issue nor is it club related.

 

What makes you think an equipment change will fix what ails you ?

[Billfitz]

Yep. The yips are a self-fulfilling prophecy. You stand over the shot, you worry that you can't make it to the point that you only think about that and not the shot, and then, surprise, surprise, you don't make it. The cure isn't gear, the cure is confidence that only comes from practice.

[caniac6]

I recently got the Orange Whip Stan Utley Wedge Trainer, and that has helped a lot. At the very least, watch some Stan Utley videos. I don’t know where you live, but here in NC chipping and pitching off of wet, tight, dormant Bermuda is very tough. I think it’s the hardest part of playing winter golf. There is very little margin of error. I tend to chip with less loft in the winter. 

Edited March 7, 2022 by caniac6

[Hickory4ever]

Although I don’t use one, what is the harm in trying one? 

[Purpleslinky]

My suggestion would be to buy a used chipper( its not a club where the groves get worn out), it really doesnt matter which one its . Id also match the grip with your iron set. There will be a honey moon period when you get it and will love it. For some people its the first 3 shots they hit with it and for others its 15 years.  As you spend more time with it you will learn the limitations of the club (as is the case with a specialized club like a chipper.) When you get to a point in your game where you are trying to play certain shots and you're thinking to yourself this club is kind of holding me back, replace it with a wedge that lets you play they shots you want to play. If/ when you are at that point in your game,  then you probably dont have the dreaded yipps  and will have more of an idea of what you want out of a wedge( ie low bounce, highbounce,  toe relief, heel relief) but in the mean time buy a chipper because it does teach you a stroke that puts the ball on the green. If you view the purchase of a chipper as that of a training aid it wouldnt get nearly as much hate as does online. If you have analysis paralisis on what to buy Id recomendation the snake eyes 3500 sl puuting wedge can be found for like $20 online. I couldnt tell any difference between it and the square strike. 

[jsmcdon]

15 hours ago, SEP1006 said:

Two words for you, cross handed !!!!!!!!

i have actually thought about this which in return is good for your left side which is needed for chipping imo.

[azgreg]

19 hours ago, dlow206 said:

I only want to hear from people who have actually tried one, but i know i will get a lot of comments from the peanut gallery anyway lol.

 

i have become super yippie with chipping, so much so that i chip like someone who has never held a club in their life. maybe i can turn around my chipping, but need something that will be playable on the course until i figure it out, because my chipping won't improve over night. anyone had success with a Square Strike?

I borrowed one from a buddy for a while and my results and thought was about the same as Rick Shiels in his video.

 

 

[Strategery]

One of my golf buddies is fine at the chipping green but is a total mess on the course. Almost like a completely different person.

[PNWGuy]

I play in the PNW and experience the same conditions.  I've learned that the only shot you can reliably pull of from a Word not allowed bad muddy lie is a bump and run.  Playing lofted shots that require the club to get under the ball is a fool's erand.  Lower you expectations and play away from the pin if you have to.  I can't vouch for the Square Strike or any other chipper, but bump and runs with a conventional club are easy to learn.  Hang in there, the rainy season will end and we will have out 2 month summer soon!  

Edited March 7, 2022 by PNWGuy
** Edited to change the word that that the site considered to be inappropriate. I didn't think it was that bad but apparently somebody doesn't agree. .

[Billfitz]

6 hours ago, Hickory4ever said:

Although I don’t use one, what is the harm in trying one? 

There's no harm, so long as you don't have to pull a more useful club from the bag to make room for it. But here's the thing: a club need not look like a putter to be used with a putting stroke. And on that, I got a kick out of the Rick Shiels video, where had three duffers try it out with the instruction to use a putting stroke, and none of them did. At least I hope those aren't their putting strokes. 😏

[SEP1006]

2 hours ago, jsmcdon said:

i have actually thought about this which in return is good for your left side which is needed for chipping imo.

 

I was always a good chipper and could get up and down pretty consistently. Well in 2013 my wife of 34 years passed away from a rare form of kidney cancer. So after that I laid off of golf for about a year. When I decided to start playing again after some practice everything started to come back. Everything except the chipping, nothing but chunks and blades. Total case of the yips for sure. I was definitely ready to quit golf for good.

 

Well one day I was watching golf and saw VJ chipping cross-handed and decided to try it. What a discovery, by far the most consistent and dependable way to chip. No chunks, blades or yips. I am now even a better chipper than I was before.

 

I use this method pretty much from 50 yards and in, use a 7 iron most of the time unless I have to go over something or the ground is wet. I will use from a 9i up to a GW at times depending on the shot I'm hitting.

 

Just go cross-handed, no wrist hinge and use a putter type pendulum approach. I am by far the best chipper amongst the 8 - 10 guys I play golf with and get complimented frequently on how many times I get up and down. By far the best part of my game.

 

If you're struggling at all give it a try, nothing to lose.

 

 

[Billfitz]

Makes sense, a cross handed grip can calm a putting stroke, so it should do the same with any club that's being used with a putting stroke. At least VJ didn't use a 45 inch shaft on a wedge. 😏

[chadly643]

20 hours ago, dlow206 said:

my problem may also be partially playing conditions related. i struggle with hitting chips from the rough where there should be grass but its partially bare wet dirt/mud, and also tight lies in winter wet fairways in the PNW. 

You and everyone else…

 

Doubt the square strike would help much….so much bounce it actually might make these soft bare lies more difficult. 

[Hickory4ever]

4 hours ago, Billfitz said:

There's no harm, so long as you don't have to pull a more useful club from the bag to make room for it. But here's the thing: a club need not look like a putter to be used with a putting stroke. And on that, I got a kick out of the Rick Shiels video, where had three duffers try it out with the instruction to use a putting stroke, and none of them did. At least I hope those aren't their putting strokes. 😏

The OP had posted that he was considering a chipper, so my suggestion is give it a go, there should not be a problem in choosing what to take it out. Poor chipping is a major score killer, pull out the least used Club.

[GolfTurkey]

You can always throw some lead tape on the back to make it look respectable.