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There is a lot to what you say Dandy. Many of us completely lose the ability to feel or visualize the shot if instead we have our head full of mechanical thoughts.

On most shots I consider good contact to be king. If I can't count on solid contact, or in the case of ball down and grass behind the ball, known less than optimum contact, then I really never know how far or which direction the ball will go shot to shot. So having too many thoughts in your head messes with feel, but so does inconsistent contact.

Now we get to Bill's comment in another thread, that we just can handle only so much input at once.

In my own personal progression I've found this to be a dance that looks something like this.

Before I knew the proper chipping method for the conditions, I just focused on visualization and feel. My thinking was my inconsistent contact may mean I'm not close, but at least most of the time I'll be somewhere on the green.

Then as I started learning some of the techniques I started getting messed up like you suggested. I learned to focus on learning the technique/mechanics on the practice range. Focus on feel on the course.

In the real world it isn't as easy as it sounds. In reality you get out there and sometimes you fall back into looking at mechanics, especially if you repeatedly make the same contact mistake and you know you did better at the range.

I also tried to discipline myself to only work on one chipping technique at a time.

But I see a lot of miles left in this new part 2 thread talking about the feel and visualization aspect of chipping.

I had a lesson the other day from a PGA professional and he basically said the following...

(Right handed player)

Feet should be 1 club head length apart
Feet angled approx 45 degrees open, club face is facing target
Ball should be 2 club head lengths from right foot
Ball back in your stance - in line with your right foot pinky toe
All weight on left forward foot
Shaft angled forward past your left hip and held through the shot no matter what

Most importantly... you shouldnt really be using the same club or only 2 or 3 clubs for all your chips. The goal is to minimize the air time and maximize the amount of roll whenever possible. Long chips with a 58 degree wedge require a long swing. Shorten your swing and go with a 6 or 7 iron or whatever the distance dictates. Get the ball on the ground. Basically, the same stroke for all chips just change club up or down.

I practiced this a lot the other day and took it out on the course and it worked flawlessly. Very crisp shots and all chips were extremely close. Best money I've ever spent!!!

That's great that you're rolling the ball really well. But to the point, that's all very technical stuff. You'll come to a day where nothing technical seems to work and limiting yourself to 2 or 3 clubs around the green can limit your options. You'll have to see the shots and execute them, especially when working to get your handicap down and anything outside of 5 feet becomes generally unacceptable. There isn't a club in my bag that I haven't hit around the green. My grandfather used to make me hit muscle back 2-irons out of bunkers and hit a sand wedge when there was nothing between myself and the hole just to wrap my head around thinking my way around a green. All the short game greats have a great imagination and a clear mental picture of what they're trying to execute.

Had almost the same lesson last week. A little different ball position, more in the center of a narrow stance. I also tend to use a variety of clubs for this shot depending on the lie and distance. Nothing less than a 7 if the lie is heavy, from a clean lie I'll go as high as a 3H for a long uphill chip. Give it a little tap and the ball just runs up the hill.

I've never forgotten these words from Bruce Lee...

"Before I studied the art, a punch to me was just like a punch, a kick just like a kick. After I learned the art, a punch was no longer a punch, a kick no longer a kick. Now that I've understood the art, a punch is just like a punch, a kick just like a kick. The height of cultivation is really nothing special. It is merely simplicity; the ability to express the utmost with the minimum." - Bruce Lee

Now let's get back to Dandy's original point about the importance of visualization and feel.

What works for me is breaking things down into steps. Just like with the mechanical stuff, trying to deal with too many things at once just doesn't work--at least it doesn't work for me!

1. SITUATION ANALYSIS: What kind of shot does this situation require?

I loved what Philip's instructor about getting the ball on the ground as soon as possible, except when you can't. Short sided that doesn't work. Over a greenside bunker or other hazard to a hole without much green between you. Not going to work. You need loft and enough spin to stop the ball for these kinds of situations and these are just a few of the many possibilities you encounter.

2. IMAGINATION/VISUALIZATION: How many ways can I get the ball close to this hole?

Backspin, sidespin, using the bounce of the club, using the undulation of the green, openning or hooding the clubface, using any club in your bag, these are just a few of the tools at your disposal. Now while there may be several alternatives visualized, at the end of the day the question is which do I feel confident I can pull off and get close to the hole a high percentage of the time.

3. FEEL: Practice the shot visualizing the result and comparing it with the optimal visualization in step 2.

I always look for a spot of turf close to where the ball is that has the same characteristics as where the ball is: Same height, texture and lay of the grass, same incline and so on. I'm trying to match the visualization I see that would result from my practice swing to the optimal visualization in step 2. When I've got it, I just do it again. This time with the ball in the way.

I find that it's absolutely imperative that I keep these steps distinct and separate. Once I'm done with step 1, I'm done with step 1. Fully commit my mental resources to step 2 and so on.

That's what works for me.

I completely understand what you're talking about. I employ all sorts of shots from every distance. For chipping, I suggest doing what the pro said. What you're talking about is "pitching." The topic of this thread was about chipping and that's when you want to get the ball on the ground as soon as possible. Chipping over a hazard doesn't make any sense. I would pitch the ball in that instance.

Now I will be the first to admit that I have far more trouble with pitches than chips. My handicap shows that I'm definitely not doing it all correctly. So many more variables with pitches compared to chips. I still try to use a similar technique with my pitches and chips, but I definitely use more wrist action with my pitches.