golfrewind.com

quite frequently I land somewhere between 5 to 10 feet from the green, when I can I putt but when I can't I have issues with either hitting it a few inches or cracking it completely over the green for a while I was using a 52 degree now I changed to a sand wedge and its better sometimes but I would like some tips from some one who has been playing longer than me

Chipping is similar to putting. It's all about feel and practice. There's absolutely no substitute for practice, so if this is the area you're having the most trouble, I'd recommend you spend lots of time practicing your chips.
I use different clubs to chip with, depending on how much I want the ball to roll out. You'll learn the roll as you practice the chipping. Good luck.

As a rule, choose the least-lofted club that will clear the fringe and get the ball rolling as soon as possible...the only time to use SW that close to the green is to clear an elevation or come out of a bunker unless it's a really slick green then it might be prudent to use a more lofted stick. Rule of thumb: get the ball on the ground rolling as soon as you can.

Shade

Hi Combat,
It's true, its all about the practice. I'm afraid it's really difficult to show the technique here as it's impossible to explain feel through a keyboard. One big tip i will give you is that Tiger said to treat chipping as a mini golf shot, the weight transfer the whole thing. Practice with your sand wedge, hands almost on the steel, way down the grip, address the ball normally to start with then open your stance a bit. Now this is the interesting bit,- Tiger also said in executing the shot you must take the club away following the foot line, might seem as tho you are pushing the club away from your body to start with, dont worry you cant be, you are just doing what you would do with a square stance. let the club come back through the ball as normal, practice opening the club face to add loft. Best thing tho is to make it fun, dont let it do your head in.
Hope this helps,,

just go to the range and find a 5 yard and 10 yard notch. what i mean by notch is a certain height off the ground that you will always use. I have 5,10,15,25,35,50,65 notches. Any in between distances, ill open my club face and add loft. i.e a 20 yd shot, is 25 yard notch with a more open club face.. All you can do is practice...

Let me clear from the upfront, that kevan repeating what Tiger said is fine advice. But, I just wanted to point out that there is equally fine advice that says almost the exact opposite things. In Stan Utley's book Art of the Short Game he advocates chipping from a square stance (vs. on open stance), square clubface, keeping the weight on the left foot the entire stroke (vs. significant weight shift), placing the ball forward in the stance (vs. most chipping instruction has it well back in the stance), and placing the ball far enough away that the arms can be fully extended (vs. most chipping instruction has the ball very close, close enough that the club is usually a little bit up on it's toe) and Stan advocated using his SW on the vast majority of chips (over 95% I think he said).

OK, for the OP, what is right? Well, both methods are fine. I actually really like the Dave Pelz quote on the short game, in which Pelz said that one of the reasons chipping is so hard for some players is that it is too easy. The concept is easy, you only have to hit the ball 5-10 yards, and that has to be easier than hitting the ball 250 yards.

My main point is that there are many different ways of accomplishing the goal of hitting 5-10 yards, of chipping.

Now, I have had a lot of success doing it Stan Utley's way, but I first learned the Tom Watson way with the open stance and open club, etc. Going back to my main point, you have to figure out what is best for you. And, really, there is no substitute for practice. Ideally, this is done on the practice green at a local course or driving range, but practice in the yard or even indoors can be useful too. I try to practice at least a little bit of chipping and putting every day. Practice balls (something like those Almost Golf balls, or even wiffle balls) can be great practice since you can hit houses and cars with them without any damage occurring. You can chip indoors with those practice balls, too. You won't be able to get the feedback of seeing how far they go, but you can practice that solid contact feeling. Once you know you can achieve that solid contact, then you can really get down to the details on a practice green to see how hard to hit the ball to make it go a certain distance. And, really, unless you have superior muscle memory, once you have that touch, you'll have to practice it fairly often to keep it. The only time I don't practice chipping & putting when I go to the driving range is if the practice green is really, really busy. Short game practice, in order to keep that touch, has to be part of your regular practice schedule.

So, find a chipping method that works for you. Experiment around. Then, at least for a while, stick with one method. Don't try to second guess yourself by thinking about the other ways of accomplishing the goal, at least for a set time (say a month or so). Then, like everyone else said, practice, practice, and practice more. Pretty soon, you should be able to get that solid contact feeling 9 times out of 10 and more often.

One of the basic things that I notice with most of my students is that they hold the club too tightly. By doing so, they lose feel and touch, two vital components to getting the ball close.

One thing that I found works best for me is placing my weight on the left foot (right handed). I choke down a couple finger lengths as well nd keep my feet pretty close together. For the clubface and how open it is depends on where the pin is. Another thing is that I always try to use the same club. I am in love with my 60 degree wedge and use it for chipping, bunker shots, and wherever I can. I just cant seem to get a good feel chipping with irons and my shots are much more scattered than with a wedge.
Find something that works for you and practice, practice, practice.

My best advice is to pick two clubs: one for low runners and one for higher, softer shots.

This way, you can develop some consistency in knowing exactly how the ball will come off the club and how much it'll roll. I hit all my low shots with a 9-iron way back in my stance and my higher shots with a 52 degree wedge. I never have to think twice about how I want to set up or how hard I need to hit it because I have rehearsed and played the shots a thousand times.

There's a really good article on this on the net somewhere. The chip shot is simply a putting stroke and the idea is to get the ball rolling as soon as possible.
To find the article go to googel and type in "The basic chip shot". Just like that with inverted commas.

90 percent of my chips are hit with a 7 or 8 iron, never a wedge, unless I have no choice. Try using a 7 iron for long chips, and an 8 for shorter chips. See what works for you. Keep 60 percent of your weight on your left foot, and keep your right elbow against your side during the swing/stroke.

This is typical decelleration results.

Learn to accellerate through the shot.
YouTube - Golf Tips, Lessons, Instruction & Drills - Chipping

i've been playing for 1 & 1/2 years, but im a 3 handicap

when i chip (i use a sand wedge also) i put it in the back of my stance, i keep my left arm fully extended (from address thru impact), i grip it with the same pressure as a full shot, i swing down on the ball (but i don't knife at it), and i follow thru making sure i hold onto the club so my chips stay consistent with spin/roll

hope this helps