Michael Campbell reveals his four secrets for solid chipping

We all want to get up-and-down more often but, to do that, chipping it close is essential.

For lots of us, putting a solid strike on our chip shots time after time can be a daunting challenge but, thankfully, a former major champion has shared his best advice for getting a great strike every time you miss the putting surface.

The 2005 US Open champion, Michael Campbell, was one of the best around the greens in his prime and now he’s taken to Instagram to share his advice.

Here’s his four secrets to solid chipping:

1. Get set-up

First, he says, the most important thing with chipping is your set-up.

“You want to have narrow feet here, your weight at 60-40 in favour of your front foot and your chest just to the left of the ball.”

Here, the eight-time DP World Tour winner has the ball just inside his back foot, while keeping his feet very close together.

2. Have your chest in front of the ball 

Next, he says that getting your chest in front of the ball is important.

“I see a lot of amateurs will have their chest way back, which means you’re just going to dump the club way back before the ball.”

Here, he demonstrates that if most of your weight is behind the ball, you’re going to be scooping up on the ball, and you’ll struggle not to hit the ground first, or thin it with the blade of your wedge.

3. Connect your arms

Campbell’s third key is getting his arms pinched in beside his chest, rather than being disconnected from his body.

“On the way back, I want to feel that my arms are glued to my side. This helps with my rotation and my feel,” he says.

• Get it close from the downslope

4. Keep a solid base

Finally, says Campbell, keeping his legs passive is important. The last thing you want to do is have an unstable base, and too much movement in your lower half will mean you’re not going to make solid contact.

“As you can see my legs are pretty passive, they’re moving a little bit but not much,” says the New Zealander.

“So it’s all about turn, and turn. There’s a little bit of wrist hinge there but not much. I like to feel nice and wide going back and through.”

Campbell then hits his shot and, no surprises, strikes it as crisp as he always has. Next time you’re working on your short game, heed his advice and see if it helps you out.

WATCH MICHAEL CAMPBELL’S CHIPPING TIPS IN FULL: