One common problem I often see when I coach the short game is something I call the “flippers”.  As I often say, Flipper lives at Sea World, not on the golf course.  The flippers is a dreaded disease that sucks the life out of any good short game. 

What are the flippers?

I often see the flippers on both chips and pitches.  The flippers happen when you “flip” your wrist through impact and let your top hand break down, all of a sudden FLIP.  This causes the club head to pass the hands, the shaft gets too vertical, and you stand up through impact causing both fat and thin shots.

What causes the flippers?

I think the biggest reason people do this is a lack of acceleration through impact.  You MUST accelerate the club to get spin and control your distance.  This brings me to the other reason:  FEAR.  The fear of hitting the ball thin or fat automatically causes the flippers. 

How do you overcome these mistakes?

Well, first you must keep your hands moving in front of the club head.  Not, the other way around.  Next, you must “rip” your chips and pitches.  I mean hit them hard.  Most people that I coach don’t hit the ball hard enough around the green to make the ball spin.  Once you learn to hit them solid and hard, then you can control your distance through spin and height of shot. 

I hope these tips help you overcome your fears around the green.  NO MORE FLIPPERS!