Leafing through an old Golf Digest (April, 2003) the other day, I re-read an article in which Tiger Woods answered some email inquiries he’d gotten over the years. While all the questions and answers were instructive, one stuck out in my mind. A fan asked Tiger how far out he typically used his chipping stance. The questioner wrote that he sometimes used his chipping stance as far as 100 yards out! That struck me as really weird. But, in typical Tiger fashion, his answer made a little light bulb go off. Tiger wrote:

For me, 20 or 30 yards. From 100 yards out you probably realize it may help you because your stance is open. That allows you to clear your hips because it’s a smaller swing and it gets your hands going more toward the target.

Wow! That’s a lot of great insight in a few sentences. So I tried a little experiment at my local range after reading it. It’s nice and warm here in Texas this winter, so I didn’t have to worry about the weather (not trying to rub it in). I aimed for the 100 yard flag at the range and assumed my chipping stance with a 9-iron. Without even worrying about how far I hit the ball, I took a swing that was somewhere between halfway and three-quarters. And whatta ya know - I almost hit the dang flagstick! No kidding. So I hit a few more, and the results were very similar. I’ve never been more accurate from 100 yards. All I did was use one more club than I normally would from 100 yards out (9-iron instead of PW) and take a comfortable mini-swing from my chipping stance.

Now, many people probably use different chipping stances than I do, so please take this with a huge grain of salt. My stance is open about 30 degrees and I don’t shift my weight nearly as much to my back foot as I would during a normal full swing. I also ‘hold on’ longer - meaning I don’t allow my lower forearm (right for right-handers) to rotate over the other one until well after impact. If your chipping stance and swing sounds like this, go for it! You wouldn’t think the ball would carry far enough, but it was consistently carrying about 90 yards in my case, then rolling forward about 10-15 more. The best part of it is that it’s very comfortable because I’ve used that stance to chip for years. I didn’t really have to learn any new moves at all. Thanks Tiger!