Danielle Kang has a tried and tested method for composing her wedges before a tournament.
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Recreational gamers tend to think that all chips are the same – and for many of us that may be true.
But at the pro level, where players have a number of different shots and short game techniques in their arsenal, deciding which weapon to deploy is an art form, and one that usually needs to be perfected in the days leading up to a tournament.
At this week’s Honda LPGA Thailand, Danielle Kang explained how she prepares for the shots she’s likely to face around the green.
“I try to adapt to the way the golf course plays, to the reaction of the ball,” she said. “I try to check the shot, and if it checks out, how much it checks out with different clubs. I use a 58 all the way to a 9 iron.”
Kang’s strategy of using a number of different clubs should be an aspiration for recreational players. While many of us tend to only use one wedge for chip shots – and perhaps a low loft club for bumps and runs as well – Kang’s tests all of them to find the right fit.
“[I want to see] how much it’s gonna roll depending on what shot I was hitting,” she continued. “I wanted to see how far I could throw it and turn it, et cetera. I’m just calibrating.
Kang said she saves Tuesdays for calibration and Wednesdays for testing. And while not every player has the luxury of spending so much time practicing on the course, there’s a good lesson here in pre-round prep: Spend time hitting chips with a number of different clubs so you can make an authoritative decision on the best option for your given conditions. Your score will thank you!