Danielle Kang explains how she composes her wedges before a tournament

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!

Golf.com

As a four-year member of Columbia’s premier class of female varsity golfers, Jessica can top everyone at the masthead. She can also outdo them in the office, where she’s primarily responsible for producing print and online features, and overseeing large special projects, such as GOLF’s first style issue, which debuted in February 2018. His original interview series, “A Round With,” debuted in November 2015 and appeared both in the magazine and as a video on GOLF.com.