Crowds marvel when the world's best get the ball to stop to attention when chipping, but aside from the entertainment value, being able to consistently generate spin is a skill that will help you shoot lower scores. Here are a few tips...

1. Use the bounce

A common misconception is that you push your hands forward at address, creating shaft lean and presenting the club to the ball as a digging, rather than gliding, tool. That’s more likely to get the ball skipping and skidding and struggling to spin. 

The pros now tend to use a wider, shallower swing that creates a shallower angle of attack to get the bounce working so the club glides through the grass. At impact, the shaft position should be fairly vertical, not leaning forward. This is how to spin the golf ball and get it close. 

2. Set-up is key

The correct set-up will simplify the whole swing. Have your weight distribution on the inside of the left foot, your sternum over the middle of the ball and your feet narrower than for a full swing. You can see the perfect ball position is fairly central in the stance. 

Feel a relatively soft hand and arm action, which combines with the body pivoting back and through around the balance point. There will be a smooth release of the club as the body continues to turn to face the target. Impact will be more of a sliding movement, allowing the lower grooves on the clubface to come into play.

Related: How to avoid creating too much spin with your drives

3. Keep your grooves clean

To generate spin, the bottom grooves of your wedge need to grab the underside of the ball, which is why setting up with the hands forward and the shaft leaning doesn’t work. From there you will come down steeply, with the ball making contact more towards the middle grooves. If you come in shallower from a more neutral set-up, the lower grooves will grab the underside of the ball and create more friction. Friction creates more spin because the ball holds onto the face for longer.

The grooves will grab the ball through impact, creating the spin you need for control when you chip. However, if there is any dirt or water in those grooves, you'll fail to benefit from any friction through impact - even with the best wedges. It takes two seconds to clean your grooves and it can really help you around the green while also prolonging the life of your club.