Is there a more divisive club in golf? People who use them love them. People who don't... they hate the guys who do! A lot of golfers use a putter around the greens when the golf ball is off the fringe or down the fairway short of the green. Chipping can be a very knee-trembling experience and these little strokes can add to your score significantly.
Using a wedge on chips around the greens makes mid and high handicap golfers yippy and scared. But with one of the best golf chippers you can be sure to get the golf ball jumping and rolling in a very simple movement. Stress-free.
Best Golf Chipper Club 2023
- Cleveland Smart Sole C Wedge Chipper (best for anything inside 80 yards)
- Square Strike 45° Wedge (best wedge to use with a putting stroke)
- Intech Golf EZ Roll Chipper (best alignment on chippers)
- Tour Edge Hot Launch Chipper (best mallet style chipper)
- MacGregor Chipper (best looking chipper - great value)
Best for long bump and runs and greenside chipping
Cleveland golf have really cornered the market with this golf club. The C wedge is called that because the C stands for Chipper.
But the reason it works so well is because you can also use it from a distance. I used it in my video on breaking 90 by hitting under 150 yards here (part 1, par 2, part 3) and I can confirm it's a handy club when the fairways are firm and running smooth.
You can run it up to the green from up to 70 or 80 yards out. Green side, it takes some getting used to because the face is quite hot, meaning the ball comes off the face quite fast but with an hour or so of practice, you'll get used to it. A real secret weapon for the golf course.
Pros
Cons
Wide sole and upright stance for simple back and forth chipping
The Square Strike wedge always seem a bit gimmicky of course and they are not miracle clubs...I've heard all those clichés. Yes they're advertised on those infomercials on the Golf Channel, but I've personally seen people get these and just use a putter grip to chip with and learned the way of the bump and run.
They then moved onto chipping with their normal wedges afterward, but without the Square Strike wedge, they'd still be chunking and hitting the ground before the golf ball on chips over and over.
There is a 45 degree option and that's a nice 9 iron loft. With a simple straight back and through putting motion, standing closer to the ball, you'll find it very easy to chip and have a much larger margin for error because the sole is wide and thick. You'll glide through the turf and execute chips much easier. If you're stuck in a rut, the Square strike could be the club to shake up your golf game.
Pros
Big mallet and heavier weight for the slower greens
Mallets give you an easier alignment aid behind the face of the golf club and often, the extra weight can help to lower the center of gravity to get more force behind the ball.
That means it'll pop up much easier, without the need to "dig" into the ground toward the ball. The Tour Edge has 37 degrees of loft which is something like an 8 iron.
The difference I find with these clubs is that when a player looks down at the bigger mallet and the smaller face of the chipper, it's just more confidence inducing. Looking at the sharp leading edge of a wedge renders some players paralysed over a golf ball.
And 8 iron can work but once again, a lot of players struggling with chipping want to help "lift" the ball off the ground. This mallet will require a very minimal effort to bump the ball airborn and have it flying with enough velocity to roll up to the pin comfortably from those touch greenside lies. Use your normal putting grip and strike the ball with confidence.
Pros
Alignment aid makes it easy to get started on line
When you look down at this club, it looks like a mallet putter but has the loft of a strong 7 iron at 35 degrees of loft. It can have lower loft because of the rear-weighting where the force of the club comes from the back and gets under the ball, launching it higher. It also has a very wide sole to basically eliminate duffs and chunks.
It's got the loft of a 7 iron but it's the length of a putter so don't worry about that. It will be upright so you'll be standing in a putting stance and just need to swing back and through like with a putter.
A gooseneck shaft that does not touch the club face means you can forget about shanks, because there is no hosel to shank it off!
The club has a really clear alignment aid, which is great for guys who have a hard time lining up their shorter shots.
Pros
Classiest looking chipper
Very similar to the other clubs on the list but with 37 degrees of loft similar to the Tour Edge. The perimeter weighting on the semi mallet chipper from Macgregor means it can work a lot like a cavity backed iron for even more forgiveness on an already forgiving club.
The wide sole means it will continue moving through the turf instead of getting stuck if you do catch the earth before the ball a little too soon.
Pros
Cons
Why chippers work
A lot of players get nervous when chipping from the nature of a chip. A chip is a short shot that requires feel and touch.
Often the chips are played off the fringe or the fairway which can have tight grass, making the idea of clipping the ball off the turf a scary one. It sounds silly to a lot of golfers, but we've all been there.
The chipper comes along and makes that shot easier by allowing you to have more of a sweeping putting stroke without worrying about teething the ball across the green or duffing it one foot in front of where you're standing.
Golf chipper vs wedge?
There is no certain rule for the way you approach the game. My philosophy throughout everything I think about golf is to make it as enjoyable and stress-free as possible.
If a chipper will remove stress from your game and allow you to cut three or four shots off your score, make the beer taste better and give you a butterfly in your tummy to play again...I think you know that the chipper is a better club. Whatever gets you jazzed to play golf again is good for you.
Follow your gut. Do what it says. A man with a chipper knows what he wants, he wants to get that ball in that hole in the least strokes possible. The only thing you must overcome is ego.
Are chippers good clubs to use?
Chipper golf clubs are very good clubs for people who are afraid of chipping and people who have not become comfortable with chipping with wedges. The chipper can be a life saver around the greens for high and mid handicappers. It's an easier to control shot and the stroke to hit the ball is similar to a putter which takes the wrists out of the shot.
When you learn to use your chipper, and hole more chips than your friends, you'll understand how good a chipper is.
Avoid buying a two-sided chipper
Two sided chippers aren't going to benefit you. You'll almost never use it left handed if you're right handed, I swear to you.
Plus if you have a two-sided golf club, you would be DQ'd from tournament golf. The golf club must have a single striking area or one 'club face'.
Getting a one-direction chipper is going to benefit you more as they have excellent alignment aids on the back of them. The two-way chipper doesn't and what's the point of getting a new club for chipping if it doesn't FULLY help you chip?
Is a chipper golf club illegal?
The rules of golf say chippers are allowed in tournament play. The chippers do have to abide by rules in a few aspects to be considered under the rules of the game. Check out my full article on this here.
I've looked at all the factors that make a good chipper and reviewed some of the best chippers to help you find the best golf clubs for you.
Golf chipper things to consider before buying
It's not a club to overthink on, because most will work for you but you should consider a few attributes of a chipper before pulling the trigger.
Build quality and materials used
You want a decent quality chipper form a decent manufacturer. I promise that you will eventually begin chipping with wedges as you get better at the game, but for now, let's buy a decent one. Most manufacturers you know who make decent clubs for irons and woods and putters will make a decent chipper, if they offer it.
Generally you can't go wrong with anything made by a company that has a good reputation. The very cheap options like Pine Meadow are best to be avoided. Callaway, Cleveland, Macgregor, Square Strike all make decent products. The best are steel faced and not too much cheap alloy which they use to offset the cost to produce really cheap models. The best manufacturers of chippers use better materials.
The Cleveland C wedge is even being used by a few professional golfers so you know it's a legit option and high quality.
Chipper loft
Chippers are usually lofted between 30 and 35 degrees. You can go for a chipper that matches your wedge range too if the wedge is giving you issues around the greens.
The pitching wedge generally starts at about 45 degrees and the sand wedge is around 58 degrees. You can find a loft anywhere between these numbers and be happy with the chipper to get the ball bumped into the air, and rolling on the green.
Club head shape and footprint
There are blade putter style and mallet style chippers. The wider the sole and the bigger the head, the easier it will be to use the chipper from the rough. If you want the chipper for green side chipping on a course with very firm and tight fairways and green complexes, a blade style would work best. If you play on wetter turf and with rough that is a bit thicker or deeper around the greens like in the North East of the USA, a mallet style chipper will work best.
The bigger footprint and sole will glide through the long blades of grass much easier than the blade style which will get tangled.
The verdict: Best Chipper Golf Clubs
The best golf chipper you can get is the Cleveland Smart Sole C Wedge Chipper. It's not a gimmick club and is made this the high quality design and materials you would expect from Cleveland. I have used one of these for a while now and it's my go to when I have the chipping yips. Definitely worth a try for every level of golfer.
With so many options out there to chip and putt and get the ball in the hole, whatever gets the job done for you is most important. It's up to you to maximise the 14 clubs you can carry and get the most out of your golf equipment.
The game is there to be enjoyed and I love to see chippers out on the green side shots. It means this dude knows what he wants and he wants to get that little ball in that little hole. He is taking control of his golf game.
The Cleveland Smart Sole C Wedge is a very very versatile club and will serve you well from inside 80 or 70 yards all the way to green side. I think it's the best golf chipper in the game right now. Maybe it's time to put one in your golf bag!