Last Updated on January 5, 2024 by Matt Greene
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There's nothing more sickening than chunking a chip 2 feet in front of you.
Chipping can be tough no matter how easy the pros make it look. But you can feel like a pro without the steep learning curve.
A chipper can help you around the greens, on short approach shots and even from compact sand bunkers!
We'll take a look at the best chippers in golf so you can eliminate the double chips and start slashing your score like a boss.
Best Golf Chippers in 2024
- Cleveland Smart Sole chipper (best for anything inside 80 yards)
- Square Strike chipper (best chipper to use with a putting stroke)
- Tour Edge Hot Launch 4 chipper (best for difficult lies in the rough)
- Odyssey XACT chipper (best quality face and alignment aid)
- Wilson Harmonized chipper (best looking chipper - great value)
Cleveland Smart Sole C Wedge
Best for long bump and runs and greenside chipping
The Cleveland C wedge is my number one recommendation for the best golf chipper. It is called a C wedge because the C stands for Chipper.
My experience with the Cleveland C chipper:
- I found the C wedge useful from inside 100 yards as a punch shot to roll onto the green
- Greenside chipping was easy with just a little chip action on the ball
What makes the C wedge from Cleveland so unique is that you can also use it to escape trouble. The loft is 42 degrees so it's like punching out with a 9 iron but with a much more forgiving sole. I enjoyed running the ball up the ground onto the green on awkward distances inside 75 yards.
Things to note: The face of the C wedge is quite hot which means that the ball sometimes jumps off the face really fast so you will need some time to get used to that. It's not the same as a 9 iron.
Recommendation: This is the most versatile chipper of them all and I would recommend this to golfers who wnt easy chipping and alternative options when they are within 75 yards of the green.
Pros
Cons
Square Strike Wedge
Wide sole and upright stance for simple back and forth chipping
Yes they Square Strike are advertised on those infomercials on the Golf Channel, but I've personally used the Square Strike and have 3 friends who use the entire set of them. They swear by them and so do I.
My experience with the Square Strike:
- The face of the wedge is dead square and not rounded like a traditional wedge so it is not intimidating to hit
- I found the best way to hit the Square Strike is to use a putting stroke straight back and through
- The bevelled leading edge means that I never dug into the ground on any chips
- It was easy to pop the ball up and get rolling close to the target
- The big wide sole skims the turf and make it easy to nip the ball off even tight grass
There are 3 options of 45, 55 and 60 degrees for any requirement you have. These wedges really are easy to chip with and are almost impossible to chunk. The 45 degree option makes it a nice 9 iron loft for easy bump and runs.
Recommendation: I recommend the 45° version of the Square Strike. 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. If you're stuck in a rut, the Square strike could be the club to shake up your golf game.
Pros
Tour Edge Hot Launch 4 Chipper
Big mallet style chipper for slower greens
Mallet chippers like the Tour Edge Hot Launch 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 to make it easier to chip with a shorter stroke.
My experience with the Tour Edge Hot Launch 4 chipper:
- The Tour Edge Hot Launch 4 has 37 degrees of loft so it was like chipping with a 7 or 8 iron which I like to do anyway
- I liked the big mallet shaped sole - it is genuinely impossible to chunk the ball
- When I felt conscious of large club head, I tended to thin the golf ball which actually led to go results
- The Hot Launch shine when you chip from the green side rough - the clubhead slides through long grass with ease
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, you feel more confident. Looking at the sharp or rounded edge of a wedge paralyzes golfers while over a golf ball.
Recommendation: The mallet Hot Launch 4 is perfect for anyone trying to help 'lift' the ball into the air when they chip. This club will teach you how to pinch the ball off the turf and ironically will lead you to stop using it as you improve your chipping.
Pros
Odyssey XACT chipper
Highest quality chipper face and easy alignment
The X-Act chipper from Odyssey is a higher end piece of equipment made by putter specialists and is my top recommendation for best chipper to keep in the bag for life.
My experience with the Odyssey X-Act:
- The sole of the Odyssey X-Act is made like a hybrid so it skims off the ground to always ensure good contact
- My highlight of using the X-Act was the urethane injected face which makes the chip shot feel soft - it's unique in the chipper category
- Their specialized chipper grip was excellent to stop my over-active wrists
- The chipper grip helped to use my same putting stroke on the chipper because I also use a thick grip on the putter
- Lines on the back of the putter for alignment make it so easy for me to line up my shot
Another unique feature of the Odyssey was that I could move my hands around the large grip to play around with where I felt most comfortable on the chip shots.
Recommendation: I recommend this club to high handicappers who use too much wrists in the shot. At 37 degrees of loft, it's similar to a 7 or 8 iron but has much more forgiveness and softness thanks to the urethane injected face.
Pros
Wilson Harmonized chipper
One of the most popular chippers in the world
The Wilson Harmonized is one of the most popular chippers and is unique on the list because it only has 32 degrees of loft so it's almost like chipping with a 7 iron.
My experience with the Harmonized chipper:
- I found the club head nice and heavy so I could chip from all kinds of lies and surfaces
- The longest shots I could hit with success were around 30 to 35 yards maximum
- Most amazing was when I tried it from compacted hard sand bunkers - you hit the exact same shot as a chip and the ball comes out
- Very impressive to use to roll up between hazards if you are scared of a distance inside 80 yards or so
It always takes time with chippers to dial in the amount of back swing and power to use to get the club rolling correctly for your green speeds but this club is so versatile. You can use it from so many positions and for the price, you will not find a better bang for buck.
Recommendation: If you have trouble with speed control or striking the ball with the 7 or 8 or 9 iron around the greens, the Wilson Harmonized can take your confidence up a level. The distance control is superb and you won't FOMO hitting low lofted irons around the green again.
Pros
Why chippers work so well
The chipper makes chip shots easier by allowing you to sweep the ball with a putting stroke.
A putting stroke is preferred for chipping especially for higher handicappers because the biggest problem people have when chipping with traditional wedges is excess wrist movements and incorrect backswing length.
Using a putting stroke with the chipper creates a more consistent action and backswing dial that you can repeat over and over for better long term chipping.
Often chip shots are played off the fringe or the fairway which can have tight grass, making it scary to clip the ball off the turf with a wedge or iron.
Chippers completely remove the fear from tight lies because the big fat sole glides over the turf instead of digging into it.
When to use a golf chipper vs a wedge
Use a chipper on any shot that you dread around the greens. There are many instances so experiment on the course and practice area a lot.
A few instances where the chipper can be more valuable than a wedge:
- If you hate chipping because you stick your wedge into the ground behind the ball, use the chipper for a while.
- When you have two bunkers on either side of the green and you are scared of dumping the ball in the bunker with a wedge, roll the ball up with a chipper.
- In compacted bunker sand, you might have no solution with any of your wedges so try the chipper.
- On loose soil around the green, you will often fluff your wedge chip, so use the chipper instead.
Sometimes you will have to use a wedge where a chipper just will not work.
Wedges will be needed from fluffy sand in bunkers next to the green. A chipper can't manage a fluffy sand lie.
Chippers will not be able to give you enough height and spin to stop the ball the same way a sand wedge or lob wedge can on full shots. Wedges are designed to spin and stop on the green with deep grooves.
A chipper has a hot face and not much spin so you would need to roll the ball up to the green. In those instances where you need the ball to stop quick, you need a wedge.
Avoid double-sided chippers
The two-sided chipper is not allowed for competition play and some people will penalize you. Any golf club must have a only one single striking area or one 'club face'.
Two-sided chippers are available and make a fun club if you are not going to use it for competitive rounds.
Is a chipper golf club illegal?
The rules of golf say chippers are allowed in tournament play. The club must not be longer than a 7 iron, and must have a round grip, not a putting grip. There must be only one striking surface on the club so no two-way chippers.
The verdict
The best golf chipper you can get is the Cleveland Smart Sole C Wedge Chipper.
It's made using 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 maximize the 14 clubs you can carry and get the most out of your golf equipment.