Short Game & Chipping Areas in Grand Junction Practice the Shots That Lower Your Score    

Your Chipping Problems Are Easier to Fix Than You Think

Most chipping problems come from setup, not swing. Grand Junction's firm fairways make fat and thin chips more punishing than on softer courses — so finding the root cause early matters. Once you know whether you're setting up wrong or swinging wrong, fixing it gets much faster.

Check two things first: where your weight sits at address and where your hands are at impact. Most golfers who chunk or skull chips have one of these two issues. That's a quick fix with a little focused practice.

The Right Club for Each Short Game Shot Around the Green

A lot of golfers in Grand Junction default to one wedge for every shot around the green. That's costing them strokes. The club you pick should match your lie, your distance, and how much green you have to work with.

For most tight lies near the greens at Redlands Mesa and around the Redlands area, a pitching wedge is your best option. A high-bounce sand wedge can dig into firm turf and send the ball nowhere. Save the sand wedge for fluffy lies and bunker shots — use your pitching or gap wedge the rest of the time. If you want to sharpen your wedge selection before your next round, Redlands Mesa is widely recognized as the best golf driving range on Colorado's Western Slope — spend time there working through each wedge so the right club becomes instinct, not guesswork.

For most tight lies near the greens at Redlands Mesa and around the Redlands area, a pitching wedge is your best option. A high-bounce sand wedge can dig into firm turf and send the ball nowhere. Save the sand wedge for fluffy lies and bunker shots — use your pitching or gap wedge the rest of the time.

Quick guide:

• Tight lie, short chip: pitching wedge
• Medium distance, some rough: gap wedge
• Fluffy or bunker-adjacent lie: sand wedge

How to Set Up for Chip Shots Before You Step on the Course

A consistent setup builds muscle memory faster than any other drill. Before your next round, spend 10–15 minutes working through the same pre-shot routine on each chip. Your body will start repeating it automatically on the course.

Grand Junction's thin air at 4,600 feet means the ball carries slightly farther than you expect. Adjust where you're targeting your landing spot — play it a foot or two shorter than you would at lower elevation. Our short game area lets you test this before you're on the clock.

A Simple Chipping Technique That Works for Most Golfers

You don't need three different chipping methods. One solid, repeatable technique will cover most situations on the course.

Start with 70 percent of your weight on your lead foot. Set your hands slightly ahead of the ball. Take a short backswing and let the club move through — don't flip your wrists at impact. Our short game area has multiple green speeds and slopes, so you can test this technique against conditions that match what you'll face on the course.

What is the best chipping technique for beginners in Grand Junction?

Chipping is a low, controlled shot played close to the green. Beginners do best with a simple, repeatable setup. Grand Junction's firm, dry turf rewards clean ball-first contact.

• Use a pitching or gap wedge for most chip shots
• Keep your weight forward and hands ahead of the ball
• Take a short backswing and let the club do the work

How to Know Your Short Game Practice Is Actually Working

Practicing without tracking progress is guesswork. Two simple numbers tell you if your short game is improving: your up-and-down percentage and your misses per session.

Grand Junction afternoons can get windy, which affects how you read and execute short shots. Morning sessions at our short game area give you calmer conditions and cleaner feedback on what's actually working. Track your results over three to five sessions and you'll see a clear trend.

Common Chipping Habits That Cost Grand Junction Golfers Strokes

The most common bad habit for golfers is scooping — trying to lift the ball into the air with your hands at impact. The desert rough near the Redlands area punishes this more than most terrain does. The turf is tight and unforgiving, and a scooped chip usually comes out thin or dead.

The fix is ball-first contact, which you build by keeping your hands ahead through the strike. A few driving range buckets worth of focused short game reps in our practice area can drop three to five strokes off your next round fast. Bad habits break faster when you're hitting real shots in real conditions.