Perhaps one of golf's greatest thrills is to hole a shot from off the green!

The chip shot is one that is played from just off the edge of the green. The difference between a chip shot and a pitch shot is that a chip rolls a longer distance then it flies. Conversely, a pitch shot is one that flies a longer distance then it rolls. In addition, the club choices and techniques used for these two shots are quite different from each other.

The art of chipping is the great equalizer for the shorter hitter. An "up and in" one chip and one putt approach to golf is a consistent way to keep your score low. The club choice for chips can range from fairway woods and hybrids to your wedge with the most amount of loft - virtually any club in the bag.

However, your goal is to land the chip on the edge of the green and allow the ball's momentum to roll it to the cup. This shot spends the largest portion of its travel on the ground. So, it is best played with a club with the least amount of loft, such as a 7-, 8- or 9-iron, that will get the ball to roll from its landing spot at the edge of the green to the cup.

Try to pick a landing spot about 3- to 5-feet in from the edge of the putting surface, as this will give you room away from the fringe of the green. The club you select will need to create the trajectory that bounces the ball forward from your landing spot and rolls to the hole.

The golf courses of the early 20th century featured greens with large run-off areas, as greens were surfaced drained. As a result, players often had chips shots that covered more than 40 yards. Perhaps one of the best of this era was 1934 and 1938 PGA Champion Paul Runyan, who was nicknamed "Little Poison" for how deadly his masterful chipping game was against his opponents -- especially in match-play.

Players of Runyan's era often carried a club used just for chipping called a "run up" club -- marked with the letters RU. Today, with the 14 club limit that is specified in the Rules of Golf, we typically see players choose one of their standard clubs for chip shots.

Next week, we will focus on chip shot choices and technique. In the meanwhile, if you would like to work on chipping or any other part of your golf game, you can find a PGA Professional near you on the Play Golf America zip code search engine on www.PlayGolfAmerica.com.

Also, if you are in the South Florida area this coming Saturday, April 21, please join us at the PGA Learning Center in Port St. Lucie for a Titleist Demo Day, as part of PGA Free Fitting & Trade-Up Month. For more information about the Demo Day, please call 800-800-GOLF (800-800-4653). You can also discover more about the PGA Learning Center at www.pgavillage.com.

Here's to better golf!

Rick Martino is Director of Instruction for The PGA of America. He teaches at the PGA Learning Center in Port St. Lucie, Fla., and is ranked among the Top 50 instructors by Golf Digest Magazine. The author of the PGA Manual of Golf (Warner Books/$34.95), Martino can be reached at (800) 800-GOLF or by email at pgalearningcenter@pgahq.com.