Viktor Hovland is a superstar of European golf.
The Norwegian won the US Amateur Championship in 2018 and his entry into the professional ranks was smooth.
He won twice on the PGA Tour in 2020, added two more titles in 2021 (this time either side of the Atlantic), claimed the prestigious Dubai Desert Classic in 2022, and then his game caught fire in 2023.
Victories in the Memorial Tournament and the BMW Championship (the latter including a course record 61 with no less than a dozen 3s on his card) set him up for a tilt at the Tour Championship which he also won to land the lucrative FedEx Cup title.
Weeks later he was a star of Europe’s Ryder Cup victory in Rome.
Always a magnificent exponent of the long game, Hovland’s dodgy short game was a threat to his world class status and aspirations.
Time and time again in the early years on tour he prompted fans to cringe, commentators to fret, and his competitors to breathe a sigh of relief because of his clumsy chipping and errant bunker play.
In 2020 he ranked top 20 for Strokes Gained Off the Tee and Approach the Green, but 168th for Around the Green.
In 2021 he was top 15 for both long game categories and 124th Around the Green.
In 2022 he was top 30 for tee shots and approaches yet 191st in that pesky final category.
But in 2023? 5th for Off the Tee, 8th for Approach the Green and 11th for Around the Green.
Not only was he improving his strengths, he had also – crucially – transformed his significant weakness.
In a series of videos on the DP World Tour’s X and Instagram accounts, Hovland revealed during a masterclass at Oslo Golf Club how he improved his chipping.
To kick things off, the Norwegian displays how he learned to hit a higher chip shot with the lob wedge. Critically, he avoids becoming too static over the ball. Finally, he is always sure not to fall foul of the biggest crime of poor scramblers: he doesn’t try to help the ball into the air. He lets the club do the hard work.
How to chip with a 60 degree wedge.
Viktor Hovland sharing his wedge tips on home soil pic.twitter.com/r55d0X2aHJ
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) July 25, 2024
Many might wonder why you would listen to a golfer when he discusses his weakness.
But a man who has changed his game for the better has, of course, learned lessons.
And what Hovland has changed handicap golfers, too, can change.
Hovland identified a key element of that improvement in another video.
“You should not be afraid to take a divot after impact,” he said. “It really changed my perception of chipping. You’ll notice, I’ll hit this shot again, we’re on a slight upslope, the grass is into the grain. If you notice, when I hit after the shot, my club will just completely stop.”
“Don’t be afraid to take a divot after impact.”
Viktor Hovland on keeping chipping simple pic.twitter.com/tDD4eJKr1X
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) July 25, 2024
Hovland’s advice wasn’t done, however.
“As you move forward and you hit more down on it, you’re going to catch ball first and it becomes a lot easier to predict,” he says.
“I could hit this shot all day. Yes, I’m not going to hit it close every time. But I’m not going to mishit it. I’m not going to chunk it five feet on the green and I’m not going to blade it over the green. I’m always going to hit the ball first. Sometimes I’ll hit a little too far or a little too short. But it’s a lot more consistent.
“Every time I miss a green, if I’m not in a bunker, I try to play this kind of shot. I ask myself, ‘Can I hit this basic shot and get it close to the pin?’ and if the answer is ‘Yes’ I will hit the shot. If the answer is ‘No’ I’ll try to open up the face and hit a longer, kind of slower to launch it a little higher in the air.”
In other words: when you’re not confident about your chipping, keep it simple.
It’s an age-old lesson but one many overlook.
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