I will show you a foolproof way to make solid contact on your short shots, no matter how much pressure you are under. These fundamentals can be applied to every greenside shot, from tiny chips, to short lobs, to longer lobs. You won't have to change your basic technique from shot to shot, just the clubs that you use.

Solid contact is by far the most important key to hitting great chips and pitches. Striking the ball cleanly with the clubface is essential to produce predictable distance, trajectory and spin. For example, how can you determine how hard to swing or how big a swing to make if the club makes contact with the turf before the ball or strikes the ball above the equator?

With all three of these shots - chips, lobs and longer pitches - your setup is crucial. To promote a downward angle of attack with the club hitting the ball first, then the turf, you should play the ball to the right of center in your stance and lean the upper body slightly to your left. The worse the lie, the more you need to exaggerate these two adjustments.

On each of these shots, I advocate just a little body turn and very little or no wrist action. On the backswing, the club should go straight back, with the hands staying very quiet. On the longer shots, make a bigger turn and let only the weight of the club hinge the wrists going back and unhinge them coming through. Don't actively hinge or unhinge your wrists.

Most consistently good chippers and pitches limit their wrist action back and through. They mainly rely on the bigger muscles in their legs, hips, arms and shoulders to move the club. This technique is more reliable under pressure because it all but eliminates the little muscles that can twitch when you are nervous or a bit unsure of yourself.

Here is a drill that may help you:
Place a second ball directly on the target line and approximately 12 inches behind the ball that you intend to hit. Using any club from a sand wedge to a 7 iron, set up with the ball back in your stance and your weight slightly shifted toward your front foot. Swing the club up steeply, missing the second ball, and then down into the back of the first ball. The resulting contact should be crisp - ball first, then the ground. The turf itself should limit the club's follow-through. If your club contacts the second ball either on the backswing or follow-through, your swing is not steep enough.

Tip Purnell has been playing golf all his life. He has been in the golf business for 14 years and a member of PGA for eight years. He can be reached at tippurnell@yahoo.com.