The one big key to chipping, according to Rory McIlroy, is keeping the wrists and hands quiet on the backswing.

Rory McIlroy is an underrated chipper but the fact of the matter is that he is arguably the best short game exponent in the professional game right now.

McIlroy likes the feeling of keeping his right arm (trail arm) long and as straight as possible on the backswing when he is chipping and pitching.

So it goes without saying that any tips the brilliant 36-year-old Northern Irishman has to offer regarding chipping and pitching should be grasped with both hands by any amateur golfers who are looking to improve their short games.

On the PGA Tour in 2026, McIlroy is inside the top 10 for strokes gained proximity to the hole from around the greens, scrambling and sand saves.

He’s also ranked 20th for strokes gained from around the greens.

The Northern Irishman’s recipe for success is actually incredibly simple, and now he has shared it with anyone who wants to listen.

Rory McIlroy’s ‘big key’ to chipping

When speaking during an instructional clinic for TaylorMade, McIlroy responded when asked to give his best insights on chipping.

“Basically, I really try to make it like an elongated putting stroke in a way,“ McIlroy explained.

“I try not to have a lot of wrist break.

“I try to keep my wrists and my hands pretty quiet, and if anything, I feel like I keep my right arm long, I try not to break my right arm like you would in a golf swing.

“And I actually do a lot of chipping practice that way, just with one hand, trying to keep my right arm really, really long.

“That just helps me, it helps me find the low point, and that’s, to me, that’s the whole action there.

“It’s just keeping, again, a bit like those wedge shots, keeping my body moving. That’s that’s the big key.“

That advice from McIlroy is pure and what makes it so brilliant is the simplicity of the actual motion he is explaining.

You don’t need any training aids or gimmicks to help you with this. Just a simple understanding of what McIlroy is saying and plenty of hard work.

So let’s help you out with the first part…

Expert analysis explaining Rory McIlroy’s ‘big key’ to chipping

* Antony Martin is a former professional golfer who competed on the mini-tours in America. He got down to a plus four handicap before turning pro and represented England at schoolboy level in 2002 and 2003.

McIlroy’s chipping technique is all about striking the ball as crisply as possible.

When he says it helps him ‘find the low point’, he means the use of the club’s bounce, or the sole of the clubhead.

By understanding the bounce on your club, and using it as a weapon, you will strike your chips and pitches purer and avoid either chunking your ball a few yards in front of your feet or blading it over the green.

In order to utilize the bounce of your wedges correctly, taking your wrists and hands out of the chipping motion is crucial, as McIlroy says.

But why? Well, if you hinge your wrists on the takeaway, you are much more reliant on good timing to get the club back to the ball at the correct angle of attack.

Also, you are more prone to either chunking or blading chip shots if your wrists are overly active.

Having as little wrist hinge as possible in your chipping motion will greatly increase your consistency around the greens.

The more you practice, the more you will feel comfortable ‘finding the low’ point. If the low point of your arc bottoms out too early, you will catch the ground before your ball and vice versa.

By using zero wrist hinge, you can maintain a perfect triangle between both your arms and your torso throughout your entire chipping motion.

This will then lead to better strikes and lower scores, if you put the work in, of course!