Learning the fundamentals of golf can also mean learning a whole new vocabulary. A good place to start is to learn the difference between a chip shot and pitch shot. A chip shot is considered any shot inside of about 20-25 yards. These shots won’t require a great deal of effort to create the power required to get the ball on the green.
Technically, there is no definitive difference between a chip and pitch shot. However, as you progress further away from the surface, you will need to make a larger swing in order to get the ball onto the putting surface. The swing will reach waist height, and beyond which will require your trail elbow to break. This break in the trail elbow and inability to keep your arms completely straight is where I draw my differential line. This occurs at about the 25-yard mark. Depending on your club selection, this can be adopted up to about 75 yards. It’s around this point that I’d refer to this type of shot as a pitch shot.
So in summary, one is a bit further out than the other. A chip shot is generally inside of about 25 yards and a pitch shot is inside 25-75 yards. This is just the beginning of what beginners need to know, but it should help a lot on the green!