Having a plan when you chip the golf ball will not only increase your chances of success, but will also increase your confidence. Any sports psychologist will tell you that increased confidence will result in better execution of the golf shot, and better execution results in increased confidence and so on.
When you know (And are confident with) the 7 to 5 chipping distances of all your clubs... (Including your rescue clubs, and high lofted woods) you have taken the guesswork out of your short game and built in shot saving confidence. I am going to include some carry and roll ratios worked out on a medium speed, flat green. This will help you understand how different clubs can help you score better around the green.
Carry and Roll Ratios:
These carry and roll ratios were worked out on a medium speed, flat green, and will give you a starting point to build a short game arsenal that will lower your scores today.
Sand Wedge: Carry 3 yards - Roll out 1 Yard, total 4 yards
Pitching Wedge: Carry 1 yard - Roll out 2 yards, total 3 yards
9-Iron: Carry 1 yard - Roll out 3 yards, total 4 yards
8-Iron: Carry 1 yard - Roll out 4 yards, total 5 yards
7-Iron: Carry 1 yard - Roll out 5 yards, total 6 yards
Now you can start to build a game plan around the green that will enable you to get the ball close by using 1 basic move (Engine, Engine...7 to 5) and seeing the different carry and roll out ratios of each club in your bag. Take out the guesswork by having a plan, and you will chip it close the majority of the times, perhaps even chip some in. This brings me to the next subject, your target.
Find Your Target:
Knowing what your target is, and identifying it is critical to becoming a good chipper of the golf ball. The first thing you must understand is that the hole is not your target in a chip shot. Your target is a spot on the green (preferably a flat spot) where you want to land the ball so it can roll like a putt to the hole. Once you know your 7 to 5 yardages with your clubs, you can predict your landing area and then from that spot, you can read the chip like a putt so you can predict break, and slope.
This is important to getting the ball close and even holing out a few chip shots, understanding where the ball is going to land and how the green will react from the spot to the hole. Now you're putting the puzzle together. A wise General once said; "It is always better to have and execute a plan and be wrong, than never to have had a plan at all." Having a plan when chipping is a sure fire way to bring your score down the next time you play.
A Tip...
If you can't remember the distances of your 7 to 5 chip shots with all your clubs, wrap a piece of masking tape around the top of the shaft, right under the grip, and write the distance on it. It's perfectly legal and will give you all the confidence you need to pull the shot off, which brings me to our next short game, the Finesse Shot.