Hi Paul,
The area around the greens are tough indeed. The red dot on the ball indicates spin direction, so all in all, adjusting this dot will slightly increase or decrease roll distance. You'll also notice that where the lie indicator is, there is a percentage listed. So if you are looking to use a 13yd PW to chip, and your lie indicator says 30-40% then your shot is only looking to travel between 7-9 yards total. Now, the ball doesn't just fly 7-9 yards in the air and stop, so you have to take into account what the ball might land on before it gets to the green....
As far as hitting from the bunkers go: Don't bother with trying to use a chip from the bunker. It just won't work(as you have no doubt witnessed) and your ball will only travel a few feet, or you will whiff altogether. Full or Punch shots will work, so it's up to you to practice on these shots and figure out just how much power you have to use to get it out of there without gunning it 30 ft beyond the hole.