Okay, so I’ve been struggling with my chipping, especially from those super tight lies where the ball is practically sitting on concrete. You know, the kind where you’re terrified of either blading it across the green or chunking it two feet. I decided to really buckle down and figure this out, so here’s what I did today.
Warming Up and Feeling the Flop
First, I grabbed my sand wedge and headed to the practice green. No balls yet, just me and the club. I started by making some practice swings, really focusing on brushing the grass. I wanted to get a feel for how the club interacts with the ground when there’s almost no grass to cushion the blow.
I spent a good 10 minutes just doing this, really trying to feel that slight bounce of the club off the turf. It’s more of a “thump” than a “swish” on these lies, and I needed to get comfortable with that.
Adding the Ball and Trying Different Techniques
Next, I put a few balls down. I tried a couple of different techniques I’d read about. One was to put the ball way back in my stance, almost off my back foot, and really lean the shaft forward. This is supposed to help you hit down on the ball and make clean contact. It felt awkward, and honestly, I bladed a few pretty badly.
Then I tried another approach: keeping the ball more in the middle of my stance and using a more putting-like stroke. This felt a little better, but I was still struggling with consistency. I was either catching it thin or still chunking it a bit.
The “Aha!” Moment (Maybe?)
After about an hour of frustration, I decided to combine the two techniques. I moved the ball slightly back in my stance, but not as extreme as before. I still leaned the shaft forward, but I also focused on making a more compact swing, almost like a long putt. And I concentrated on a specific spot in the turf that just in fornt of the ball.
- Ball slightly back
- Shaft lean forward
- Compact, putting-like stroke
The Results
It wasn’t perfect, but I definitely started to see some improvement. I was making cleaner contact more consistently, and the ball was coming off the clubface with a nice, predictable trajectory. I still need to work on it, but I think I’m finally onto something. The feeling is much better, and that what count the most.
I spent another 30 minutes just repeating this new motion, trying to groove it in. By the end of the session, I was actually feeling pretty good about my chipping from tight lies. It’s still a work in progress, but at least I have a plan now. Next time, I’ll focus more on distance control with this technique.
