Kenny Nairn on the "Bump and Scrape" (Video)

This is one of the wildest drills I've seen in a while, but it teaches an equally weird shot. GCA coach Kenny Nairn's bizarre chipping drill is something to use in links play and perhaps on really tight, fast lies.



The drill is simple. Pull a hybrid from your bag and take your putting grip, then let go with your lead hand and just use your trailing hand to drag the clubhead back along the ground. Then, stroke your 'putt' without letting the clubhead leave the ground!

I tried this and it feels really weird. If you're like me, the clubhead is going to make a loop on the ground -- it will go back fairly straight but it will try to move closer to you on the forward stroke, creating a teardrop-shaped swing. After a little practice, I managed to create more of an arc with it -- but it does take some practice.

Of course, it gets even weirder when you try to make this shot with both hands. It doesn't get any easier with two hands -- at least, it didn't for me.

And to be honest, I can't tell you how it works because I don't have anywhere nearby where I could actually test this putting technique. This is definitely a links technique, not something you would use on a putting green.

So why am I showing you this? Well, even if you don't currently have a use for this shot, I think it might be useful to help you develop a lighter touch with your putter. The idea is to hold the club as lightly as you can while still maintaining control of the motion. To gain better control of the clubhead without gripping it too tightly, you'll have to turn your shoulders a bit more. That will also help your rhythm when you try swinging an actual putter.

The lighter you can hold your putter while maintaining control, the easier it will be to make a consistent stroke. This odd drill may be just the ticket for some of you, so give it a try and see.

Jill Finlan Scally on "Toe Chipping" (Video)

Here's yet another video on chipping with your club tilted up on the toe, this one by GCA coach Jill Finlan Scally. I know some of you may feel I post too many videos on this technique, but I think its value is underestimated by too many players and I always look for new presentations of the method..



The basics of the technique:

• Tilt the club up on the toe, which helps you avoid stubbing the ground and mis-hitting the ball.
• Play the ball more off the toe. (Duh!)
• Since the ball will tend to squirt a bit right (for a rightie; a bit left for a leftie), open your stance a little.

Note also that she has the shaft tilted slightly toward the target. You don't want to overdo it, but this helps you get more solid impact.

One extra thought Jill adds which you don't see in many explanations of this technique is that, if you continue to stub the club when you try this, tilt the club up even more, so less of the toe touches the ground. A smooth unimpeded stroke is the reason for using this technique, after all.

I'll add this thought as well: Some of you may find that "hooding" the clubface -- actually turning the club so the toe is closed a bit -- may help you get a lower, smoother roll. Try hooding the face slightly with the club soled flat on the ground, THEN tilt the club up on the toe. If you try this, you may not need to open your stance at all.

Both of these methods, Jill's and the hooded method, are used successfully by various players. There's no reason you shouldn't benefit from them as well.

David Leadbetter on Wristless Chipping (Video)

Yesterday I posted Mitchell Spearman's lesson on wristless chipping; today I post David Leadbetter's. Why? Because he has a slightly different take on the method and, with the US Open coming up, you're liable to see plenty of variations on the technique.



Some points to note:

• Leadbetter is using an open stance, while Spearman used a square stance.
• Spearman has the shaft almost vertical; Leadbetter wants a bit of forward lean.
• Most of the rest of the techniques, like focusing on chest turn rather than arm swing, are the same.

One important thing to note in Leadbetter's video -- and it's one of the reasons I decided to post it as well -- is his emphasis on keeping the upper part of your trailing arm against your chest throughout the stroke. This is a good way to build more consistency into the stroke, to insure that you keep the same angle of attack at impact.

Let me repeat this: I think it's useful to know the slight differences taught by different instructors. Sometimes a technique that makes sense to you but feels a bit awkward can be totally transformed by a minor change in stance or weight shift or upper arm position.

And between Leadbetter and Spearman's videos, I think you get a pretty good idea of the adjustments you can try, to give you the best chance to get good results with this technique.

Mitchell Spearman on Jason Day's Chipping Motion (Video)

This coaching clip from GC's Golfing World show is only a couple of months old, so it's up-to-date on how Jason Day's short game works. Here, coach Mitchell Spearman teaches host Anna Whiteley the technique.



Personally, Jason's technique feels a bit stiff to me when I try it. (I'm more comfortable with a little bit of wrist cock.) But it's not that much different from what I teach, and I admit that for some players it's a bit easier to control your distance this way. The trade-off is that you may have a little trouble using the technique on longer shots, because this method limits the wrist cocking that creates easy distance.

Spearman points out three key setup points to remember when using Jason's method:

• Instead of telling you to set up with your weight slightly on your lead foot, he suggests getting the buttons on the placket of your shirt just ahead of the ball. That's because you want the shaft mostly vertical and, if you set your weight noticeably on your lead side, you'll tend to lean the shaft. Your weight is only slightly on your lead foot.
• You don't want your hands ahead of the ball because, again, you don't want the shaft to lean forward. You want the shaft fairly vertical so you can create a more shallow, sweeping motion as you hit the ball. I usually recommend setting up with your hands over the ball and, if you have the ball in the center of your stance, that should still give you a mostly vertical shaft setup.
• The stroke is mostly about using your shoulders, so your lead arm and the shaft stay in a fairly straight line throughout the stroke. Note that I said "fairly straight." Don't get rigid about it; you're just limiting your wrist cock during the stroke.

There are other tips in the video, of course, but these are the primary setup keys for getting good results with the technique. The section of the video where Anna actually tries the technique -- it starts about halfway through -- should really help you get a good visual of how it works.

Jason will certainly be using this technique a lot next week at Shinnecock, so understanding how his short game works will help you learn more from what you see. He has one of the best short games on tour, after all!

Kathy Hart Wood on Chipping with a Hybrid (Video)

This video from LPGA teaching pro Kathy Hart Wood focuses on chipping with a hybrid but -- at least to me -- this video seems to take a different tack than others on the topic. Here, take a look:



There are two important things for you to note here.

• First, playing a hybrid well is mostly a matter of setup. She devotes most of this video to proper setup, so you want to pay attention to that.
• Second -- and I want to stress this, since this stood out to me in her presentation -- this is NOT a shot that you want to use out of the rough. Many times "hybrid chipping" is offered as a generic alternative for dealing with chipping problems, but it's not. Kathy stresses using this method from the short grass and, as you can see, she can use it from quite a distance from the hole!

The setup is basically the same as some of the chipping techniques with an iron, where you stand the iron up on its toe so the shaft is straight with your forearms. Your putter shaft should be in line with your forearms as well, if you want to get consistency in your stroke.

You stand closer to the ball as a result, so you might have to bend your elbows outward a bit, and you want the ball just ahead of the center of your stance. She says your eyes will be over the ball; that means your weight is slightly on your lead foot. Nothing complicated here, just standard short game technique but using your putting stroke.

As for chipping from the fairway with your hybrid -- and again, note that she is using a 4- or 5-hybrid -- this is a strategy play, something you use as a conscious decision and not just because "I always chip with my hybrid." She is using this technique when she's got some ground to cover with the chip.

Very basic info here but, as we have seen with Jordan Spieth's putting struggles lately, basic stuff is usually what goes wrong when our games get out of whack. You won't find a much simpler explanation of hybrid chipping than in this Wood video.

Claude Harmon III on a Simpler Short Game Setup

First, make sure you understand that the first photo below shows THE WRONG WAY to set up for general short game shots. At least, that's what Claude Harmon III says in this Golf Digest instruction article. It's called Want a More Consistent Short Game? Simplify Your Setup.



Harmon says this address position, which is a popular recommendation as of late, isn't good for most of the short shots an average golfer faces. It's great for hitting a low running shot but it does so by delofting the clubface. That makes it harder to get the ball up in the air for other shots without skulling or scooping the ball.

Here's Harmon's recommendation:



By centering the ball in your stance, you minimize the chance of a mis-hit. And if you need to hit a low shot, you can just use a club with less loft.

The difference between Harmon's setup and the one I generally recommend is small. I like to have the ball under my hands -- which puts the ball slightly ahead of center -- while Harmon has his hands slightly ahead of the ball. He uses his feet to position the ball while I use my hands to position the ball. That's why we have a difference; I feel it's easier to create the same position each time using my method. (I also tend to use a less-lofted club for standard shots; I like to hit lower shots when I can.) But we're both using the same concept -- the closer the ball is to the low spot in your short game stroke, the more consistent your contact will be.

Harmon's article is short and you'll want to take a look at it, if for no other reason than to learn what Tiger told him about short game setup. But in any case, the guiding principle is this: With short game as with most other things in life, it's better to avoid extremes when you can.

Andrew Jones on Basic Chipping (Video)

Yes, here's another video on chipping technique! Why am I posting this one from Golf Monthly's Andrew Jones? Because he demonstrates something that I think is important for good chipping but is rarely stressed by instructors.



I am a big believer in staying relaxed when you play, regardless of whether you're making a full stroke or a short game stroke. And please understand that I don't just mean your hands and wrists are relaxed -- I want your entire body to be relaxed! Hands, arms, shoulders, neck, back, hips, knees -- your whole body. Tension just impedes rhythm and speed.

When I swing, especially in my short game, I like to think of myself as a big piece of elastic, stretched from the ground up to my head. Unlike a mechanical skeleton where the top part moves while the bottom is immobilized, I want my body so relaxed that all rotation is spread evenly from ground to head. Even on a short stroke, that means my knees might move a little -- not because I'm trying to move them, but simply because relaxed muscles respond to the motion easily. This way, it's easier to keep everything in sequence as I swing back and through, which is particularly important in the short game.

This video includes some unusually clear shots of what a relaxed swing looks like. Note that it's not jerky. There are no sections where the club suddenly picks up speed; all the accelerations during the stroke are smooth and gradual. This helps you keep from stabbing the clubhead into the ground. It makes it easier to get consistent contact. And it creates more speed than you might expect.

There's a lot of good instruction in this short video, but pay particular attention to the motion in the chip shot. You'll be surprised how much more consistent you'll become if you try to copy the feel of Andrew's swing.

Nancy Lopez on Using a Chipper (Video)

No, I'm not crazy. While most of you may never use a chipper, there's still some useful info in this video. Take a quick watch -- it's short.



Take note of the description of Nancy's chipper. Basically it's a putter with 7-iron loft. This is useful info because this is a club specifically designed for players who struggle with chipping. That means that, if you struggle with chipping, your 7-iron is a good choice for general chipping from just off the green.

Let's start with that and see what we can come up with.

First of all, you can use your putting grip, normal ball position and normal putting motion with your 7-iron. Personally I find that this works better with a slightly open stance than when I putt normally because, when I use my putting grip with an iron, I naturally take the club back a bit more to the inside. The open stance makes it easier to swing my iron down my intended line. You may find that a square or even a closed stance works best for you. Experiment a little to find out.

Next, I mentioned using your normal ball position for putting. That works best if the ball is sitting on top of the grass. If it's sitting down slightly, move the ball back in your stance just a little. You don't want to hit the ground first.

Finally, you have two options for how you actually contact the ball. You can set up with the sole of the club flat on the ground -- you'll need to move the ball a bit farther away from you than when you putt normally -- or you can set the club slightly up on the toe, which will allow you to place the ball at its normal distance from you when putting. Again, experiment with this a little. I find that the "toed" position works better with my putting grip and the soled position works better with my normal chipping grip.

There is no reason to keep struggling with your chipping this year. You have lots of options because you can use any club that feels good to you, all the way up to your hybrids and driver. The key is to take a technique you feel comfortable with -- putting fills the bill for most people -- and adapt it to another club in your bag. Just follow the steps in this post as a guide for experimenting, and I'm sure you'll find something tailor-made for you.

Juli Inkster on Chipping (Video)

This is a short clip from Juli Inkster's Golf Channel Academy show on short game. She has a couple of chipping tips that anybody can use.



Juli says you should always keep your body moving. She's talking about two different things here:

• One, you don't want to "freeze" over the ball. You need to stay "soft" if you want good feel, and if you stand motionless over the ball you'll get tight.
• Two, you want to make sure you keep turning your hips and shoulders well into your finish. If you don't, you'll end up flipping the club with your wrists and that creates fat and thin shots.

Then I want you to note her ball position. That's a personal thing for every player, dependent on your stroke. But Juli has the ball back in a very narrow stance, just inside her trailing foot. That helps her to hit the ball before the ground gets in the way. That's worth considering if you're having trouble and you have the ball is forward.

One other thing: Juli uses a slightly open stance and she keeps the clubface open as a result. Many of you have heard players and instructors who say to use a square stance and a square face for this shot.

EITHER ONE WILL WORK, DEPENDING ON YOUR STROKE. As long as you hit the ball before you hit the ground, and you hit the ball squarely, either way is a good way. Just try them both and use the one that feels best to you and gives you the most consistency.

Personal opinion: I've done it both ways with success, although I've noted that the square method seems to work better for me when I use a wider stance and the ball closer to the center of my stance. If I'm using a narrow stance, Juli's open method seems to be the more consistent. Just a penny for your thoughts.

A Short Game Tip from Bill Harmon

Golf Digest has a new article with some thoughts from instructor Bill Harmon about Tiger's game at the Hero. And he had a short game tip that I found very informative.



There was a lot of talk about Tiger's chipping last week, and much of it was a debate over whether his occasional problems were the result of yips. Harmon says no, it's bad technique where his club shaft had too much forward lean at impact.

We've all heard this before, right? But Harmon provided a simple drill to help get things back in sync:

If you tend to dig the leading edge in behind the ball on basic short game shots, narrow your stance and practice taking the club back halfway and coming to a complete stop. Then, without manipulating your hands to change the plane of your swing or making a big lateral shift, let the clubhead swing down to the ball. If it makes contact behind the ball, it usually means you're pulling the club behind you too much on the backswing.

Pay close attention to that last sentence. Pulling the club too much to the inside during your takeaway causes your downswing to come into the impact zone on a very flat angle. In high rough, that means you'll get a lot of grass between the ball and the clubface. On a tighter lie, the clubhead gets very close to the ground much sooner in the downswing, which will cause you to hit the ground sooner.

And in both cases, the shaft will be leaning toward the target when you contact the ball. You want the shaft to be nearly vertical at impact, in order to use the bounce on the club's sole.

Narrowing your stance helps you stay more stable over the shot, so you don't move forward as much at impact. That forward movement just gets your hands farther ahead of the clubhead, which makes the digging worse. And stopping your backswing completely helps eliminate any compensations you might be using that further flatten your downswing.

It's a simple drill to help simplify your chipping motion. And the simpler it is, the more likely you are to make a good chip.

In Case You Ever Need to Chip a Short Putt (Video Tweet)

In case you missed it, the PGA Tour tweeted this shot from Justin Thomas. His ball was on the 5th green, very close to the hole, but the green in front of the ball was scuffed so badly that he decided putting was out of the question. If you ever find yourself in this position, here's how to handle it with a wedge.

.@JustinThomas34 can do it all. pic.twitter.com/ScBhb2ZMXB

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) October 20, 2017

This same technique was used a century ago when a player's ball was "stymied" by another ball between them and the hole. This shot is only three or four feet long! Note that JT either didn't touch the green at all or touched it so gently that you can't see where the wedge's bounce scraped the green.

Learn this shot and you've got a new weapon in your arsenal. It really isn't that hard because you don't need to create power. All you have to do is make good contact.

And yes, a putting grip will work just as well with this shot as a chipping grip will. Use whichever grip works best for you.

Trent Wearner on Toe-Down Chipping (Video)

A simple GC video but very informative. Instructor Trent Wearner teaches the basics of toe-down chipping from thick rough.



I was very interested in this because tilting the club up on the toe tends to change your aim. How would he deal with that? I did a walkthrough of his technique and was surprised.

Wearner simply takes a wedge -- he recommends pitching wedge -- and sets up normally, then steps closer to the ball. That automatically gets the club up on the toe. You may need to grip down a bit. (I did.) He says you can use your putting grip if you're so inclined. (I didn't.)

Then you step toward the target a bit to move the ball back in your stance. And that's it -- no adjustment to the face.

What surprised me? I automatically hooded the face a bit, so it looked to be aiming at the pin. I like it when things I desire happen automatically!

I can't promise that you'll make the auto adjustment when you move the ball back, but it appears that Wearner expects that to happen since he says nothing special about it. So try it -- if it works for you, it should simplify many of the tricky chips you face from the rough.

Kyle Morris on Chipping VS Full Swing (Video)

On a previous post about swinging, I mentioned some things that Dana asked me to expand upon if possible. Here's my first post to try and help explain them. This chipping video from GC instructor Kyle Morris talks about how chipping is different from your full swing.



One of the things I mentioned in the classic swing post was that modern pros have to learn two different swings because good short game players use classic technique for their short game instead of the modern swing techniques used in their full swings. The reason is that full swings focus on generating power while short games focus much more on touch. The short gamers use the bounce more while the long gamers are using the leading edge of the club.

I'm not telling you anything new here. I've done numerous posts on how you use the bounce and how to use the leading edge, as have almost every instructor you've watched on GC's shows. And if you're using stiffer shafts -- which you need to use if you use a modern swing for your full game; otherwise the shaft will flex too much and you'll lose accuracy -- you have to consciously change your technique as you go from one to the other. The process of creating power to flex the shaft requires different timing, as Kyle demonstrates in the above video.

However, Dana's teacher is a disciple of the late Manuel de la Torre, who taught a more classic technique based in the Ernest Jones method. In their more classic swing, there is no difference between long and short swings. I know you're wondering how that can be, especially given Kyle's explanation.

The classic swing isn't dramatically different in terms of technique, but it's a different mental approach. Perhaps the best way to explain it is to think of using a flyswatter, which is an image I use frequently. Flyswatters are very flexible, so you create more speed by "flicking" the swatter rather than trying to "hit" the fly with it. In fact, if you try to "hit" with an old metal flyswatter, you'll actually bend the handle and never hit the fly at all.

That's because you can't "flick" with power. The soft shaft requires you to do it with technique.

The classic swing, for lack of a better term, uses a softer shaft and a "flicking" motion to create clubhead speed. And as the swing lengthens, the speed of the clubhead increases. Now, here's the trick: That speed increase, coupled with the "flicking" motion, means that the conscious change Kyle is demonstrating between long and short swings is automatically created by the speed increase in a classic swing.

Modern technique requires a firmer grip and therefore less flexible wrists. You have to consciously relax your wrists at the right moment, which is why it takes so much practice to create consistency.

Classic technique, on the other hand, uses a more relaxed grip and therefore your wrists act more like unpowered hinges. The sequencing of the change of direction in a full swing is therefore different than the sequencing of the change of direction in a short swing. AUTOMATICALLY. And if that's hard to understand, don't feel bad. Like I said, it's a different mental approach and it's harder for many if not most people to understand. (It gave me problems too. But once I got it, it seemed dreadfully simple.)

Just for the record, my Quick Guides are sort of a halfway house. They use a more modern approach, but I've removed much of the exaggeration required in a modern technique. In other words, I've incorporated some very fluid Sam Snead moves into the more mechanical Hogan techniques. That way, you can get some of the benefits of both without having to relearn things. (Pure classic swing uses that slight difference in hand technique, coupled with that different mental approach which actually changes how the swing feels. I'm planning a book on it, but it's going to be a while.)

So anyway, I hope that gives you folks a start at understanding how classic swing and modern swing, while using basically the same techniques, can work so differently. I'll be doing more on this topic in the future, because we now have the equipment to use either swing effectively... but modern instruction apparently hasn't realized it yet.

How Far Do Your Chips Fly?

This is a tip I found in Dave Pelz's Short Game Bible. It came from pages 214-215, in section 8.8, No Backspin. Actually, it's a couple of tips -- one Dave mentioned, and one I noticed in the accompanying drawing.

Please note that this book was published in 1999, so pitching wedge lofts may have changed a bit. Nevertheless, this may help some of you chip it closer.

Dave's tip is that if you chip the ball with it placed farther back in your stance, you increase backspin but reduce your accuracy. He set up his little putting robot Perfy and used three ball positions -- centered in his stance, one ball width back and two ball widths back.

What he found is that the ball chipped from the center of Perfy's stance flew higher and rolled straighter after it hit the ground than either of the other two ball positions. That's a useful thing to know -- if you have a choice, a chip shot with less backspin will probably have a better chance of going in than one with more backspin.

Now let me add what I noticed in the drawing, In his illustration, Dave added numbers showing the average carry and roll with each of the ball positions. The numbers are interesting:

• In the chip from the centered ball position with a PW, the ball carried the same distance that it rolled. In other words, if you carried the ball about halfway to the hole, it would end up very close.
• And the chip from the ball position that was two ball widths back rolled about twice as far as it carried. In other words, if you carried the ball about a third of the way to the hole, it would also finish very close.

In my opinion, it's pretty easy to mentally divide the distance to the hole in half. That makes this a very simple way to judge how far to carry your chip shot if you center the ball in your stance.

And while it's not quite as easy to estimate one-third of the distance, that two-ball-back position is a useful one if you need to put some backspin on the shot.

So there are a couple of tips that might help you get those chips closer and leave yourself shorter putts. Depending on your PW loft, it might be another club that gets the job done for you. But at least you've got a starting place to experiment.

Bobby Jones on the "Smooth" Short Game

There are a lot of opinions about how long your backswing should be relative to your downswing, especially in your short game and putting. The great Bobby Jones -- who was no slouch at any of it -- wrote some of his opinions in a 1930s newspaper article called Importance of a Smooth Short Game.

Here are a few thoughts from that article, which is reprinted in a book called Bobby Jones Golf Tips: Secrets of the Master, on pages 33 and 34.

One of the qualities most to be desired in a golf stroke is smoothness, and smoothness becomes impossible unless the backswing is amply long to allow for gradual acceleration of the club in coming down. A backswing that is too short brings about the necessity of making a sudden effort in the act of hitting. Bridging the gap between zero velocity and maximum in the shorter space implies hurry and effort, which can very easily destroy the rhythm of the stroke. Such a procedure is directly opposed to the motion of swinging the clubhead.

Nowhere is the disastrous effect of a short backswing more easily noted than in the play on and around the greens.

He says that some players do become good at holing out their short putts if they practice a lot, but that they will lack the touch necessary for long putts. And after noting how important touch is, not just on short putts but on the long ones as well, he adds:

The man who takes a short, sharp rap at the ball will never be able to compete in these respects with the putter who swings the club.

Almost always I am able to trace my putting troubles to an abbreviated or too rapid backswing. Whenever I am swinging the club back smoothly and in a broad sweep without hurry I am confident of putting well. When I am not doing so I know I will putt badly.

Yes, I know that Brandt Snedeker has a short quick stroke. But can you name anyone else who is known as a good putter with a similar stroke? No. That's because Brandt has a magnificent sense of rhythm, and the length and speed of his swing complement each other. Sneds is the exception that proves the rule.

Then Jones adds this little bit, which I think is a very useful short game tip:

The same thing applies with equal force to chipping and other short approach work. Billy Burke, one of the finest short-game players in the world, has said that he makes a point of swinging back even a little farther than necessary when playing the first few chips of any round. He recognizes the importances of an ample backswing and feels that it is easier to make sure of it at the start than to work into it from the other direction. [my emphasis]

That's a simple way to find your rhythm early on in a round. Your work on the range doesn't always translate directly to the course. This is a nice trick to help you make that transition.

Jim Flick on the "Lofted Putter"

This is a tip from the late Jim Flick's book On Golf.

Your ball is off the green, beyond the fringe, sitting up pretty decently in light to medium-length rough -- the kind of average lie you expect to find when your approach to a par-four green comes up a little short. How do you play this shot?

Putt it. That's right, putt it. Only use a six-iron instead of your putter. Think of your six-iron as a lofted putter.

Take the same grip with your six-iron as you do with your putter. Take the same stance. Take care that your hands are about the same distance from the ground as they are with your putter. Note that with the shaft more upright than it is on a six-iron shot the heel of the club comes up slightly. That's okay: this is a putter now, not a six-iron. Eyes over the ball. Now take the same stroke as you do with your putter, which is the most repeatable stroke in golf because there are so few moving parts; arms and forearms, no hands and wrists. The ball comes up and out of the grass on a low trajectory, lands softly just on the green, and rolls toward the pin.

Nice putt.

Do I always use the six-iron? Do I always use the putting stroke around the green? Is this all there is to it?

The answers are no, no, and no. But if you work on the lofted putter idea, you'll find that it's the basic principle underlying many greenside shots. [p156]

That's pretty self-explanatory. The only thing I would add is that you might find another club works better for you. I've had a similar shot for years, only mine uses an eight-iron. It just comes off the clubface better with my stroke.

You might find that a hybrid works best. That's fine. It's the principle of the thing that will take strokes off your game.

How Your Lead Shoulder Affects Your Chipping

I know that sounds like a strange title but bear with me. This post may help you dramatically improve your chipping!

In late May I did a post called Dealing with Conflicting Wedge Advice. Recently Dana left a comment on that post asking about an article he read on "side-saddle chipping" and how it compared to the pop stroke I described in Ruthless Putting. (For those of you who haven't read the book, I devoted a chapter to Bobby Jones's pop putting stroke and noted that Jones also used it for chipping.)

I found the article at golf.com. It's by Stacy Lewis's coach Joe Hallett and it's called The New Way to Chip, and Turn Bogeys into Pars and Birdies. To be honest, I wasn't particularly impressed by it because it just looks like chipping from an extremely open stance. (See the photo below.) I also told Dana I'd do a post this week about using your wrists when you chip.



As I prepared to do that post, I realized I needed to talk some about how your lead shoulder works when you chip, and why your chipping problems can be caused by your shoulder. But as I started working on this post, I realized why Hallett's "side-saddle chipping" technique seemed so revolutionary to them. (I don't think they recognized it, because they never mention it in the article, and because some of the advice they gave makes no sense if they did. I'll come back to that later.) So here's what Hallett & Company didn't tell you.

I'll make this anatomy lesson as brief and painless as possible.

The drawing below shows the bone structure of one shoulder. (This is a right shoulder -- a leftie's lead shoulder -- but it works the same way for the left shoulder of a rightie.) Your humerus -- that is, the bone in your upper arm -- is actually a bit L-shaped, with the ball joint extending out past the main bone. In the drawing, I've put a huge black dot over the ball joint and an upside-down L for the upper arm.

When you address the ball for a putt or a chip or even a full swing, your shoulder line extends from the angle in the L of one shoulder, through the ball joint, along the black line to the other shoulder's ball joint and out to the angle of the other shoulder. You can see the lines for the lead shoulder in the small line drawing labeled "At Address" below the drawing. (Yes, that thick black line at the end of the "arm" represents a hand, which is presumably holding a wedge. Stop snickering!)



But when our intrepid golfer swings the club back to chip the ball, and he reaches the change of direction (in the second drawing), notice what happens at the ball joint. For your arm to cross your chest, the entire L shape of the upper arm rotates outward, so that the small part of the L is no longer in line with the rest of your shoulder girdle. This changes how the club is going to contact the ball when you actually chip the ball, unless you return the shoulder to the original address position.

In fact, this is one reason why some of you have a "chicken wing" finish in your full swing. Your elbow can only move up and down, in line with the bone in your upper arm. When your shoulder rotates to the position shown in the "Change of Direction" diagram, your elbow now points toward the target, not behind you as it did at address. And if you don't take measures to get your shoulder back in line, your elbow will STILL point at the target when you hit the ball. Do you follow me so far?

Although they may not realize it, that's the reason teachers want you to "cover the ball" and "keep your hands/the club in front of you" and all those other phrases they use to describe keeping your elbows closer to your side throughout your swing. In fact, that's the purpose of Ben Hogan's legendary elbow drill, as shown below. Keeping your elbows as close to your side as possible during the lower half of your swing forces your shoulders to rotate back into their original address position at impact. That improves your contact and accuracy.



Which brings me back to the Hallett article. Why does "side-saddle chipping" seem to improve a player's chipping results? Because it changes the lead shoulder's address position to match its "change of direction" position, and keeps it in that same position throughout the entire chip! Once you eliminate the extra movement, you basically lock the lead shoulder into the most extreme position of the chipping motion. Ta-daaa! Fewer compensations in your chipping motion, more consistent ball contact.

Do Hallett and his people understand this? I doubt it, because the article advises:

When you’d like to chip the ball longer distances or even pitch it, adopt a more traditional setup.

The more traditional setup won't lock the lead shoulder in place, and he doesn't tell you that you need to lock it in place. That's because he doesn't realize that's the strength of his side-saddle method.

Rather than using two different methods to chip, I'd rather see you chip using Hogan's drill. You can chip, pitch, even hit knockdown shots using his drill -- a single technique that will benefit you all the way through your game. And you'll automatically use your wrists more effectively because the Hogan drill teaches proper wrist action as well. (Why? Because with your elbows close to your side, your wrists are automatically forced to bend and unbend at the proper time.)

So if you're having trouble with your chipping, you might want to try using Hogan's drill -- now that you know what it's supposed to teach you -- and see if that doesn't improve your chipping.

And Dana, I hope that answers your questions. Just let me know if you run into problems or have more questions.

What Are the Keys to DJ's Chipping? (Video)

With all the Golf Channel coverage from the US Open, many of you may have missed this little piece from ESPN's Sport Science. Host John Brenkus tested Dustin Johnson's chipping prowess with a carnival-style game gallery, complete with scientific measurements of his performance.



A few interesting facts about DJ's technique may be of help to you:

• DJ says there is no conscious difference between a 10-yard chip and a 20-yard chip. When Brenkus explains how DJ adjusts his swing to chip the ball farther, you'll note that DJ doesn't try to speed up his swing in any way. He changes the distance purely by lengthening his swing, which he learns through repetition. And given that his swing speed increases by a mere 1mph to chip the ball an extra five yards, you can see why.
• When DJ tries to pick off the ducks -- demonstrating trajectory control -- note that he doesn't try to manipulate the clubface to lower his trajectory. Rather, he changes his club and lets the loft of the club create the lower ball flight. He doesn't change his hand action, which is part of the reason he's so consistent with his ball contact and ball flight.
• With the fishbowl test -- demonstrating distance control -- Brenkus says that he has to "calibrate the necessary launch conditions." This isn't explained (shame on you, John!) but given how DJ keeps checking the face of his club, I'd guess that he's going through a process he would normally use around the green. (The leading edge of the wedge can't possibly be digging into the artificial turf.) Why would he keep checking the face? If it's digging in, then the ball is too far back in his stance.
• As for the dunk tank... forget about that "half-a-millimeter margin of error" stuff. As DJ hints at early on, you can't consciously control things that accurately. Under normal circumstances out on the course, you wouldn't need to be that accurate anyway. The thing to note here is that DJ's trajectory continues to be consistent, which means he's not trying to manipulate the club. DJ has a very quiet technique; he's letting the club do the work.

All-in-all, it's a very impressive demonstration of why Dustin Johnson continues to put up good numbers, even when his game seems to be a bit off. And given all the chipping areas around the greens at Erin Hills, it helps you understand why DJ will be a favorite to defend his title this week.

Stan Utley's Secret to Simplifying Your Short Game

This comes from Stan Utley's book The Art of the Swing, which was unique when it came out (in 2011) for including "scan codes" to let you access smartphone lessons. I thought this short quote from the book might give many of you a new approach to help you better understand how the short game works.

In a chapter about halfway through the book called One Club, Five Shots Utley suggests learning several short game shots with only one club -- he recommends a 58° wedge. Here's a slightly condensed quote from that chapter:

Understanding the basic mechanics that go into the different shots you hit -- and how the concept of sequencing applies to those shots -- is what I would call "school." You have to learn the basics and repeat the lessons, and the tests come at the end, when it's time to go out into the real world.

Now that we've spent some time talking about the form, the sequence and the feel of different shots, I want to take those lessons out of the classroom and onto the course to show how they fit together within your entire golf game.

And I'm going to do it with one club -- my 58-degree wedge.

Why one club? It's simple -- literally and figuratively. When I do a large clinic, some of the first questions I always get are about club selection fro different shots around the green... But I believe doing it that way isn't always the simplest way.

I believe the easiest way to hit consistently good shots and develop better touch and feel is to take one club and make it your short-game specialty club. Then take the time to learn the ins and outs of that one club -- what you need to do to make shots go high or low, long or short. By getting way more practice time and reps with one club, you're going to be more comfortable and confident with it...

Understanding how to play different shots with the same go-to club will make you a complete player. You'll have a better chance of manufacturing a specialty shot for a unique situation using a club you've hit with a million times before. I'm not saying it's wrong to use different clubs around the green... But, I believe you'll get the most consistent positive results from learning the vagaries of one wedge and building a collection of different shots with that wedge. [pp 87-88]

Many of you know that I recommend a two-club approach to the short game -- typically, it'll be a lob wedge for short-sided high shots and either 8-iron, 9-iron or pitching wedge for almost everything else. (Clubs with straighter faces are easier to hit consistently.) But I'm not against Stan's approach. His logic is sound -- if you use one club a lot, you'll get really good with it and be confident when you use it. You probably already do that with other clubs in your bag. (I still remember a scramble I played in where I used a 7-wood from places where my teammates were using lob wedges... and getting my shots closer every time. Confidence matters!)

In the book -- which, unless you can find it used, is no longer available (and the listings I found were awfully expensive) -- Stan uses the one-club approach to teach the low chip-and-run, lofted pitch, bunker shot, trouble shot and distance pitch. In the past I've done posts on just about all of these, I think, although they aren't always called by Stan's names. And if I've missed any, there are plenty of videos and articles about them on the web.

But no matter where you find the instruction, learning the techniques for all sorts of short game shots by using just one club is a solid approach to improving your game quickly. It eliminates one of the variables in the shot -- you're always using the same loft -- so it's easier to learn exactly what you need to do to make each shot work.

And once you learn the techniques, you can always expand your repertoire to include two or three or even more clubs, if you want. ;-)

Dealing with Conflicting Wedge Advice (Video)

A couple days back, I posted a short game video from Lee Trevino. Lee knows what he's talking about because he has always had a great short game.

But so does Phil Mickelson. And if you watch this slideshow of Phil's chipping at the Golf Digest site, you'll get some different guidance than you will from Lee.

And if you watch this short game video from Golf Digest Best Young Teacher Brandon Stooksbury (the video below), you'll get yet another approach. Who's right? Who's wrong? What's a poor player to do?

Let me give you a few tips to help sort things out.



One thing that I noticed right off is that none of these videos is specific about which short game shot they're teaching! I can tell you that Lee is teaching a pitch shot, and Phil is teaching a flop shot, but Brandon is teaching something midway in-between.

How do I know this, you ask? Because I look for some specific clues in the slideshow and videos. You can look for these things too.

First, if possible, I look for clues about the trajectory of the shot.

• I can see that Lee's shot is flying pretty high when he hits it, and I can see that he and Billy are quite a distance away from the green. Lee is also using a lob wedge; I could tell that when I ran the video full screen.
• I can see that Phil's shot is shooting almost straight up in the air (the final slide shows all the pictures in sequence), and the text on the second slide says he's using 60° and 64° wedges.
• I can see that Brandon's shot looks to be flying about the same height as Lee's, but I can see from another section of the video (just keep reading) that he's using a lob wedge like Phil and Lee.

Although all three men are using lob wedges of some sort, the trajectories are slightly different. Those differences are explained as I gather other info.

Second, you need to note the stance. Lee and Phil both use an open stance, Brandon uses a square stance. (Lee doesn't say his stance is open, but you can see it in the down-the-line shots of both him and Billy Andrade.) If you open your stance, you also have to open the clubface. Otherwise you'll pull all your shots.

Third, check the ball position. Lee says to place it back in your stance, Phil has the ball opposite his lead heel, and Brandon say to place it forward although he actually has the ball just ahead of center, as you can see in the video.

Let me make a quick note about playing the ball back in an open stance. It sounds funny but, with an open stance, your stance is effectively narrower than the same width in a straight stance, so the ball is actually closer to the middle of your stance. If that doesn't make sense to you, let me know in the comments and I'll do a post to explain it. For now, just take my word.

But you can't stop with just knowing the ball position...

Fourth, you have to check weight distribution at setup. If your weight is more on your lead foot, the ball is probably being played farther forward. With a more balanced weight distribution, the ball position is going to be farther back. Phil has 99% of his weight on his lead foot, according to the text on slide #3. Lee has his weight more on his lead foot, but not nearly as much as Phil. And Brandon's weight is nearly equal on both feet. (You can tell from Lee and Brandon's videos.)

Finally, you have to check how the hands and arms move when compared to the ball position. And this is where it can get tricky. Check these out:

• We'll start with Brandon this time. Brandon specifically says not to bend your lead elbow and pull the club across the ball. That's because his stance is square. He lets his arms and shoulders work as a unit, without any manipulation, and the turn of his shoulders provides a very quiet swing where his wrists don't bend forward or back. The weight of the club pulls his hands straight out so his wrists don't flip or bend. He's playing a "straight" shot, and the ball is in the standard mid-stance position for a straight shot.
• Lee is the exact opposite. You can see him bend his lead elbow somewhat dramatically as he swings along the aimline of his open stance, and finishes with his bent lead elbow close to his side. He's "cutting across" the ball.
• And Phil? Although he plays from an open stance, he tries to swing straight down the line for as long as possible. The result is that he actually "chicken-wings" a bit, as you can see in the final slide's swing sequence.

These are all things you need to take note of whenever you try swing techniques that are different from what you normally do. Differences in address position make a huge difference in how the swing works, as do extra hand and elbow activity. All of these affect when you actually contact the ball during your swing, and therefore it changes what you're trying to do when you hit it.

Hope that helps you know what to look for when exploring any new golf techniques.