Chipping from Different Lies

To have a great short game, you have to be adaptable. Around the green, you can ... face a myriad of different lies, distances, obstacles and green conditions. To get up and down consistently, it helps to have a simple, reliable technique that you can then adjust when the shot at hand calls for it.

In this video, Titleist staff member Trillium Rose faces a delicate downhill shot, over a shelf, to a pin that is cut in the lowest section of the green. How she plays this shot depends largely on the lie. Watch as Trillium demonstrates one technique for a good lie in the fringe and another for a difficult lie, where the ball is lying down in the rough.

For a Good Lie on the Collar of the Green:
• Comfortable, narrow stance.
• Distribute most of your weight on your lead foot.
• Stand fairly close to the ball and raise the handle of the wedge at address (more vertical, lifting the heel of the club off the turf).
• Use a simple chipping motion with little to no wrist hinge.
• Rotate your chest through the shot and let the club do the work

For a Tough Lie, Down in the Rough:
• Keep your stance narrow, weight favoring lead foot, but maintain your natural distance away from the ball.
• Keep the handle neutral or even lower the handle slightly.
• Open the face of the wedge.
• Main Key: Use a little wrist hinge. This promotes a steeper angle of attack and minimizes the amount of long grass that gets in between the club face and the ball.
• Rotate your chest through the shot as you unhinge your wrists and pop the ball up high and softly.