Shot 6: Tight Lie Chip & Run

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Sometimes, missing the green can leave you in a spot where the lie feels too tight for a lofted iron, but too far from the hole for the shorter-shafted putter. In these situations, the hybrid’s rounded head and longer shaft make finding the needed contact and power much easier. Broadly copy your putting action and this shot becomes safer and easier.

VERTICAL HOLD

Use your putting grip to place the handle in your palms; it limits wrist action and helps you control the path and face. Grip at the bottom of the rubber; this allows your arms to hang while giving you a longer, more powerful weapon than the putter. Set the shaft vertical (seen from face-on) to encourage a level strike. 

BETTER CONNECTED

At address – and indeed throughout the stroke – feel your upper arms are against the sides of your chest. This feeling of adhesion will help you control the stroke with your chest, giving your action a consistency of arc and acceleration.

NARROW YOUR STANCE 

To create effective contact with the tight-lie chip, we need the clubhead to move through the ball at a level angle – something the rounded head allows without snagging. Bring your insteps closer together to ensure your centre is opposite the ball… though you can play the ball just forward of centre in that narrow stance.

CORE CONTROL 

At address your hands are level with the ball, the butt pointing broadly at your navel. Maintain this relationship through your action. Use a subtle rotation of your upper body to move your arms and the club back. Through this core rotation, check the butt of the club remains pointing at your belly button.

UNIFIED MOTION

Repeat this wrist-less motion on the way through, feeling a solid unison between the turning of your chest and the position of the club. Again, that butt-to-belly relationship should be maintained through to the finish. With a little practice, this simple action becomes a potent weapon from the clipped, tight fringe.

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