Chipping · Tip
How to Chip When the Course Is Wet
Part of our chipping programs for fat or chunked, thin or bladed. Build a program with it
Wet ground changes your chips. The bottom of the club digs instead of bouncing, so fat shots creep in. Or you try to pick it clean and blade it. Hit the ball first, then the ground, with a firm stroke. Move the ball about half a ball back. A sand wedge can help. Keep your hands ahead and moving toward the target. The club should still touch the ground. Expect a lower shot that stops quickly.
Step by step
- Move the ball half a ball back.
- Consider a sand wedge.
- Hit ball first, then ground.
- Keep your hands ahead and moving.
- Expect a lower shot that checks.
Why it works
On wet ground the sole sticks instead of sliding, so the club digs if it arrives too steeply or too far behind the ball. Moving the ball back a little and keeping your hands ahead makes the club meet the ball first and the turf second. That gives a lower, crisper strike with spin, so the ball checks up instead of running.
Common mistakes
- You try to scoop the ball up, which flips the wrists and leads to thin or fat contact.Keep your hands ahead of the clubhead through impact and let the loft of the club lift the ball.
- You move the ball too far back, so the leading edge digs into the soft ground.Set the ball only about half a ball back from your normal spot and keep the sole touching the ground.
- You decelerate because you fear hitting it fat, which leaves the club stalling in the wet turf.Use a firm, steady stroke that keeps moving through the ball toward the target.
How you'll know it's working
- The ball starts lower than your dry-ground chips and stops quickly after landing.
- You hear and feel the ball hit first, with a shallow divot or brush mark after the ball, not before it.
- Your hands finish ahead of the clubhead and the leading edge does not stick in the ground.
Make it easier or harder
Easier: Practice on a damp but not soaked patch with a sand wedge and a ball only half a ball back, hitting short chips of a few yards.
Harder: Chip from a wetter or tighter lie, or pick a landing spot and try to stop the ball within a few feet of it.
Common questions
Why do I hit chips fat when the ground is wet?
Wet turf grabs the sole of the club, so any steep or early contact digs in. Play the ball slightly back and keep your hands ahead to hit the ball first.
What club should I use to chip on wet grass?
A sand wedge can help because its sole is designed to glide through turf. Choose whichever club lets you strike the ball first with a firm stroke, and expect a lower shot that checks.
