Chipping · Drill
Try Chipping Cross-Handed
Part of our chipping programs for fat or chunked, thin or bladed. Build a program with it
Blading and chunking chips? Your trail hand may be too busy. Try switching hands. Your lead hand goes lower on the handle than your trail hand. Make a few easy swings to get used to it. Notice where the clubhead touches the turf. Touching behind the ball means your lead hand is too lazy. Let the back of that hand travel toward the target, past the ball. Keep your lead arm swinging around your body. Your body keeps turning too.
The drill
- Put your lead hand low on the grip.
- Make easy brushing swings.
- Check where the club touches.
- Move the back of your lead hand to the target.
- Keep your lead arm swinging after impact.
Why it works
Cross-handed grip puts your lead hand below your trail hand. This makes the lead wrist hard to flip, so the clubhead cannot pass your hands before impact. The back of the lead hand moves toward the target, the low point of the swing moves forward, and the club meets the ball first and then the turf.
Common mistakes
- Letting the clubhead touch the turf behind the ball.Feel the back of your lead hand move toward the target sooner, so the low point of the swing ends up at or just past the ball.
- Stopping the lead arm at impact.Keep the lead arm swinging around your body after the ball is gone, and let your chest keep turning with it.
- Letting the trail hand take over and flick the club.Hold the club lightly with the trail hand and let the lead hand and arm guide the swing.
How you'll know it's working
- The club brushes the turf at or just past the ball, not behind it.
- Chips come off the face cleanly with no thin or fat strikes.
- Your lead hand finishes ahead of the clubhead and your chest faces the target or slightly left of it.
Make it easier or harder
Easier: Start with the ball on a good lie and make short, slow swings with no ball, only brushing the grass, until the contact point feels steady.
Harder: Hit chips from a tighter lie or a slight downslope and keep the same contact and the same body turn.
Common questions
Why do I keep hitting thin chips?
Thin chips usually come from the clubhead passing your hands before impact, so the leading edge hits the ball's equator. Keeping your lead hand moving toward the target helps the low point of the swing reach the ball.
Should I chip cross-handed on the course?
Some golfers do, and it is a fair choice if it gives you cleaner contact. You can also use it only as a drill and return to your normal grip while keeping the same feel in your lead hand.
