Chipping · Tip
Chipping From Tight, Short Grass
Part of our chipping programs for distance control. Build a program with it
Around many greens, the grass is mown very short. Here's a simple rule. Get the ball rolling as soon as you can. Only fly it if you have to. Look at the grass first. If it grows toward you, a wedge will grab. Use a putter or hybrid. Read the shot like a putt, including break. From below the hole, hit it firmly enough to get past. And keep your putting stroke. Don't switch to a chipping motion.
Step by step
- Get it rolling early.
- Check which way the grass grows.
- Into the grain: putter or hybrid.
- Read the break.
- Use a putting stroke and get it past.
Why it works
A ball on tight, short grass has little cushion under it, so a wedge leading edge can hit the ground first or catch the ball thin. A putter or hybrid sits flatter and slides across the surface, so contact is more repeatable. A rolling ball also follows a predictable path, which means you can read it like a putt and judge speed more easily than a short flight and bounce.
Common mistakes
- You pick a wedge when the grass grows toward you, and the club grabs or bounces into the ball.Switch to a putter or hybrid so the sole slides through instead of digging.
- You change to a wristy chipping motion with the hybrid.Keep your putting stroke, with a quiet wrist and the shoulders swinging the club.
- You ignore break and leave the ball short on a shot from below the hole.Read the roll like a putt and hit it firmly enough to finish past the hole.
How you'll know it's working
- The ball starts rolling within a foot or so of the club and stays on your start line.
- You hear and feel a clean, even strike with no grabbing or bounce from the turf.
- Your first putt after a chip from below the hole finishes past the hole, not short.
Make it easier or harder
Easier: Practice from a flat lie with a short distance to the hole and no break, using only the putter.
Harder: Move to a sloped lie with some break, or add a longer carry across the fringe, and switch between putter and hybrid based on the grain.
Common questions
Can you use a putter from the fringe on tight grass?
Yes. If the ball sits cleanly and the grass is short, a putter is often the safest choice. Add a little more speed than you would on the green to roll through the fringe.
Why do I keep chunking or thinning chips from tight lies?
A wedge leaves little margin when the ground is firm and the grass is short. Try a putter or hybrid with a putting stroke so the club slides across the surface.
