Chipping · Drill
Chip Around Your Lead Leg
Part of our chipping programs for fat or chunked. Build a program with it
Leaving weight on your back foot ruins chips. Use your lead leg as a post. Put your weight on it. Turn around it. Finish every chip with a full follow-through. Then grade yourself. Did your weight stay on your lead foot? Are you facing the target? Your trail knee should point there. For practice, hit some chips from a tight lie. Then lift your trail foot onto its toe and hit more. Switch back and forth.
The drill
- Set your weight on your lead leg.
- Turn around it.
- Finish facing the target.
- Hit chips with your trail foot raised.
- Switch between raised and flat.
Why it works
When your weight stays on the back foot, the low point of the swing falls behind the ball. The club then hits the ground first, and that causes fat shots. Your lead leg works as a post. Weight on it keeps the low point at or just ahead of the ball, so the club strikes the ball and then the turf. Turning around that post and finishing facing the target keeps the weight forward through impact.
Common mistakes
- You shift your weight onto the lead leg at address but slide back to the trail side during the swing.Keep your lead hip over your lead foot from start to finish and turn around it instead of swaying.
- You stop the club at impact and never complete the follow-through.Swing through to a full finish every time, with your chest facing the target and your trail knee pointing there.
- You lean back or hang on the trail foot when you raise it, so the drill does not change anything.Lift only the heel so the trail foot rests on its toe, and keep nearly all your weight on the lead foot.
How you'll know it's working
- The club strikes the ball first, and any divot or brush mark is in front of the ball's position.
- At the finish, your weight is on your lead foot, your chest faces the target, and your trail knee points at it.
- Chips from a tight lie come off cleanly and roll out with a consistent pace instead of stopping short.
Make it easier or harder
Easier: Start from a good lie on short grass with a short swing, and keep your trail foot flat until the weight shift feels natural.
Harder: Use tight lies and longer chips with your trail foot raised, and alternate raised and flat every shot while holding the same contact.
Common questions
Why do I hit chips fat?
The most common cause is weight staying on the back foot, which puts the low point of the swing behind the ball. Set your weight on your lead leg and keep it there through the shot.
Where should my weight be when chipping?
Favor your lead foot at address and keep it there through the finish. Turn around your lead leg instead of shifting back and forth.
