Tiger Woods’ matching chip is great for chipping away at chipping shots around the greens.
Getty Images
Welcome to Play Smarta regular GOLF.com game improvement column that will help you become a smarter and better golfer.
When you’re hitting a chip shot, one of the most important things to evaluate is the lie. When the ball is sitting well, you can hit a variety of different shots. But when the lie isn’t that good, you have far fewer options for the type of shot you can make.
For professionals, these calculations can be the difference between making the level and being disappointed. And with the margins so thin at the highest levels of the game, one shot can make all the difference.
Drawing a bad lie results in not making good contact with the ball. But there are techniques you can use to make sure a bad lie doesn’t spell doom for your shot.
Such a blow is Tiger Woods’ “Draw chip,” which he explains how to hit in the TaylorMade video below. Check it out and add it to your arsenal around the greens.
the tiger’s ‘attraction chip’
Professionals think about the game in a completely different way than recreational players. Most weekend warriors approach every chip shot the same way, but pros adjust their technique based on the situation they’re facing.
You probably have a standard chip shot in your arsenal that you rely on when hitting the greens. This is great to have, but sometimes you may need to adjust some things depending on the situation.
When Tiger faces a chip shot that has a high probability of hitting it fat (in grain, bad lie, etc.), he chooses his “draw chip”.
Hitting the shot is simple. He takes his normal setup and opens the club face at address with his weight on the front foot. He takes a normal chip swing, but when he goes through the strike zone, he closes the face down and moves his body forward.
“I’ll do more spinning,” he says. “But I’m also making sure I don’t carry it.”
By closing the face, it ensures that the leading edge does not dig into the ground, producing a thick shock. And by keeping his weight forward, he ensures that there is no slowdown in his movement, which also tends to produce chunks.
The next time you’re faced with a shot around the greens with a high par, try hitting Tiger’s pull chip. When you make these adjustments, it becomes almost impossible to catch the heavy hit.
![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://netblogsport.com/this-clever-tiger-woods-tactic-will-ensure-you-dont-chip-away-at-the-chips/&media=https://netblogsport.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/tiger-woods-play-smart-2.jpg&description=In today's edition of Play Smart, Tiger Woods breaks down how his "draw chip" can keep you from chunking shots around the green.){kind=link}