Pete Styles

Bare / Tight Lies

Bare / tight lies are notoriously difficult to chip from because it’s so easy to hit the ball thin. And thin chips are fairly destructive because they travel a long way, so it’s little wonder that most amateur golfers play this shot with much trepidation.

Watch this video or see how I recommend you tackle the tight lie chip shot.

• Play the golf ball back in your stance – almost off the back foot. This will help you to strike down on the ball a little bit more, reducing the chances of a thin contact.
• I recommend you play a chip and run shot from a bare lie wherever possible. A chip and run shot with a 7-iron requires a shorter backswing and less power than a chip with a lob wedge. A poorly struck chip and run will turn out similar to a well struck chip and run. A poorly struck lob wedge (that requires a much long backswing) will usually end up costing you shots.
• Keep the bodyweight predominantly (70%) on the front foot. Your hands should be well ahead of the ball with the club shaft pointing into your left hip.

Rough / Heavy Lies

In this lesson I’d like to cover 2 types of heavy lie because the way they are played is quite different. YOu can watch a video here.

When you find your ball in long grass around the fringes of the green, take a good look at how the ball is sitting. Get a feel for the length of the grass and how much is going to be underneath the ball.

Heavy Lie #1 – Ball Buried Down In Rough

• The most important factor here is getting a good contact on the ball. We don’t want the club to come into the thick grass too early because that will prevent me getting any spin and will prevent me from controlling the distance of the shot.
• Play the ball towards the back of your stance – certainly back of centre. Bodyweight and hands should be forward as usual and the feet and hips open.
• Unlike standard chip shots we want to see quite a lot of wrist hinge and for that wrist hinge to occur quite early in the back swing. You’re aiming for a chopping action. A good swing thought during your practice swings is to point your thumbs to the sky very early in the takeaway.
• Open the club face quite significantly – almost as much as for a flop shot.

Heavy Lie #2 – Ball Sitting Up In Rough

• This shot can look a lot easier but be careful – a lot of golfers end up getting their club right underneath the ball so it literally travels nowhere.
• Keep the club square (don’t open the face as you would for the previous shot).
• Play the ball from the centre of your stance.
• Remove the aggressive, early wrist hinge. The hands and wrists should stay fairly passive during this chip shot.
• Go ahead and play the shot with some confidence.