Stand closer than a normal shortgame shot to the ball and lift the heel of the club off the ground.

I believe the majority of my students who come to me with chip shot issues have the wrong approach at setup. I see a lot of amateur golfers who dig the heel into the ground, or thin chip shots due to the heel getting caught in the turf.

I like to have my students stand closer than a normal shortgame shot to the ball and lift the heel of the club off the ground. In a tight lie, it is helpful to stand closer, with the club shaft more vertical. While the heel of the club tends to dig or snag, the toe will glide through the grass much more efficiently, especially when hitting from a lie in green side rough.

Even if you don’t make great contact, the club will still make a more accurate connection with the ball when the toe glides through, because the vertical shaft ensures you won’t dig the heel, which will stop the club from digging.

Give it a try next time you work on your greenside chip shots, and you can have you ball release like a putt when it lands, allowing you to envision a straight back-straight thru, putter-like motion when chipping.