Casual golf fans might not recognize the name Austen Truslow, but the 27-year-old mini-tour pro has been turning heads Monday during his U.S. Open qualifier at Pine Tree Golf Club in Boynton Beach, Fla.
Winning his sectional qualifier at five under, Truslow showed off an unorthodox chipping technique that worked quite well for him: a one-handed move with his wedge around the greens. The video below shows the mastery.
Austen Truslow is lapping the field here at the US Open qualifier in SoFla — and he also chips one-handed?! Will be a blast to watch him navigate LACC. pic.twitter.com/sAzgnEvaF7
— Ryan Lavner (@RyanLavnerGC) June 5, 2023
While we’ve seen players practice using this one-handed method, few actually apply it during competition. But the concept seems to be working well for Truslow — who has played in a handful of PGA Tour events and last played a full season on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2020 — so who are we to judge him?
Just a few months ago, another pro golfer used the one-handed chip during a tournament as well, with Wes Short Jr. showing it off during the second round of the PGA Tour Champions’ Insperity Invitational. Similar to Truslow, Short Jr. knocked it close with the unique shot.
The one-handed chip ✋
— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) April 30, 2023
Wes Short Jr. explains why he was chipping with one hand during the second round @InsperityInvtnl. pic.twitter.com/XNtJOJQNZQ
Asked after his round about why the technique, Truslow said he originally started using the method as a drill to improve his chipping, but gradually he gained so much confidence in it, it became part of his game.
“I figured I needed to fix something or else I couldn’t play at the top level,” he said. “I slowly implemented it in play, then implemented in tournaments and it stuck.
“I’m hitting more shots with two hands these days, but I still have a lot of confidence with the one hand.”
The benefits of one-handed chipping
One-handed chipping does have benefits — and not just as a means to impress your playing partners.
According to GOLF Top 100 Teacher James Sieckmann, the one-arm-only drill is “one of the simplest, most effective drills for short game.”
“Most people take the club back shut, or closed,” he says. “That turns the club into a dig club, so that, when they swing down, it sticks into the turf. We want the club to work correctly with the turf.”
By practicing chips with one hand, players will learn to properly use the bounce of the club, rather than dig it into the turf.
“That motion is like a start-over motion for me,” Sieckmann says. “I think it’ll really help you.”
So if you have the chipping yips and need some help correcting the issue, give the technique a try. Sometimes one (hand) is better than two.
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