One of the coolest shots in golf is a low-flying chip that stops on a dime, thanks to boatloads of backspin. Not much room between you and the pin? No problem!
The ideal situation for this shot is when you have a tight lie and are standing on a slight downslope. Pull your sand wedge and set up like normal (1), positioning the ball a tad back in your stance. Keep your hands roughly in the center of your body. This, paired with the back ball position, should create a slight amount of shaft lean toward the target. The trick to getting the ball to spin is to strike it on a downward attack angle and keep the club low to the ground well past impact (2).
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To do this, focus on delivering the club through impact without adding any unnecessary wrist or hand action. It’ll take a little practice, but not much. One thing to keep your eye on when dialing in your technique: As you swing the club through impact, feel like the knuckles on your lead hand are slightly up and try to cut across the ball slightly.
Lastly, notice in the photos above how I’m clearly using mostly body turn — not a lot of hand and wrist movement (3) — to power the shot. Although the images don’t show it, I bet this one came off with tons of backspin and snuggled up close.
When played correctly, the low spinner will launch low and “grab” the green for easy up-and-downs.
Bernie Najar is a GOLF Top 100 Teacher and is the director of instruction at Caves Valley GC in Owings Mills, Md.