Welcome to Shaving Strokes, a new GOLF.com series in which we’re sharing improvements, learnings and takeaways from amateur golfers just like you — including some of the speed bumps and challenges they faced along the way.
Although I haven’t played much golf since my daughter was born a month ago, my most recent round presented a challenge that caused me quite a bit of anxiety.
After crushing my driver down the left side of the fairway, I left myself just 35 yards from the green on a short par 4 (the exact hole can be seen here) — so birdie was a very real possibility. From this type of distance, I could either go with a 60-degree or use an alternative club up to an elevated green and feel good with my decision.
But this is where my mind began to wander and doubt creeped in.
My ball was sitting on an extremely tight lie, with a tree branch just to my left, stacked bunkers staring me right in the face on the front left of the green, and another massive bunker that dropped down about 15 feet on the right side of the green. The image below shows the exact layout.
So I had to hit this shot nearly perfect, making sure it was a high, soft shot that stuck on the putting surface.
As a mid-handicapper, this isn’t a shot that I often practice, but here goes.
Making sure I did my best to avoid the front left bunkers, I swung way too hard, mishit it, and found myself in the worse bunker on the right side of the green. Luckily, I hit a pro-level bunker shot, but the damage was already done; and I walked away with bogey after a brutal 2-putt.
This is where having help from a GOLF Top 100 Teacher like Kevin Sprecher is clutch, as he’s capable of explaining exactly how to chip off tight lies without the fear I experienced.
So take a look below to see what Sprecher has to say about these type of shots from tight lies, and learn how to hit them safely near the pin.
How to chip off tight lies
As a teacher, Sprecher says he witnesses mishits from amateurs all the time — often from the fairway. He even saw a playing partner in a recent Pro-Am struggle with shots within 50 yards over and over throughout the round together.
“I witnessed skulled shots, chunks, and even a double hit,” he says. “When they played shots from the same distance, but from the rough, they performed better.
“So why do amateurs struggle from the fairway, but not the rough? The rough provides a margin for error.
“For example, a player can hit slightly behind the ball and still end up on the green. You can’t do this from the fairway, as you’ll lay sod over the ball.”
To help amateur players see more success on tight lies, Sprecher suggests doing the following.
