The Chop Chip

[Cantankerish]

I have seen professional golfers intentionally chopping at the ball (with success, mind you) when hitting a chip shot from crappy rough.  For clarity, the club stops jjst after making contact with the ball, digging itself into the turf. It seems counterintuitive to me.  Needless to say, I do not have any particular skill with this, so I browsed for a video to look into it.  I could not find one, so I am posing the question to all of you.

 

What is purpose of hitting the ball this way? 

Would you consider it a required skill or more of an option?

Can you post a video for it?

[billchao]

It’s probably just a pitch or chip motion with a steep angle of attack. When the club hits the ground it stops.

Useful for hitting a ball buried in deep rough or if you have to navigate around a tree root or something. Very unforgiving shot btw, you’re eliminating all the benefits of the bounce on the sole.

[David in FL]

I play that shot a lot.
 

Generally it’s because the rough is very thick and the ball has settled to the very bottom of it. While ordinarily I might be tempted to play an open face shot similar to a bunker splash shot, the thick rough really doesn’t allow it.  Like most shots around the green, knowing how to play it provides another option depending on circumstances.
 

 The shot you describe allows me to be much steeper at impact and minimizes the affect of the rough on the clubhead.  I play it like I might play a buried lie in a bunker.  Just drop the clubhead down directly behind the ball with no attempt to follow through.  The ball will pop straight up and land with no spin.  While you might be tempted to use a lob wedge, I find that my 56° sand wedge will pop the ball straight up in the air.

It’s not all that difficult to play, but like any shot requires a little bit of practice to get the feel, especially for the distance that the ball will fly.

Hope that helps…

 

Edited January 17, 2020 by David in FL

[IowaGreg]

On 1/17/2020 at 11:37 AM, Cantankerish said:

Can you post a video for it?

 

[Cantankerish]

On 1/17/2020 at 12:20 PM, IowaGreg said:

 

Yes.  That is precisely what I had been looking for.  Thanks again.

 

[boogielicious]

Just a correction to the video. The ball does not have topspin. It has less spin than a normal chip shot, but it is still backspin. That is why it rolls out more. 

[Patch]

I practice this shot on occassions. As posted above, it's a usefull shot to get the ball out of thicker rough to a more playable ball position. It matters little how far the ball goes, just as long as the ball is in a better position for the next shot. 

I tend to use my sw most of the time. With a steeper, more verticle chopping motion, the club head will be less effected by the taller grass on it's way down to the ball.  

It's a shot saver when done correctly.