I can't hit this shot

[c. lassiter]

5 to 10 yards off the green from a tight lie in fairway grass.

I usually hit sand wedge and chunk it, which might cost me 4 strokes a round.

Any suggestions?

[pixel5]

8 iron + putting stroke. Bump and run.

[Wheels309]

Putt it with your Hybrid/3 wood/5 wood

[kafka01]

How much from beginning of the green to flag? Thats pretty relevant imo.

By chunking you mean fat? And we are talking about a general chip shot here right?
What helped me tremendously was watching Phils DVD, although no secret, since its pretty basic. A bit of wristcock on the backswing and then just pushing through the ball, not actively releasing the wrist cock and my contact got better quickly. I frequently chipped of a thin carpet that was layed on concrete, and i also often chunked it, but afterwards i didnt had any problems with it anymore. So my guess would be you, you are to handsy, trying to pick the ball (by flipping), instead of hitting down and that causes your chunk.

[Quinn07]

I was having a similar problem last year. I found when I wasn't keeping my hands ahead of the club face through impact I was chunking it. I have made some changes in my set up and have a better move through the ball and I no longer have the problem. I am actually making more chip ins than I ever have.

The shots mentioned above are all great shots to have in the bag and are actually easier to judge the distance.

[Quinn07]

How much from beginning of the green to flag? Thats pretty relevant imo.

I don't know that the OP is asking for other options for this particular shot, I think he's asking how to not chunk that particular shot. So I don't think where the flag is has any bearing.

[bshack]

this is one shot I love... use my sand wedge but close the face / use a putting stroke and you want to come through with more of the toe in the ground which will lead to it being bumped and it will run to the pin... 80 percent of the time everytime :)

[James_Black]

I'd putt it.

I'm getting a lot more confident with the putter.

[Fozcycle]

At address, turn your body and feet about 45 degree angle to your line, or towards the green. This puts the ball just off your right foot.

Choke up on your SW, and use a putting stroke, or a modified putting stroke (taking the club back to a parallel line from the ground) and stroke down on the ball with a short follow through. Your right arm (elbow to shoulder) should never leave your right side during the backswing thru the follow thru. Your left wrist should not break, but should remain straight. The movement is controlled by your shoulders.

This sounds somewhat crazy, but I was also chunkin & equatoring my short pitches. I changed to this setup and now I am safely on the green. This method also works when you have to jump over a bunker to the green.

[Zeph]

Either way, you should work on your setup and short game swing. Weight forward, holding the angle of the wrists etc.

I'd also recommend you try using different clubs. There are less room for error with a 56º SW than a PW or 9 iron. I always pick the lowest club I can, depending on the distance, lie etc. From 10 yards I would perhaps hit a 58º, but it could also be an 8 iron. If the lie is tight, I suppose that means the area between the green and your ball is also short cut, which give you a good probability on how the ball will react, so you can bounce the ball on the fairway or fringe.

[sean_miller]

5 to 10 yards off the green from a tight lie in fairway grass.

I got a higher bounce 60 for this shot. I know it sounds counterintuitive, but increased confidence = improved shots.

[Joeyvee]

Sand wedge has too much bounce for these shost on a tight lie. Simple. Use an 8 iron and putting stroke and bump and run or get a 60*- 6 or 8 bounce for tight lie flops if there's something in the way of the bump n run

[The Recreational Golfer]

The only thing difficult about this shot is the fear factor. Get a plank, maybe a 1x8 or something like that. Practice hitting balls off the plank. Can't get a tighter lie than that.

If there's hard ground all the way to the hole, though, chip it with a 6-iron and a putting stroke.

[double_j]

I concur with one of the first posters.

Bump and run with either a hooded sand wedge, or something lower lofted. Treat it almost like a putt, you're just using a different club to get over the grass right in front of you. No reason to get that sucker high in the air and/or risk a chunk or skull. Seriously, once I learned how/when to use a lower lofted club for chipping, it's shaved a good 3 or 4 strokes off my score easy.

For most straightforward shots, on the ground is better than in the air 99% of the time. It kills me to see high handicappers taking a full wristy swing from 5 feet off the green.

[B-Con]

Suggestions, pick and choose as you see fit:

- Swing the shoulders, no wrist. If you're trying to only move the ball in the air about 5 - 10 yards, no wrist is necessary.
- Play the ball about 4 inches back in your stance, lean the club over so that the hands are about 5 inches in front of the ball.
- Keep your weight forward.
- Catch the ball slightly on the downswing, so aim for the club to make contact with the ground either where the ball is sitting or a little after it. To help this, experiment with focusing your eyes on the front of the ball or the ground in front of it.
- Accelerate gently through the swing.
- Consider using a lower-lofted club, maybe a stronger wedge or a weak iron.

[Zeph]

Also, watch your grip pressure. If it is too tight, things can get stabby and lack flow.

[ghalfaire]

Use a 26* hybrid, your putting grip and stoke. Works great. Practice some first as the ball doesn't come off the face same as the putter.

[kafka01]

Sand wedge has too much bounce for these shost on a tight lie. Simple. Use an 8 iron and putting stroke and bump and run or get a 60*- 6 or 8 bounce for tight lie flops if there's something in the way of the bump n run

What is with all this bump&run; advice, what if he has to play to a tight pin, to an uphill green, to a bunkered green, where he cant just bump & run it all the way, what if the fairway is crappy and he cant put 10 yards through fairway? Not everybody plays on St. Andrews fairways or can pull a texas wegde from 50 yards...

No reason to get that sucker high in the air and/or risk a chunk or skull.

Just because you chip with a sandwedge doesnt mean you hit it 10m high everytime. Hitting a chip from 10y out probably wouldnt even rise above 1m on a standard shot but has a lot of spin so he checks and stops quickly. And if you play on sloped greens you can use this to your advantage much more than you could ever do if you would bump&run; it.