The Chunked Chip: How to Stop Duffing It Around the Greens
There are few mistakes in golf more frustrating than the chunked chip. You've done the hard work. You've hit a good drive, a decent approach, and now you're just off the edge of the green with a simple chip to get it close for a tap-in par. And then... thud. The club digs into the turf behind the ball, a big divot flies a few feet, and the ball goes absolutely nowhere.
That one simple error can turn an easy par into a double bogey in the blink of an eye. It's a shot that can shatter your confidence around the greens.
A chunked chip is a low-point problem. It means the bottom of your small chipping swing is happening behind the golf ball. Your club hits the ground first, loses all of its energy, and then bounces up into the ball. The cause is almost always a breakdown in fundamentals, usually stemming from a desire to "help" the ball into the air.
Fix chunked chips by controlling radius and low point
Demonstrates weight forward, shaft lean, and tempo adjustments to stop fat chips around the green.
Need more short-game rescue ideas? The Chip and Run: Your Most Reliable Shot Around the Green gives you the lower-risk alternative when the lie allows, and From Thin to Win: How to Get Rid of Bladed Iron Shots covers the other strike miss so you own both sides.
Why are you really chunking those chips?
- The "Scoop" Motion: This is culprit number one. Instead of hitting down on the ball and letting the club's loft do the work, the player tries to lift the ball into the air. This is done by flicking or scooping with the wrists through impact. This action breaks down the structure of your arms and causes the clubhead to overtake your hands, forcing the swing to bottom out too early.
- Weight on the Back Foot: An efficient chip is struck with your weight on your lead side. Many amateurs, however, hang back on their trail foot. When your weight and body centre are behind the ball, the low point of your swing will be behind the ball too. It's simple physics.
- Too Much Body Motion: A chip is a small, precise shot. It doesn't require a big body turn or a dynamic weight shift. Trying to incorporate too much body action into a small swing moves the low point around and creates massive inconsistency. Chipping is an arms-and-shoulders motion, with the lower body staying quiet and stable.
- Ball Position is Too Far Forward: While the ball needs to be forward of centre, an overly forward position can cause issues. If the ball is too far up in your stance, it can be difficult to get your sternum over the ball at address, which encourages you to lean back and scoop at it.
How to Achieve Crisp, "Ball-First" Contact
Fixing the chunked chip is all about setting up for success and using a simpler, more reliable motion.
- Set Up for a Downward Strike: Your setup should pre-set the clean contact you want. Take a narrow stance, open your feet slightly to the target, and place about 60-70% of your weight on your lead foot. From there, press your hands slightly ahead of the ball so the shaft is leaning towards the target. This setup makes it very easy to hit the ball first.
- Feel "Firm Wrists": To fight the scoop, you need to keep your hands leading the clubhead through impact. A great feeling is that you maintain the angle in your trail wrist (the slight cup) throughout the chipping motion. Your hands and the handle of the club should beat the clubhead to the ball.
- Use Your Big Muscles: The chipping motion should feel like a simple rocking of your shoulders. Imagine a triangle formed by your arms and shoulders at address. Your goal is to maintain that triangle and simply rock it back and through with your chest and shoulders, not your hands. This creates a much more reliable, repeatable pendulum motion.
- The "Hinge and Hold" Feel: This is a classic for a reason. Hinge your wrists slightly on the way back and then feel like you "hold" that angle all the way through to the finish. Your follow-through should look like a mirror image of your backswing. If you are scooping, the clubhead will flip past your hands on the follow-through.
Chipping doesn't have to be complicated. Get your setup right, use your big muscles, and keep your hands ahead of the ball. You'll replace that frustrating "thud" with the crisp "click" of a perfectly struck chip.
What are the quick questions golfers keep asking?
Q: Why do chunked chips keep happening even after good practice?
A: Because weight drifts back mid-swing. Keep the sternum ahead of the ball and the low point stays in front.
Q: What's a quick drill to feel ball-then-turf again?
A: Place a tee one ball width ahead and clip it after impact. If you strike sand first you'll miss the tee entirely.