How to Chip with the Ball Below Your Feet

How to Chip with the Ball Below Your Feet: Key Adjustments and Techniques

Chipping with the ball below your feet is one of the most challenging shots in golf due to the geometry of the swing being thrown off. If you don’t make proper adjustments, your club will likely be too high to make solid contact with the ball, resulting in inconsistent or poor shots. In this article, we’ll cover how to chip with the ball below your feet, providing adjustments to your setup, swing radius, and technique to help you maintain control and accuracy.

Understanding the Challenge: Geometry Doesn’t Add Up

When the ball is below your feet, the distance between the ball and your club increases compared to a normal, flat lie. This shift alters the geometry of your swing, making it difficult to strike the ball cleanly. Without adjustments, your clubface will be too high above the ball, which can lead to thin shots or poor contact. To compensate, you’ll need to change both the radius of your swing and your body positioning.

Adjusting the Swing Radius

The first key adjustment is changing the radius of your swing, which refers to the distance from your hands to the clubhead. On a flat surface, this distance remains constant, but when the ball is below your feet, you need to shorten the swing radius to reach the ball.

A. Grip Further Up on the Club

The simplest way to adjust the swing radius is to grip further up on the club. By gripping the club as high as possible, you shorten the effective length of the club, helping you bring the clubface down to the level of the ball.

• How Much to Grip Up: The amount you grip up on the club will depend on how far below your feet the ball is. If the slope is steep, grip further up the club to compensate.

B. When This Isn’t Enough

In some situations, gripping up on the club alone might not be enough to adjust your swing. If the slope is steep, you may need to combine this adjustment with changes to your body positioning.

Adjusting Your Body Position: Changing the Centrum of Your Swing

In addition to gripping up on the club, you’ll need to make adjustments to your upper body positioning. This ensures that your club can properly contact the ball without lifting off the ground or digging into the slope.

A. Bend at the Hips and Knees

To bring your upper body closer to the ball, you need to bend more at your hips and slightly at your knees. This helps bring the entire swing plane down to the ball’s level.

• Why You Need Both: Bending only at the knees will limit your ability to swing freely, while bending only at the hips will put too much pressure on your back. A combination of the two helps maintain balance and swing efficiency.

B. Keep a Balanced Stance

When bending, it’s important to remain balanced. You’ll be slightly farther away from the ball due to your forward bend, so make sure your stance is wide enough to provide stability throughout the swing.

Maintain Consistent Height Throughout the Swing

One of the biggest challenges when chipping with the ball below your feet is maintaining a consistent heightthroughout your swing. Many players tend to rise up or lower their body during the swing, which throws off the contact point and leads to inconsistent results.

• Stay Level: Once you’ve set your stance by bending at the hips and knees, focus on keeping your upper body at that same height during the entire motion. Any vertical movement will disrupt the accuracy of your strike.

Clubface Direction Adjustments

When your hands are lower at address, the clubface direction can be affected. On this kind of lie, the clubface tends to point more to the right because of the raised angle.

A. Compensating for the Rightward Bias

You can make a few adjustments to compensate for this rightward aim:

• Open the Clubface Slightly: You can open the clubface to ensure it points toward your target. However, opening the clubface can also add loft, so use this carefully depending on the type of shot you want to hit.
• Adjust Your Aim: Another option is to aim slightly left. Since the clubface will point right on this type of lie, aiming left compensates for the natural rightward drift.

B. Maintain Proper Loft

Adjusting for the rightward aim doesn’t always mean you need to alter the loft drastically. If you follow the basic adjustments—gripping up, bending forward, and maintaining a steady height—you should still maintain the correct amount of loft for the shot you’re trying to execute.

Final Thoughts on Chipping with the Ball Below Your Feet

Chipping with the ball below your feet can be tricky, but by making these simple adjustments to your swing radius, body positioning, and clubface direction, you can ensure better contact and more accurate shots. Remember to:

• Grip up on the club to shorten the swing radius.
• Bend at your hips and knees to lower your body and align your swing with the ball.
• Stay level throughout the swing to maintain consistent contact.
• Adjust your aim or clubface direction to compensate for any rightward drift.

By practicing these techniques, you’ll become more confident in handling these challenging lies and improving your overall short game. Good luck, and happy chipping!