Chipping from a Muddy Lie

We all need a reliable method for dealing with these kinds of situations.

Historically, I would have gone with the aggressive shaft lean approach but I haven't played in that way in a long time now and I would try and move my students more toward using bounce wherever possible.

The decision of which option to use here needs to be based on a lot of practise and the scenario that you are faced with. Here are the pros and cons.

Option 1: Heavy Shaft Lean

While the steep attack with shaft lean method is a relatively easy technique to grasp, you cannot afford to hit at all behind the ball. A leading-edge that digs in like it does in this case, has to be positioned cleanly on the back of the ball. The ball flight is also going to be low so will not be ideal when you need to stop the ball quickly.

Option 2: Using the Bounce to Skid on the Mud

This method gives you much more versatility. The added loft from the open face and lack of shaft lean will generate a far higher flight and a chance of stopping the golf ball quickly on the green. It takes more time to master but is well worth it.

As always it comes down to the question; 'how good do you want to be'?

The anxiety that is provoked by bad lies encourages us to look and think more about the ball contact. This must be resisted. As I eluded to in the video, keep your attention wide and mainly on the finish position.

Learn more about how to deal with tricky lies and develop a versatile short game with the Short Game Mastery course.

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