If you want to build a deadly short game, learning how to use bounce properly is one of the best skills you can develop. However, many amateurs overlook this important feature because they are afraid to open the clubface around the green or simply don’t know how to use it properly.
As GOLF Top 100 Teacher Joe Hallett explains in this video, using bounce becomes easier when you understand two simple keys: how to design a club and how to adjust the clubface to suit your lie.
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Mastering these two keys will increase your forgiveness, boost your confidence, and improve the quality of your contact on every greenside shot.
1. Keep the shaft and clubhead in line
To use Bounce effectively, you must first understand how wedges are designed to work. Hallett said most wedges are designed to create bounce when the shaft and clubhead are aligned. This will prevent the bottom of the club from sliding across the grass and causing the leading edge to dig in.
“Bounce isn’t just about getting the ball higher or hitting a flop shot, it’s about making every shot easier,” Hallat says.
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However, if your hands come forward and the clubshaft leans forward, the leading edge will be exposed. This makes it nearly impossible to utilize bounces as intended.
“If you tilt the club (shaft) forward, the bounce disappears,” Hallett says.
This only increases your chances of catching the leading edge and ending the shot. So how can we get that rebound back? The fix is simple. Make sure the club shaft is aligned with the clubhead.
2. Open the face on uphill lies
Keeping the clubshaft and clubhead in line will allow you to take advantage of the bounce in most cases. But Hallett points out one important caveat. That’s my lie.
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Chipping uphill will naturally expose the leading edge, similar to what happens when you tip the shaft forward.
“How do you get that bounce back? Open up the face,” Hallett says, “so the club can move the way it’s supposed to.”
Always assume your lie is uphill
Remembering to open the clubface on uphill lies seems like a no-brainer. The problem is that most amateurs don’t realize how often chipping actually occurs on slopes. Hallett explains that true horizontal lies around the green are rare, even if they appear flat to the eye.
“Ninety-nine percent of your chip shots are going to be on an uphill lie,” he says.
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That’s by specification. The green is designed to repel water, so the ground around the green is slightly sloped from the putting surface. Sometimes the slope is obvious, but usually it’s enough to trick the eye into thinking it’s flat.
“What do you think is going to happen, even though it seems like a pretty simple lie?” Hallett says, “The ground is going up a little bit, so you have to open up the face.”
“The moment you open this face, you have this on the bottom (bounce) that allows the ground to be your friend instead of your enemy,” he continues.
To bring home the point, Hallett demonstrated how forgiving the bounce was by intentionally hitting the ball into the grass about an inch behind it. Even though his low point is off, his contact is still solid as the bounce of the club does its job and allows it to glide across the grass.
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“The ground is working against you, but now you’ve leveled the playing field. Take advantage of the bounce. It’s your friend. It’s your insurance,” says Hallett.
The article Never Miss a Chip Again with These Two Wedge Keys appeared first on Golf.
