Short Game Scratch Tips – How I Adjust For Summer Lies

Hi Golf Mad Family,

So summer is kind of here in the UK, the ground and greens have definitely firmed up, even with the weather still looming and hanging around. In this blog, I go through how I adjust my short game techniques for these conditions when a little more spin is required in firmer conditions. I have always prided myself on having a good level short game but by incorporating a lot of the Dan Grieve techniques into my golf short game, my golfing IQ has improved immensely and have increased by short game shot options, to allow me to match the correct shot required for that lie.

Earlier in the year, my short game Scratch Secrets went down really well on the Golf Mad Dad YouTube channel. So, I'm going to go through what I've learned over the past 12 months and how I adapt and change my game or my shot selection in these firmer conditions, even when it's a little rainy but firming up. I'll cover different scenarios and how I adjust for firmer conditions.

Basic Chip and Run

First up, I'll go through the basic chip and run, which I have discussed before on videos. For beginners or higher handicaps, using one club can be one-dimensional. For instance, if the green runs away and it's wetter, using a 7-iron would land a quarter and roll out three-quarters. A 9-iron would land a third and roll out two-thirds. If I play my standard chip and run on a downhill shot in wet conditions, I'll pitch it a quarter and try to roll it out a quarter. But with firmer greens, the ball speed increases, and it shoots through.

For this situation where the green is sloping away from me and is quick, I switch to a club with more loft, like my 50° wedge. This helps the ball grab more and spin, especially on slight downslopes. The setup remains the same. Shoulders level, I use my left hip release and use the exact same tempo that I would have used for this shot in the winter when I would have used my 7 iron. The chip shot then grabs a bit with that extra spin and still rolls out nicely.

Chipping From the Rough

Next, I'll adjust for playing from the rough around the green, which is different from winter when the concern is the club digging into wet, muddy lies. In summer, the rough is thicker, and the shot depends on the lie. The lies we tend to find in summer are either semi-buried or deeply buried. For semi-buried lies, I use a toe-down technique, opening my stance, keeping the loft of the club open, and swinging out to in. This allows the toe of the club to cut through the rough nicely, allowing the ball to pop up, still with spin and release nicely.

For deeply buried lies, I use a club with less bounce, like my 58° wedge. For set up, I stack my body ahead of the ball, as this will allow me to set the club earlier and allow a steeper angle of attack. I never try to hit the ball first and hit 1-2 inches behind the ball. My gripping tighter in my lead hand, this stops the club head from grabbing in the rough and closing the face. It is almost like a bunker shot and the ball pops up with more spin on than if you play it like most, with closed club face and try to hit down hard on the ball, to much grass gets between club and ball and the extra ball speed generated with low spin, will tend to send the golf ball a lot further than required.

Soft Landing Chip

With the greens firmer and when there is less green to work with, the basic chip and run may not impart enough spin. This is where I would play a mini belt buckle release shot. The belt buckle release shot is a soft landing shot but my playing a mini version of this, I can add spin to the shot when compared to the chip and run, and allow the ball to check slightly but come in softer and with a higher launch angle.

The key to this is to play with really soft hands and soft grip pressure. I keep the loft on the club in takeaway and I want to use the bouce of the wedge on this shot. Through impact I use the belt buckle release but stop it shorter than I would normally, hence mini belt buckle release. The ball comes out super soft and with more control on those faster greens, and if the pin is on a slight downslope and short sided.

Bunker Play

For bunker play in the summer, the sand is fluffier. I use the belt buckle release to utilize the club's bounce, making a shallow divot as I release through the ball. If the sand is wet from this summer rain, I might use a left hip release as I do not want the wedge to bounce up into the ball, but with dry, fluffy sand, I stay with the belt buckle release to get a soft, spinny shot.

Chipping From Compact Lies

When chipping from hard pan or bare lies, I prefer the toe-down chip with my 58°. It may look like a hard shot but if you set up correctly then it is quite a forgiving shot and also helps produce much more spin. In set up I stand much closer to the ball and lift the club shaft more vertically and put the toe of the club down. I do now want to engage the bounce of the club so I use my wedge which has the least amount of bounce. My laying the toe down for these compact lies, the aim is to try nip that section of the wedge under the ball and the ball will pop out softly by swinging out to in. Instead of playing a bump and run shot which relies a lot more on getting the correct bounces.

I hope you found this useful. Adjusting my short game for summer conditions has helped my golf IQ improve significantly, making golf easier around the greens even with limited practice time.

 

The full video is available to watch also