Tiger Woods - Chipping Woes

Sorry, you need to be a member to access this video.
You Are Just Seconds Away - Become a member here!
Already a member? Log in now

Even the best players in the world struggle around the greens from time to time! In this video, I'll show you what caused Tiger Woods to lay the sod over multiple chips this past weekend at the Hero World Challenge. I'll show you some of the distinct differences in his green side technique and I'll also give you a couple of areas to pay attention to in your own game that will ultimately help you become a great short game player.

  • Stay wide with both arms and rotate with some wrist set during the takeaway. 
  • Make sure the left thumb is not pushing on the shaft and the right hand is relaxed. 
  • Keep the forearms close together and rotating through the hitting area. 


Hey everyone, This is rotary swing instructor Chris Tyler, and this past weekend we finally see Tiger Woods getting back on the golf course with his new swing.

We saw him struggle just a bit around the Greens, with a few very uncharacteristic chunk chip shots that showed us.

Even the best players in the world struggle from time to time around the greens.

I'm going to show you the causes of Tiger, or what caused Tiger to hit these shots.

And I'm also going to give you guys a couple of key tips that are going to help you get better around the greens and play better golf.

Day in and day out.

I think it's pretty safe to say that we've all struggled with this chunk chip shot or thin chip shot from time to time around the Greens.

And it can be overly frustrating and sometimes even embarrassing, depending on the moment.

But I want to show you a couple of the areas that are different with Tiger's pitching technique.

From this past weekend at the Hero World Challenge to where it was just a couple of years ago.

And hopefully he'll get this sorted out because he's always been known for his fantastic short game.

So I want to show you some of those areas and I also want to give you guys a clear indicating.

Or, you know, with your own golf swing or your own chipping technique of what can be causing you these problems and help you get those sorted out.

On the Sooner side.

So looking at both players on the right hand side of the screen is you know just a couple years ago.

Both players are going to appear to be very similar here.

The one on the right is going to have a little bit more wrist set because he's hitting a little bit further of a shot.

You can see here we got a little bit more wrist set here.

But notice how both players have stayed really wide with the arms and nice rotation.

Alright so this is the spot where we can run into trouble especially as amateur golfers.

We have to understand what can cause the golf club to come down very steep.

Now, there are two things in the chipping or in the regular golf swing that can steepen the golf club coming down.

And that's going to be either the left thumb or your lead thumb, depending on what handed you are, as far as you know, right handed or left handed.

But in Tiger's case is left thumb or the right hand.

Both of those things are in a position to where they can push against the shaft.

And if you push against the shaft, that's what's going to cause the club head to come down very steep and very quickly.

Now, when we look at this analysis later, you'll be able to tell exactly what caused Tiger to get this club really steep and ultimately hit these dreaded chunk shots.

So let's go ahead and take a look as we start down.

And both players are going to be very similar down into the hitting area.

Okay so you can see it gets his hands leading into the shot beautifully.

So here we are at impact.

Very similar styles from both Tiger of old to Tiger of now.

So there's not really a ton of change going on here.

But these next few frames are going to be the important ones and show you exactly what the culprit was.

To have this club coming in a little bit on the steep side.

So when you watch post impact here you're going to see the forearms start to separate quite a bit.

So you see how the forearms get further apart here.

And now his lead arm is starting to break pretty drastically.

It's got this good size break in it.

Now, when you see this, if you ever watch yourself on camera, or if you're out on the golf course and you notice, you know, with pitching.

Or if you even see from a full swing perspective that your lead arm is breaking very quickly, that is caused from a trail side push.

And like I said, from the top part of the chipping technique, there there's two things that are in a position that can push.

Either the right hand, the right arm or the left thumb.

And if you were to hold both hands out in front of you? You can try this with your palms together, both straight out in front of you and then push your right arm across your center.

Keep pushing, pushing, pushing.

Your left arm is eventually going to break.

So when you see this particular move now you understand that the culprit was the right arm, The right hand pushing very hard down in the hitting area.

And in turn, that's what's going to steepen the club up.

And this is where he ran into problems with laying the sod over.

Where if you look at this older chipping technique, watch his forearms here, You're going to see that they stay very close together and there's some rotation there and then there's some extension.

That left arm does not break at all.

So those are the real big areas that he struggled with this past weekend.

And you know, you can attribute it to reps.

You know, when we start to get out there into an environment where we get a little nervous, we always want to use the dominating hand.

And in turn, that can create the problems.

You know we always talk about push versus pull here at Rotary Swing.

So understanding, you know how to be able to control the golf club with the only thing that can pull, and that's the lead hand.

If you get your pressure in those back three fingers, more so back in that back pinky and not pushing against the left thumb, you can control, you can pull the club into the hitting area, You can keep things gradually rotating to help shallow things out, and then, in turn, you're not going to overpower it from the right side.

So there's a couple of good videos on the website that will really kind of expound on what I'm talking about.

We have the push versus pull video, that's another great video that Chuck did.

We also have the why is golf so hard in the solution.

That's another great video that really kind of outlines the push versus pull method.

And you know if you've been struggling with your pitching around the greens, the golf pitching video, All these videos are going to be over to the right hand side of the screen as recommended videos for you.

But I just wanted to give you guys a really in depth look of what was causing Tiger those problems around the green and hopefully gets it sorted out.

I'm sure he'll get it sorted out on the sooner side.

And it's very uncharacteristic to see him get so much right side push down in the hitting area to cause these sorts of things to happen.

So get out there, understand what can steepen the golf club up.

Make sure that you have no pressure in that left thumb on the way down, and keep that right hand extremely relaxed and learn how to lead with that control hand.

And you'll be on your way to hitting better pitch shots and getting it closer to the hole, and certainly not hitting that embarrassing, frustrating shot anymore.

Alright guys, I wish you the best of luck and let's get out there and play some great golf.

Must be Premium Member to Comment

64x64
Loran
In almost any type of swing, a player should relax the right arm dominant and think about extending the left arm through to the finish? Golf is about a game of balance, the swing?
June 19, 2015
64x64
Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Loan. Yes, the majority of good players focus on the lead arm working correctly through impact and extending through the release. Golf is definitely a game of balance.
June 20, 2015
64x64
Tom
I spent some considerable time w/pga pro on this same thing and he taught hinge and turn, hinge and turn.
December 9, 2014
64x64
Chris (Certified RST Instructor)
There are several different takes on chipping technique. Read some of the posts further down in this thread and see some of our comments that relate to other instructional methods when it comes to short game.
December 9, 2014
64x64
Tom
What kind of video(s) and location of the camera should I take and send for review, especially in this crazy winter weather here in N.H. I can do it indoors?
December 9, 2014
64x64
Chris (Certified RST Instructor)
Hey Tom -- Being from NH as well I am all too familiar with the winter months. Reviews can be sent in from anywhere around the house. Just as long as we can see the full body movements from face and down the line you will be good to go. Hope that helps and keep the snow up there please
December 9, 2014
64x64
paul
Tiger has been narrow and steep since he first started working with Sean Foley. Foley destroyed his once great short game...including bunkers.
December 9, 2014
64x64
Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Paul. I am not in the business to discount other instructors methods or approaches to the golf swing. However, I will agree that some of Foley's methods have been harmful to Tiger's overall game and feel around the greens.
December 9, 2014
64x64
Chris (Certified RST Instructor)
I will second Craig's post for sure!!!!
December 9, 2014
64x64
Lester
Hey, Tyler, nice video on Tiger's "chipping/pitching" problems~! Since we've been taught by RST that the "push vs. pull" fault also applies to the full swing, I presume that the "left thumb/right" hand fault-cause also applies to the full swing?
December 9, 2014
64x64
Chris (Certified RST Instructor)
Thanks Lester and sounds like Craig gave a perfect answer!!!
December 9, 2014
64x64
Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hey Lester. Yes, you are correct. The left thumb/right depending on which side of the ball you play from can easily mess up good mechanics. Take a look at the Left Thumb Pain Video in the Advanced Downswing Section for further explanation.
December 9, 2014
64x64
brian
This is correct. If you push with the right hand you will bend the left arm at the elbow. I have a student who has this problem. He is a very fine blind golfer and has difficulty keeping his left arm straight. I think this explanation is fine so I have forwarded it on to Tiger via his email. What do you think of wrist chipping as both Bobby Jones and Tommy Armour used this technique? Cheers, Dr.Brian Hunt.
December 9, 2014
64x64
Chris (Certified RST Instructor)
Hey Brian -- There is certainly a ton of different information out there on short game and many great players have always tried to convey what worked so well for them during the period in which they play. Wrist chipping has proved to work for several players in the past and it is a pretty free flowing way approach to short game. Then you look at modern players like Phil who preaches the hinge and hold and has worked with Pelz for many years on just this part of his game. When teaching short game, I found that eliminating variables that are causing poor striking of the shot and adjusting to what the student may need to become better around the greens has been the best approach. The recommended video on 30 yard pitch shots, Chuck shows a technique that is east to use and can help students overcome a lot of common mistakes around the green.
December 9, 2014
64x64
andy
Surely its as much a release issue as a push with the right hand, or maybe the push causes the lack of release?? When you still the video just after impact the shaft angle is hugely different from one to the other so the lead edge is hitting the ground rather than the bounce of the club.
December 9, 2014
64x64
Chris (Certified RST Instructor)
Hey Andy -- You can see the right wrist actually increase in angle at impact and post impact which puts the right hand in more of a position of leverage to push. The push can steepen the club and make it difficult for the lead wrist to rotate through the hitting area as it will normally resist.
December 9, 2014
64x64
WILLIAM
Maybe the left arm did what it did because he hit the ground rather than the other way around.
December 8, 2014
64x64
Chris (Certified RST Instructor)
Hey William -- Thanks for posting. The frame that I stopped the chunk shot on was actually directly at impact and the next 2 frames show the trail side push pretty drastically. Less right hand and more rotation would solve that problem pretty quickly. I actually saw more video on it today after I released this one and you can see it pretty clearly what is going on. He will get it worked out as short game is never a problem for him.
December 8, 2014
64x64
Peter
Chris, I'd be very interested in your and Chuck's interpretation of James Sieckmann's approach to the short game. No concepts about how to hit proper pitch shots, particularly from tight lies that need some touch/loft, have proved more valuable. You HAVE to understand the function and use of the BOUNCE and combining "steeps" and "shallows." It's, I believe, the only way to handle the difficult delicate shots that need super touch and loft, and Tiger needed this in many of his flubbed attempts with those tight lies and fast greens. Hands forward is correct, if you want the ball to run out some, but the shaft has to get close to vertical at impact. It's the opposite of a full swing: sensation of arms going first and near/at impact CHEST HAS TO ROTATE to shallow it out. Arms first: steep, chest to collect the ball second: shallow. The two must go together. And the set up is crucial. I'm sure you have seen Sieckmann's stuff. Can't wait to hear your thoughts. Thanks!
December 9, 2014
64x64
Chris (Certified RST Instructor)
Hey Peter -- I am a bit familiar with James's approach to short game and I do not find myself disagreeing with much of what he passes along. I do agree with his stuff on bounce and we actually have an old school (vintage Chuck) video on the site where he talks about the importance of using the bounce in wedge play. If you look some of the greatest short game players of all time, you will see some variance in technique and also here different takes on what they believe to be their primary focus point. There are tons different theories on it and to me I think that a great short game is developed around feel, imagination and attitude. Of course, there is some technique as well and I will never discount that. I think once you get a student to understand what the primary mistakes are in their short game, you can then develop and mold their technique around ways to overcome the mistakes. Some students respond well to some early set of the wrists and rotation of the wrists during the move, some players respond better to more of the hinge and hold technique, some players even can make chipping with body flow work for them. My point is, some instructors teach a technique that is right down the middle when it comes to short game and generally appeals to large masses of people. I am one of those instructors that wants to be able to adapt to the students direct issues and help them overcome and refine short game with whatever technique is going to serve them best.
December 9, 2014
64x64
Peter
That seems right to me. I totally get that. Thanks for the education there. All the best,
December 10, 2014

We're after one thing: Real Results - Real Fast. And that's exactly what our members achieve. And that's why they say the AXIOM is: Mind-blowing. Game changing. Revolutionary.

Check it out ...

Here at RotarySwing, talk is cheap and the proof is always in the pudding. Come see the massive transformations we can achieve together in your swing.

See for yourself ...

From beginner to pro, we have what you need to get you where you want to go.

See how inside ...

RotarySwing was founded out of frustration with the current state of golf instruction. Quinton knew a better way had to exist to learn this game we all love.

Learn more ...