In this video, 8-handicap index golfer Jess Ratcliffe gets a one-to-one lesson with Top 50 short game coach and YouTube sensation Dan Grieve to fix her problems when chipping from bad lies in the rough!
We teamed up with adidas golf to create this video.
Location at Woburn Golf Club.
We teamed up with adidas golf to create this video.
Location at Woburn Golf Club.
Category
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SportsTranscript
00:00Hi, I'm Dan Grieve and I've teamed up with Adidas Golf to help three lucky
00:04Golf Monthly readers improve their short game. Let's get started.
00:11Jess, great to have you here at Woven. Welcome. Thank you for having me. And we're going to
00:15discuss this short pitch shot out of the rough because you say you've been having some issues
00:20with it. Tell me a bit more about it. I have. I've just found that when I find myself in a spot like
00:23this and I'm going to gravitate to playing a release two or a soft landing shot, I just
00:29find I can catch it a little bit thin. I don't feel like I get the best connection. And if I do get
00:35away with a connection, it will come out okay, but then really run. So it's not got that soft landing
00:40that I see in your shots, but also that I'd like to have in my game to think, okay, I'm in a bit of
00:45trouble here. And although I've got quite a lot of green to work with, if I then was to think,
00:49actually, I've got this one, how do I get that softness in it? Because I think I can maybe...
00:54And in terms of the lie, because that's the big thing in the rough, so is it when it starts to sit down,
00:57is this what you mean? Yeah, it's sat down a little bit. Just like that, it's just down.
01:00There's a bit of grass going in there. So you're thinking, okay, maybe this is more, I'm having to
01:05play this a little bit steeper possibly. But again, if it's one where you're trying to limit the run
01:10on it a little bit, and maybe I'm being too ambitious of trying to get it close, but it'll
01:14be something like this. And then the ones that I really can struggle with can be when it's also then
01:17on a down slope and you're trying to, again, like match the slope. But I find that if I can get a
01:22little bit too handsy, it will just come out, you know, come out running.
01:25Yeah, that makes sense. Okay. All right. So you're sitting down a bit. We'll go for that back
01:28pin. Okay. 25 yards. I've got my 54. You've got 54. Let's see what you've got.
01:32Okay. Decent contact. Popped out pretty nicely. Probably more of a luckier one than I would
01:51normally get when you've got a card in the hand. Here we go. Same sort of line.
02:02Yeah, sort of grabs it a bit, doesn't it? Yeah. That's what I find. I can feel it slows down
02:11and I then don't feel like I've really got to throw it. Yeah, sure. So this is where the
02:15IQ sign is, what I call the golfing intelligence. It really, really comes into its own when you're
02:19reading lies in the rough. Now, what you've got there is you've got quite a bit cushion behind
02:23the ball there. So quite right. I think you mentioned coming in steeper. You do need to come in a little
02:27bit steeper there, but you're not really setting up correctly for the shot you're trying to play.
02:31So you're setting up with the majority of your weight actually on your right side. Okay.
02:35Probably about 60% or so. So you're kind of tilting away from the ball. Now, you hit those okay. You're
02:41a good player. You will hit a lot of good shots, but from this position here and you start trying to
02:45release the club too much, it has got thin written all over it. That's how you hit the thin shot.
02:50And just really, you know, you don't get the control because you probably as well,
02:53if you are getting a decent strike, if you're releasing it too much and your weight's back here,
02:57you're going to start entering the rough really about sort of maybe four or five, six inches
03:02behind the ball and that's going to lose spin. So I think the big thing for you is when the ball
03:05starts sitting down a bit, see, I'd be setting up much more like this. I'd be down the grip.
03:10I'd be opening the club face a bit more. You have it dead square as well. Okay.
03:13It helps you. So I'll be opening up the face and I would be, see the width of the stance is wider
03:17and I'm leaning forward. I'm really getting that left foot out and I'm leaning this way.
03:21And just by the very nature of setting up with my chest bone now much further in front of the ball
03:25from this setup with a bit of shaft lean, that's going to encourage me to set the club a bit earlier.
03:30Okay. But if I was to set up like you, I kind of want to go wider. Yes. Which is a shallowing.
03:34Right. You understand shallowing and steep the ingredients. Yeah.
03:37When you need to add some in and take some out. So basically you've got to get a little bit steeper.
03:41And then you can start to play around with different releases. I mean,
03:44the safer release ones from the rough really is what I call a release one, which is where basically
03:48it finishes here where the butt screw is pointing at the hip. But if you want to release the club a
03:53little bit more, you could do, but you've got to do it from this position, not from this position.
03:57That makes sense. So yes, this would be me here, a little bit of hinge. I can pop down and get the
04:02height, you see, and I can throw it right up there towards the pin. Now, if I wanted to come out a bit
04:07softer than that, I could do the same thing. And then I can just put a little bit more release into it.
04:13Okay. And you can see that then comes out softer.
04:14Yeah. See, they're the ones that I struggle with. Yeah.
04:17The softer landing out of a tricky spot like this.
04:20Yeah. So, so to get it out, cause it's a bit more advanced. So if the lie was perfect,
04:24we'd just set up for a normal soft landing shot. Okay.
04:26In terms of how you set it up to it, quite shallow, releasing it.
04:29The lie is dictating how you play this shot. The lie is the most important thing.
04:33So we read the lie, we get steeper address. And then from there, we can add a bit of releasing,
04:37but I think if you do it from this position, I think you're going to find a lot easier.
04:41Okay. And 54 is fine. I don't mind a 54, particularly when you've got a bit of green,
04:44but just open the club face a bit. Okay. But when you're playing in the rough here,
04:48if you have it square, the rough is quite thick. It's going to tend to want to grab it.
04:52Yeah. And that's that feeling at the bottom.
04:53I would open it just to give you a little bit of margin. So if it does slip, it's still going to be
04:56square. But also what I would do here, just to protect against the rough grabbing it, is grip it
05:01a little bit tighter, really in this area here. Okay.
05:04You know, in the pad here, the little thing of going into the hand. So as you're coming through,
05:07I really am. I always advocate a light grip in short game, as you probably know, but in the rough,
05:12I really want to, with the left hand here, get tighter. It helps me hold the loft on the club.
05:17Okay. Yeah.
05:17Definitely. Set up as well. A bit more on your left.
05:24So a bit open.
05:25Yeah. That's it. A bit more this way.
05:27Right on the left.
05:28Does that feel different?
05:29It does. Yeah.
05:29Okay. More that way with the face. You got to be brave. There we go.
05:32Okay. Down the grip a little bit more. Tight here.
05:38Right. That's great. That is great. Right. That is fantastic.
05:40And then to feel the release, am I going finish, like release one for this one or?
05:46Well, I think, I think, I think we'll try and get it softer. So we'll do a two,
05:49but you can do it from this setup. Okay.
05:51You can't do it from the old setup. No. Okay. Perfect.
05:53Go to the top, go to the top of the swing.
05:57Okay. Hang on. Just try and get your left wrist a little bit more cupped.
06:00Okay.
06:01Okay. Now, as you come down, you can come down because of the backswing,
06:04you're coming down steeper. You put a little bit of a late release in there.
06:07Okay. Okay.
06:08But you've got to stay left the whole time.
06:09And cupped.
06:10You must cupped. You do tend to get a bit that way.
06:12I do. Yeah.
06:13Which then, again, off the fairway light, it's not the end of the world.
06:17You can play a low running shot. In the rough, if you do that, if you flex the wrist and the loft
06:21goes down, it's going to tend to grab a lot.
06:24Okay. So that cupping.
06:25Yeah.
06:25I guess it feels... Yeah.
06:28Like the... That's not even it, is it? Thumbs are...
06:30That's it. That's it.
06:31That's it.
06:32So to get to there...
06:33Yeah, that's it.
06:34And then just hit... I want you to hit the golden rule when you're in and off like this,
06:36is don't hit the ball first.
06:37Okay.
06:38Okay.
06:38You've got to hit about an inch behind it. Okay.
06:40That's great. That's really good.
06:41There we go.
06:42Right.
06:42Hinge it, pop it just behind the ball.
06:44Right. That came off really soft.
06:47Okay.
06:48Too soft.
06:49No running it.
06:49But that's the type of...
06:50That's the one if I've got a tight pin.
06:52Okay.
06:53Yeah, you don't want to run if you try and play this high shot.
06:55If you wouldn't run, we'd do more of that front hip release.
06:57Okay.
06:58Okay.
06:59Great there. Don't open it too much.
07:00Don't go crazy.
07:01Right. There we go.
07:02A little bit of hinge.
07:04Let's release it at the bottom.
07:05I've done it again.
07:07They're coming out lovely.
07:08I mean, I will take those because most of the time I'm in a tighter spot than...
07:12Exactly.
07:13...having lots of green.
07:14But don't really...
07:14So look, if you were just trying to hit that shot 10, 12 yards, you've just played a world-class shot.
07:19Okay.
07:20The rest of it, you've got to feel it.
07:21Yeah.
07:22It's coming off softer now, so you've got to increase your speed.
07:24Okay.
07:24Wow.
07:26Okay.
07:26Over here.
07:28Bit of forward lean of the shaft.
07:32Like that.
07:33Okay.
07:33It's almost like feeling like it's on that front leg.
07:35Because of the light.
07:36Right.
07:36Set it early.
07:37So that...
07:37Release at the bottom.
07:38Have a bit more chest speed through it this time.
07:44Very good.
07:45Now that's what you want.
07:46So it's carried, it's landed soft.
07:47Yeah, that's nice.
07:48And it's not running very far.
07:49No.
07:50I like that.
07:51Yeah.
07:51That's very good.
07:52You played that really well.
07:54I think that's one thing throughout.
07:56It's getting confident with the chest as well.
07:59Releasing the chest through it.
08:00Because I think that sometimes I can go slower with that.
08:03So the hands take over.
08:06Should we do a front hip release?
08:07Like a motor of a running shot out of the rough now.
08:09Okay.
08:10So you set up exactly the same.
08:11Exactly the same.
08:12A little bit open.
08:12Nothing changes.
08:13Just a touch open.
08:14Shaft lean.
08:15Shaft lean, absolutely.
08:17And now same thing from this setup.
08:19You're going to hinge the club a little bit earlier
08:21to get the steeper attack through the rough.
08:23But this time you're going to finish more like this.
08:25You're still turning the chest, but you're finishing more this way.
08:26Okay.
08:27So it's a front hip release.
08:28And this ball is now going to come out a little bit lower,
08:30but hopefully run to the back pin.
08:32Okay.
08:32Right.
08:32So when you've got green to work with at the rough,
08:34it's more of that finish.
08:35If you've got the shorter one, you've got to go over something.
08:37Yeah.
08:37You put more of that second release in, okay?
08:40So wait on this side.
08:41Bit of shaft lean.
08:42That's really good there.
08:43Hinge, but front hip release this time.
08:45When it's slightly lower, more running shot.
08:47Good.
08:48Now watch this all land and watch it run out.
08:51So you just want to run out a little bit more.
08:54Yes, great shot.
08:55You played out brilliantly.
08:56Take these for the course.
08:57You played out brilliant.
08:57Yeah.
08:58But what you're understanding is it's one setup.
08:59Yes.
09:00And you just change your swing a little bit,
09:01depending on the slope and how much green you've got to work with.
09:05Yeah.
09:05I think that's been the challenge from the get-go is I feel if you,
09:08if you don't know this setup.
09:09Yeah.
09:10In your mind, you think, well, I'm trying to play this shot,
09:12but you're going against the tide almost.
09:14You can't, you know, if you've already scuppered yourself.
09:16Yeah.
09:17Now, if we're going for this front pin, okay?
09:19Okay.
09:19So there's hardly any green.
09:21We can still stick to a 54.
09:22It might be easier with 58.
09:24But we'll, have you got a 58?
09:26I have.
09:26Yeah.
09:26Just let's use a 58.
09:28Let's use the right club.
09:29Now, here, you're going to play it exactly the same way.
09:32We do need some release into this to soften it.
09:34Okay.
09:34But get super wide now.
09:36Go even wider.
09:37So I want your hands to get lower.
09:38Point the loft more up.
09:39So would this feel like I'm more playing a bunker shot almost?
09:42More bunker shot.
09:43A hundred percent.
09:44Now, so we're keeping the right leg in.
09:45Again.
09:46Yeah.
09:46That's it.
09:47Good.
09:47Now set the club nice and early with the wrists.
09:49And you're coming down and it's there.
09:53Okay.
09:53You feel that?
09:54Yeah.
09:54There's not much rotation of the, of the upper body here.
09:57It's more of a hand and arm shot.
09:58Okay.
09:58So set it, release it.
10:01Okay.
10:01Okay.
10:01Nice and narrow and follow through.
10:08Sharf lean or no?
10:08Yeah, no, you're good there.
10:09Okay.
10:10Come on, just feel it now.
10:14There you go.
10:14Oh, the great shot.
10:16Go in.
10:16Oh, wow.
10:17What a great shot.
10:18So there's no such thing's a bad lie.
10:19No.
10:20It's IQ.
10:21Yes.
10:21And think about how you need to change that angle of attack and release.
10:24So you've got some solutions there for different lines.
10:25Yeah, brilliant.
10:26And it's just so easy to practice.
10:27And when you do practice that,
10:28I would just throw the balls over your shoulder in a row.
10:30Yeah.
10:31And just look at each one and react to it.
10:33And then you just learn how to do the subtle differences in your,
10:35in how you set your weight and how you put the angle of attack into it.
10:38Well, that's good.
10:39And yeah, lots of work on it.
10:40It's a great part of the game.
10:41There's no such thing's a bad lie.
10:42Okay.
10:42Nope.
10:42Nope.
10:43I know that now.
10:44All right.
10:44Pleasure.
10:46So before coming to today,
10:47I would say the main struggle for me was getting out the rough.
10:50Okay.
10:50And having that soft landing shot.
10:53I'd always try and bring a bit of softness to it,
10:55but either thin it massively,
10:56especially if I'm on a downslope or get it out.
10:59Okay.
11:00But just not be able to control the run out.
11:02So I really wanted to focus on those tricky shots,
11:04which I like to try and practice and can often find myself in on the course
11:07as well.
11:08And so for me,
11:09really working with Dan on that in the session means now that I'm leaving
11:13with confidence that if I do find myself in those not quite position Zed,
11:17I think he calls it,
11:18but those really tough ask lies where you can't quite get to the back of the ball.
11:23There's that tuft of grass there.
11:25I'm going to feel a lot more confident walking into that shot and hopefully get a good result as well.