Toe down chipping have you tried it?

badolds

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Last week me and @mikeg_74 worked on my chipping and he introduced a method that I had never tried before. Mike has a great short game that he has used to kick my butt more than once. I have been focusing on my short game leading up to the Grandaddy because I can practice it without going to the course. Before this year I always kept the clubface square for all shots. I have been practicing opening up the face and using the bounce of the wedge to hit high soft shots that stop quick. I really like that method but it does not work well for tight lies.

Mikes method uses a lower lofted club and a bump and run method. He had me hold the toe down on the club at address and impact. This felt completely foreign to me at first like my hands were too far away from my body. I had to trust that this would work and hit my first shots after mike hit several perfect shots explaining his method. The results were clearly better than my previous way of doing things. Why is it better? The toe down method virtually eliminates the club digging in on fat strikes. That is what I am looking to avoid, the fat chip/pitch. He also explained the importance of keeping the club low to the ground after impact to encourage the ball to run out. My move is to turn the club over after impact which results in the ball checking up. Although I wanted to keep the club low after impact that day it was hard to implement that change immediately. After a few days of practice it has become more natural to me.

During my practice I noticed a great benefit of this method. I can pop the ball up with predictable results from any lie. Tight fairway, bare ground, down in the rough? No problem, Toe down and take a confident stroke BOOM!! This will be a game changer for me on the course because I don't feel like I can screw it up, it just works. I have hit a few thin shots this way but nothing that worries me. I would rather see the ball run past the green from a thin strike than the fat shot that goes nowhere.

If you struggle with fat chips and pitches I would suggest trying this out.
 
After this grandaddy trip, O'Carroll became a big proponent of the toe down chip, and was actually good at it. He tried giving me a lesson on it but I never can get comfortable with it.
 
I often chip with the toe down and if within 5 yards of the green surface it’s normally a 8 or 9 iron.
 
Thanks for the kind words Dan. This is a method for me that gets me out of trouble 99% of the time. I think one thing to remember that the "toe down" shouldn't be an extreme where the heel is completely off the ground, but as we talked it's more of a subtle move to get the stroke down.

What I like about this method is that it takes a lot of negative variables out of the equation and even a bad strike will still give you a chance to save the hole. You also can you use a higher lofted club if you need to get a little more height to get over trouble.

Towards the end of the session @badolds was hitting some great shots and really getting comfortable with the thought process.
 
My dad taught that technique to me some 20 years ago. For a time, it wad the only way I chipped. Now, I still use it, but depends on the scenario. Bump and runs essentially.
 
I don't use it as much as I should and need to practice it again.
 
when mentioned at first Im picturing a closed face but now Im realizing you mean a more upright club...lol
Interesting. OP mentions hands further from body but Im also thinking perhaps just need to stand closer to ball and more upright torso instead?
 
I believe the official name for it is the Runyon chip but yeah it’s a great little move for when you have squirrelly lies or you’re really into the grain. Unless you just do the opposite and dig the toe into the turf, you really can’t mess it up.

It does tend to come out a little soft though in my experience, so sometimes you need to hit it a little harder. I’m not sure if it’s due to not really compressing it, or because you’re not always hitting the center or what.
 
Very good method and could play a big role in THP winning The Belt. Good reminder for me too. I need to get back to using the toe down method more. It used to be my go to years ago and I know I was more consistent back then. I learned to chip from Runyan's book.
 
Never even heard of toe down, will throw that into some practice asap as I occasionally chunk chips on tight lights or patchy grass areas
 
I believe the official name for it is the Runyon chip but yeah it’s a great little move for when you have squirrelly lies or you’re really into the grain. Unless you just do the opposite and dig the toe into the turf, you really can’t mess it up.

It does tend to come out a little soft though in my experience, so sometimes you need to hit it a little harder. I’m not sure if it’s due to not really compressing it, or because you’re not always hitting the center or what.
I noticed the exact same thing about it coming out soft. This setup has me striking it with the toe of the club but that is not a bad thing. I quickly quit worrying about center contact and give it a little extra oomph to compensate.
 
I used that method all the time when I played the Launcher HB irons. I used a 8i most of the time and got very good at it. I haven't really been able to duplicate that success with the Apex irons. I did lift the heel quite a bit with the hybrid style HB iron so it may be too much for the Apex irons.
 
Another fan of toe down chipping off tight lies here. I'll usually choke down and stand a little closer to the ball so I don't feel like I'm pushing the grip away from me to get the heel off the ground. Especially useful if you just need to get the ball over too much fringe to putt through.
 
I believe the official name for it is the Runyon chip but yeah it’s a great little move for when you have squirrelly lies or you’re really into the grain. Unless you just do the opposite and dig the toe into the turf, you really can’t mess it up.

It does tend to come out a little soft though in my experience, so sometimes you need to hit it a little harder. I’m not sure if it’s due to not really compressing it, or because you’re not always hitting the center or what.

Depending on the club it does take a little trial and error to figure out how hard to hit the shot. Usually with higher lofted club you will want to give it a little more pop to get the desired distance. I usually use my PW or AW so with a decent hit you'll get the run out you are looking for.
 
Depending on the club it does take a little trial and error to figure out how hard to hit the shot. Usually with higher lofted club you will want to give it a little more pop to get the desired distance. I usually use my PW or AW so with a decent hit you'll get the run out you are looking for.

Agreed, Pw seems to work great with this shot. Usually a little safer call than bellying a wedge, especially when you do have some collar to deal with. You can usually fly it over it and not have to risk the grain slowing it down.
 
Its been a go-to for me for many years now. Easy, repeatable.

Love it with a SW/LW because you can actually get some solid stick-em out of it.
 
I actually do this a good bit depending on how the ball sits. I tend to have better results with this method than other ways of chipping.
 
a few months ago I saw it on youtube so went and tried it. I liked it a lot and still do it now.... What I took away from it was by going toe down it straightens your arms out a little bit and helps with a more forward and back stroke like a putter

like others have mentioned it does seem to come out softer, not a bad thing but does take some adjustment
 
Standing close to the ball ,including a relatively upright posture and club toed down at address is about as traditional as it gets. This methods has been taught and practiced for more than 50 years.
Works great for a lot of players, especially those willing to use less lofted clubs such as 6, 7, 8 and 9-irons. I've spent lots of hours trying to learn and practice this method, but can never seem to get the hang of it.
 
Toe down chipping has been a game changer for me. I sometimes use it as much as 70 yards out. It’s so effective and very forgiving.
 
Big fan of this technique if you're close to the green with a gnarly lie. I go to it if I feel like a disaster is in play. The only downside in my opinion is that the spin can be a little unpredictable, which is the only reason I don't use it from good lies.
 
I use this method for bump and run shots. Its an oldschool technique that most people today dont do so much. I do it with a 7-iron and basically hit it like a putt.
 
Thanks for the information. Yes I have tried it using an 8 or 9 iron and hitting it like a putt. Shoulders and arms with no wrists.
 
Thanks for the information. Yes I have tried it using an 8 or 9 iron and hitting it like a putt. Shoulders and arms with no wrists.
I even play it forward in my stance to further limit backspin.

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For short chips and pitches this is my standard shot.... I use anything from a 54* to an 8i depending on the lie and what is in front of me.... from time to time my touch leaves me but I think some of that has to do with my willingness to interchange clubs..... and @mikeg_74 is a savant ....
 
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