Mastering the Chip: How to Hit Clean Shots Onto the Green From the Rough

Whether you’re a weekend golfer or grinding toward a lower handicap, one of the most common — and frustrating — situations you’ll face is trying to chip onto the green from the rough. The ball sits down in thick grass, the green looks inviting but tricky, and you know that getting this shot wrong could turn a simple par opportunity into a bogey (or worse).

But with a few adjustments to your technique and mindset, you can confidently escape the rough and set yourself up for more makeable putts.

Understanding the Challenge of the Rough

The rough is designed to penalize wayward shots. The longer grass grabs at the clubhead, slows it down, and makes clean contact much harder to achieve. If you approach a chip from the rough the same way you would from a closely-mown fairway, you’re likely to either chunk the shot short or catch it thin and send it flying past the green.

Success from the rough comes down to two things: controlling the club’s interaction with the grass, and making solid contact with the ball.

Club Selection: Choose Wisely

Your club choice will depend on the lie, the distance to the pin, and the amount of green you have to work with. Here are some quick guidelines:

• If the ball is sitting down deep: Use a higher-lofted club like a sand wedge (54°–56°) or lob wedge (58°–60°). The added loft will help lift the ball out of the thick grass.
• If the ball is sitting up (fluffy lie): You can use a gap wedge, pitching wedge, or even a 9-iron, depending on how much roll you want once the ball lands on the green.

When in doubt, favor loft. The rough will naturally reduce backspin, so a higher trajectory helps control the shot.

Setup: Adjust for Success

A proper setup can make all the difference when chipping from the rough:

1. Weight Forward: Shift your weight about 60–70% onto your lead foot (left foot for right-handers). This promotes a steeper angle of attack, helping the club dig under the ball rather than getting tangled in the grass.
2. Ball Position: Move the ball slightly back in your stance — just behind center. This helps ensure you make contact with the ball before the grass can grab the clubhead.
3. Grip Down: Choke down on the club for better control and feel. This reduces the likelihood of excessive wrist action, which can lead to poor contact in thick lies.
4. Open the Clubface Slightly: This can help the club glide through the grass more efficiently, especially if the ball is sitting down.

The Swing: Steep and Simple

Once you’re set up, focus on these key ideas:

• Steep but Smooth: Unlike a fairway chip, where you can brush the grass, chipping from the rough usually requires a steeper, descending blow. Think of lifting the ball out, not scooping it.
• Limited Wrist Action: Use a firm but relaxed wrist hinge on the backswing, and maintain that stability through impact. The rough will already try to twist the club; don’t let your wrists add to the inconsistency.
• Accelerate Through Impact: One of the most common mistakes is decelerating, which leads to chunked shots. Commit to accelerating the clubhead through the ball, even on short chips.

Reading the Lie and Planning for Roll

Before you step up to the shot, take a moment to read the lie and visualize the rollout. Rough takes spin off the ball, so expect more rollout than you would from a fairway lie.

If the green slopes away or you have limited room to work with, you might want to play a higher, softer shot — meaning more loft and a slightly longer swing. If you have plenty of green, a lower, running chip can be the smarter and more reliable option.

Practice Drills to Sharpen Your Rough Game

Here are two simple drills you can do on the practice green to build confidence:

1. The Line Drill: Place five balls in different rough lies around the green and practice landing them on the same spot (a towel or alignment stick) regardless of the lie. This helps train your distance control and teaches you to adjust trajectory.
2. The Lie Variety Drill: Practice 10 chips from deep rough, then 10 from light rough, focusing on making clean contact and adjusting club selection and ball position. The more situations you practice, the more prepared you'll be on the course.

Final Thoughts

Chipping from the rough isn’t about magic — it’s about preparation, technique, and confidence. The rough will always add unpredictability, but with the right setup, smart club choice, and a committed, descending strike, you can dramatically improve your chances of getting up and down.

Next time your ball finds the thick stuff near the green, don’t panic. Set up properly, trust your swing, and let the loft do the work.

Image Credit: John Douglas