How to stop chunking and blading your chips

We've all been there. A simple little chip from just off the green — should be routine — and you either catch it fat and it dribbles three feet, or you catch it thin and it screams across the green into the bunker on the other side. One bad chip can turn an easy par into a double, and it does a number on your confidence.

Here's the encouraging part: the chunk and the blade are usually the same mistake wearing two different masks. Fix the root cause and both of them go away. Let's get into it.

Why both shots happen

Almost every chunk and blade comes from the same instinct: trying to help the ball into the air. Your brain sees a shot that needs to go up, so you instinctively try to lift it — you hang back on your trail foot and flick your wrists at impact to "scoop" the ball up.

The problem is that this scooping move makes the low point of your swing wildly inconsistent. Bottom out an inch early and the club digs into the turf behind the ball — that's your chunk. Bottom out a touch late and catch the ball on the upswing with the leading edge — that's your blade. Same flaw, two different misses. Stop scooping and you stop both.

You don't lift the ball. The loft on the clubface lifts the ball. Your only job is to deliver the club consistently and trust it.

The setup that fixes most of it

A good chip is mostly a good setup. Get into this position and you've solved most of the problem before you even swing:

• Narrow stance. Feet close together — you're not making a big swing.
• Ball slightly back of center. This encourages a slightly downward strike and ball-first contact.
• Weight forward and KEEP it there. Set about 60–70% of your weight on your lead foot and leave it there the whole swing. This is the single biggest fix. Most chunks come from weight drifting back.
• Hands ahead of the ball. Your lead arm and the club should form a straight line down to the ball, with the grip slightly ahead. This is the "shaft lean" that lets you strike down and through.

The one move: brush the grass, don't scoop

From that setup, the motion is simple and small:

• Rock your shoulders, quiet your wrists. Think of it like a slightly bigger putting stroke. The big muscles control it; the wrists stay firm. No flicking.
• Keep your lead wrist firm through impact. The back of your lead hand should stay moving toward the target — never let it break down and scoop.
• Brush the grass after the ball. The club should bottom out just in front of the ball, taking a tiny brush of grass on the target side. Ball first, then ground.
• Let the loft do the work. Trust it. The ball will pop up on its own — you don't have to do anything to make it rise.

Two drills that build it fast

1. The towel drill (kills the chunk)

Lay a small towel on the ground about a clubhead-width behind the ball. Chip without hitting the towel. If you're bottoming out early (chunking), you'll clip the towel. It trains you to keep your weight forward and strike the ball first.

2. The feet-together drill (kills the scoop)

Hit chips with your feet touching each other. If you try to scoop or hang back, you'll lose your balance — so it forces you to stay centered and rotate through with a quiet, stable motion. Ten of these and your strike gets noticeably crisper.

When it's actually your gear

Technique is almost always the cause — but not always. Two gear factors quietly make chipping harder:

• Too little bounce. A low-bounce wedge has a sharp leading edge that digs easily, which makes chunking more likely off softer turf. If you fight the fat chip constantly, a wedge with a bit more bounce can genuinely help. Here's how bounce works.
• Worn-out grooves. A tired old wedge gives you less spin and control around the green. If your wedge is several seasons old and smooth-faced, that's part of it — see our sand wedge picks for a versatile chipping club.

Quick questions

Which club should I chip with?

Start with your sand wedge (54–56°) — it's the most versatile and forgiving for greenside chips. As you improve, you can use less loft (like a pitching wedge) for lower, running chips. Here's how to choose your wedges.

Should the ball go back in my stance?

Slightly back of center for a standard chip — it promotes that ball-first, downward strike. Moving it way back makes it lower and runnier; forward makes it higher and softer.