HOW TO SPIN YOUR CHIP SHOTS... DAN GRIEVE'S TOP TIPS!

Summary

In this golf tutorial, expert Dan Grieve shares valuable tips on mastering the art of spinning the ball around the green. He emphasizes the importance of creating friction through understanding ground conditions and using quality equipment. Grieve discusses the correct setup for executing spinny shots, the significance of grip pressure, and the technique for a controlled release. He also highlights the importance of analyzing the lie and adapting the shot selection accordingly. With practical advice and demonstrations, Grieve's insights aim to enhance the viewer's short game and boost their confidence on the course.

Takeaways

• 🏌️‍♂️ Spinning the ball is a valuable skill in golf, often used by tour players.
• 🌿 Creating friction is crucial for spin, which can be affected by ground conditions and equipment.
• 🏌️‍♂️ Premium wedges with clean grooves and a soft golf ball are recommended for effective spin.
• 🌐 Maintaining groove cleanliness is essential for optimal spin performance.
• 🏌️‍♂️ Proper setup and stance are important for executing a spinny shot, especially on uneven terrain.
• 🏌️‍♂️ A 'release one' shot encourages a chip and run style with a longer back swing and shorter follow-through.
• 🏌️‍♂️ Grip pressure should be light to allow for better spin; tight grip can lead to the ball jumping off.
• 🏌️‍♂️ Club selection is key; using a 60-degree wedge can help achieve a low flight with spin.
• 🏌️‍♂️ For short-sided shots, a 'release two' shot with a softer touch can provide control and check.
• 🏌️‍♂️ Analyzing the lie is crucial for deciding the right shot; it's 50% golfing IQ and 50% technique.
• 🏌️‍♂️ Confidence in hitting spin shots can be built by understanding the margin for error and using the bounce effectively.

Q & A

What is considered one of the hardest and most valuable skills in golf?

Spinning the ball around the green is considered one of the hardest and most valuable skills in golf.

What is crucial for creating spin in golf?

Creating friction is crucial for generating spin, which is influenced by ground conditions and the equipment used.

Why is it important to use good clubs and premium golf balls for spinning the ball?

Good clubs with clean grooves and premium golf balls help maintain friction between the ball and the club face, allowing for better spin.

How does weather affect the ability to create spin?

Wet and muddy conditions reduce friction, making it harder to create spin because moisture prevents the ball from sticking to the club face grooves.

What is the recommended ball position for a low spin shot?

For a low spin shot, the ball should be positioned just on the back foot, with a bit of shaft lean.

What is the 'release one' technique mentioned in the script?

The 'release one' technique is a chip-and-run style shot that encourages a release with the action, promoting a longer backswing and shorter follow-through to achieve low flight and increased spin.

Why is grip pressure important when attempting to spin the ball?

Grip pressure is important because gripping the club too tightly can cause the ball to jump off, reducing the desired spin. A relaxed grip allows for better control and spin.

What is the 'release two' shot and how is it different from 'release one'?

The 'release two' shot involves the grip starting to point towards the belt buckle just after the ball is struck, promoting more energy transfer and spin compared to the 'release one' technique, which focuses on a shorter follow-through.

How does the lie of the ball affect the choice of shot in golf?

The lie of the ball significantly impacts the choice of shot. Analyzing the lie helps determine what shot can be played and what shot should be avoided, affecting the golfer's decision between various clubs and techniques.

What advice is given to golfers who are nervous about hitting a spin shot with clubhead speed?

Golfers don't need to be perfect to play a spin shot. They have a margin for error due to the use of bounce and the release technique, which can compensate for slight misalignment with the ball.

What is the key to maintaining control and confidence when executing a spin shot?

Maintaining light grip pressure, ensuring the chest continues moving through impact, and not keeping the head down too long are key to maintaining control and confidence in executing a spin shot.

Outlines

00:00

🏌️‍♂️ Mastering Spin in Golf: Techniques and Equipment

This paragraph discusses the intricacies of spinning the golf ball, emphasizing its value in enhancing a golfer's game. The conversation features Dan Grieve, a renowned figure in the golf world, who shares insights on creating friction for spin. He highlights the importance of ground conditions, quality wedges with clean grooves, and premium golf balls like the TP5. Grieve also touches on the impact of weather conditions on friction and the necessity of maintaining groove cleanliness. The setup for a spinny shot is described, focusing on the right stance, club selection, ball position, and the release of the club head to achieve a low flight and effective spin.

05:01

🏌️‍♂️ Navigating Challenging Shots: Strategy and Confidence

The second paragraph delves into the strategy behind executing challenging golf shots, particularly those requiring precise spin control. Grieve discusses the 'release two' technique for generating soft landing shots with spin. He emphasizes the importance of analyzing the lie and adjusting the shot selection accordingly. The role of golfing intelligence (GI) is introduced, with Grieve explaining that GI involves reading the lie and understanding which shots can be played. The paragraph concludes with advice on building confidence for these shots, including the concept of a 'release' and the importance of maintaining chest movement through the shot.

Keywords

💡Spinning the ball

Spinning the ball refers to the technique in golf where a player manipulates the ball to make it curve or stop quickly upon landing. This skill is highly valued as it allows for greater control and precision, especially around the green. In the video, Dan Grieve emphasizes the importance of creating friction for effective spinning, which is influenced by ground conditions and equipment used.

💡Friction

Friction in the context of golf is critical for spinning the ball, as it allows the ball to stick to the clubface's grooves and thus generate spin. The script discusses how ground conditions, such as wet and muddy or dry and receptive greens, can affect the level of friction available. Clean grooves on clubs and premium golf balls also play a significant role in maintaining friction.

💡Ground conditions

Ground conditions refer to the state of the playing surface, which can vary from wet and muddy to dry and receptive, like the Bermuda grass in Hawaii mentioned in the video. These conditions impact the golf ball's interaction with the ground and the clubface, affecting the player's ability to create spin.

💡Equipment

In golf, equipment includes clubs, balls, and other accessories that players use. The quality and condition of this equipment, particularly the grooves on wedges and the type of golf ball used, can significantly influence a player's ability to spin the ball. Premium wedges with clean grooves and a soft golf ball like the TP5 are recommended for better spin.

💡Setup

Setup in golf refers to the player's stance and body positioning when preparing to hit the ball. Proper setup is crucial for executing specific shots, like spinning the ball. The video discusses how to adjust one's setup for a spinny shot, including ball position and the release of the clubhead.

💡Release

Release in golf refers to the movement of the clubhead through the ball and subsequent follow-through. A proper release is essential for controlling the ball's flight and spin. The video mentions two types of releases: release one, which is a chip and run style, and release two, which involves more clubhead speed and a softer landing.

💡Grip pressure

Grip pressure is the amount of force applied to the golf club by the player's hands. It affects the ball's trajectory and spin. Too tight a grip can cause the ball to jump off the clubface without spinning, while a relaxed grip allows for better control and spin.

💡Lie

The lie in golf refers to the position and condition of the ball on the ground. It can dictate the type of shot to be played and how the club interacts with the ball. Analyzing the lie is a part of a golfer's 'golfing IQ,' which involves understanding the shot and the club selection based on the ball's position.

💡Short game

Short game in golf refers to the set of skills used for playing shots from a short distance from the green, typically within 100 yards. This includes chips, pitches, and bunker play. Improving the short game can lead to lower scores as it allows for better control of the ball's position around the green.

💡Clubhead speed

Clubhead speed is the velocity at which the clubhead moves through the ball at impact. It affects the distance and trajectory of the shot. The video encourages golfers to not be afraid of generating clubhead speed, as it can help in achieving the desired spin and control on the ball.

💡Duffing

Duffing, in golf, refers to hitting the ball slightly behind its intended contact point, which can lead to a fat shot or a topped ball. However, in the context of the video, Dan Grieve suggests that even if a golfer 'duffs' the ball, the bounce of the club can still help achieve the desired spin and control, as long as the clubhead is released properly.

Highlights

Spinning the ball is one of the most valuable assets in golf.

Creating friction is key to spinning the ball, which is influenced by ground conditions and equipment.

Premium wedges with clean grooves and a quality golf ball are essential for effective spin.

Maintaining groove cleanliness is crucial for consistent spin.

The right setup and understanding of shot selection are important for achieving spin.

A release one chip and run style shot encourages a release with the action for better spin.

The ratio of back swing to follow through should be longer back and shorter through for optimal spin.

Grip pressure should be light to allow the ball to jump off; tight grip can hinder spin.

Club selection is crucial; using a 60-degree wedge can help achieve a low flight with spin.

Ball position and understanding the slope of the ground can contribute to shot control.

The release two shot, with the grip pointing near the belt buckle after impact, promotes more spin.

Analyzing the lie is critical; it dictates what shot to play and what not to play.

Golf intelligence involves reading the lie and choosing the correct shot based on conditions.

Even if the ball is hit slightly behind the intended point, the bounce can still create the desired spin.

Maintaining chest movement through the shot helps in controlling the ball's trajectory and spin.

Practicing chip shots with spin can significantly improve short game performance.

Duffing the ball slightly behind can still result in a successful shot with spin.

Transcripts

spinning the ball is one of the hardest

things to do around the green but it's

one of the most valuable assets you can

have to your game now I know it's pretty

hard but I've got one of the best men in

the game to teach us all about it Dan

grieve let's go see him

[Music]

now right then I'm joined by Dan grieve

what better person to ask about spin

than yourself if I may say um it's

something I think a lot of golfers would

love to have in their Arsenal and

something that's really useful how do we

do it though well you're absolutely

right I mean golfers just love that shot

the one that goes in and grabs and see

the tour players playing it all the time

the first thing you really don't

understand it's all about creating

friction okay it's all about creating

friction so a lot of that is is to do

with the ground conditions that you've

got and the equipment you're using and I

think it's really important we're out

here in Hawaii we're playing off Bermuda

grass it's dry receptive greens okay so

everything's set up here to spin but if

we back home at the moment and it's

really wet and muddy okay you're going

to lose a lot lose a lot of that

friction because when you get moisture

between the ball and the club face you

don't get the ball jumping into those

grooves it doesn't stick in there you

don't get to spin so so important to

make sure you're using you good clubs

good premium wedges with clean grooves

and a premium golf ball as well I'm

using a tp5 ball there very soft ball

ideal for Crane spin I think keeping

those grooves clean one I'm I'm a killer

for it I don't do it while I'm playing

then come the 18th hole I'm wondering

why my chips aren't checking sure it's

also when people are pressing as well

because people at several shots and you

start getting the green sort of gunk in

in the grooves there and they're

wondering why the ball's coming out less

spin always also launches higher it go

higher when you have the when you lose

the friction as well so when you as well

just make sure the groove stay clean you

know so there there's your equipment and

getting that right that's the first step

let's talk setup shall we and and how

you need to actually stand to a ball

we're going to come and hit a sort of

long spinny shot in a minute so how

would you be standing up for that for

the for the back pin there little back

pin yeah I mean this is quite an

interesting sh CU it's uphill and I

don't if you can quite get it on camera

or not but it then goes downhill about

the pin's about 6 ft over that ledge now

I do think in terms of crazy spin I

think a lot of amers like to play it but

I think a lot of players would sometimes

in this situation they come up with spin

too much it wouldn't get over that hill

so you've got to make sure you're

picking the right shot at the right time

that's really important right but let's

assume that you know you want to give

this a go you want to fire it in low and

get that that spin so it goes up but it

doesn't feed too hard the other side

what you what you really want be doing

here is making contact you want to get

those groes on the ball yeah okay so

it's what I call it a release one so

it's a chip and run style shot so I do

encourage a release

with the with the action so the release

basically is how the club head swings

through the ball here so I talk about

how the buttons of grip is going to

finish somewhere near that front hip in

the follow through so you want to feel

like your ratio between the back swing

to the follow through is longer back

shorter through and it's a nice short

finish here which allows you to trap the

ball get the flight low and get that

friction up and get the spin right up

brilliant I think that's pretty easy for

people to digest that as well and this

shot is a real tricky little one tough

one so now we've spoken about it let's

see it let's see it in action cuz I

think it's the kind of shot you want to

play on this shot and if you can grab a

little spin you're going to make all

your mates quite jealous of you I think

indeed absolutely which what it's all

about isn't it shows the way just just

on setup though I think a couple of

things just making sure that grip

pressure is so important if if you get

tight with a grip the ball will jump off

and I really think 99% of am golfers

grip it way too tight too way too tight

if I've Tau I know tens of thousands of

golfers I don't think I've ever told

anybody to grip to rip it tighter ever

okay all right so I think grip pressure

is huge and I'm going to Li to my grip

here to try and get the spin but the key

here is getting the flight low it's got

to go low okay um you can do this with

56 58 even a 60 um but obviously the

more Loft using it can be hard for some

people to keep it down but I'm going to

use a 60 here okay I'm going to play the

ball position just on the back foot

little bit of sharlan but I'm still

going to release the club head yeah a

bit of check to hold that down

slope it's a lovely lowlighted shot you

can see it's just it's just spit it

nicely to hold that slope there at the

top and that was the right Club to play

with a bit of LOF cuz you know seven and

eight iron probably would have carried

on down that little down I mean in many

ways you know you could say you could

argue seven or eight easy shot in I do

totally agree I teach it all the time

but if that pin was another 10 ft on I'd

say it's an eight on yeah but with that

PIN literally just 3 4T over that ledge

there and you want to get it close you

got to check it like that yeah brilliant

so that's the sort of longer Chip Shot I

think we get a lot on the golf course

and some really easy things you go and

work on there Dan let's go and have a

look at a slightly more delicate one

close to the green we get

on right and Dan good job on that one

we've come to a short-sided one here now

and what things have in Your Arsenal

short sided little spinny one cuz I

think some RLS get a bit Twitchy a bit

scared here so can you talk us through

that and how we're going to get a bit of

Spin and a bit of check and control this

kind of shot here yeah sure I mean we

know the greens are pretty firm there's

not that much green to work with you got

this quite sticky bed grass here before

the before the green so you could putt

it but it it would be very difficult to

judge that you know so really the shot

here if you want to get this up and down

is to carry it onto the green little bit

of check and just let it feat to Fe to

the hole there okay so I'd really

recommend moving more into what I call

the release two so that's where the but

the grip starts to point somewhere near

the belt buckle just after the ball okay

that's going to help transfer the energy

there from the grip to the club head and

part a little bit more Spin and just get

that coming off really soft okay and

just spinning until it just Feeds out

nice and soft the LI is absolutely vital

to look at in this situation if you had

um you know a tight lie and you didn't

really feel like you could work the

bounce under the ball the bounce here is

the so of the club and how that works

this way um if it was firm for example

it would bounce and it would thin so

we're blessed here out here in in Hawaii

that the the lies are great so we can we

can play this that's the important thing

though I think is is analyzing the lie a

lot of golf was go right get my 60° out

and whip under it doesn't work the LI

takes a shot totally so I was talk about

in short game you've got 50% what I call

golfing IQ okay golfing intelligence and

it's 50% technique yeah and you have to

has to start with the ability to read

the lie because the LIE tells you what

shot and more importantly what shot you

can't play okay so here I've got the

green light to play this soft Landing

spinning release two sh but if I didn't

if it was tight I'd have to explore

other options which might be the putter

it might be hybrid or whatever it might

be hybrid is a good shot maybe so lastly

then before I get you to hit this shot

how would you encourage people to get

the confidence to hit a shot like that

with a decent amount of pace on the ball

and B decent bit of Club head speed yeah

cuz they be a bit scared of thinning it

or doing this and that how are you going

to get people into that well you don't

need to be perfect to play this shot

you've actually got quite a big margin

in thorough because because you are

using the bounce and feeding it through

this way even if you catch it a little

bit before the ball you know you've

actually got quite a big margin so I

mean I'll try to Duff one here on

purpose and show you so so I've hit that

5 in behind the ball and you've just

hold it there we go that's obviously the

way to do it all right so there

shouldn't be anything before we carry on

is Dan gree's hop tip to Duff them well

I mean seriously I mean if you try and

aim behind the ball the bounce is going

to work as long as you're releasing it

and and it comes off great and and I

hope most golfers are able to hit within

five in of the ball that's all you got

do the boun go then let's give us a

proper look at that there proper look at

release too so we we'll play this and uh

so I'm going to work it this way nice

light grip pressure let's feed it

through little bit near the ball this

time

there's a little more check there you

see holding it one more I'm going to

turn through this one a little bit

better it's important once um once you

make contact just to make sure the chest

keeps moving as well yeah a lot of

players I see they're kind of playing

they they almost keep the head down too

long so make sure when you play even as

you're watching the

ball make sure you're still moving your

chest very ni that one pulled up nicely

as well so you're moving this way past

impact really good tips there Dan thank

you I think two chip shots there that if

you can impart a bit of spin on the ball

short sided for a long way away your

short game's going to tighten up you're

going to drop shots going be a better go

hope fun short game's fun and top tip

Duff

them so massive thanks to Dan grieve

there some brilliant tips about how you

can spin the ball when the condition

suit impress you and impress your mates

I think with stuff like that uh huge

thanks to him for joining us today and a

massive thanks to Adidas gol for having

us out here in Hawaii but for now see

you next time