If you watched the British Open this weekend, you likely saw a large number of low running chip shots, or bump and run shots from relatively longer distances from the hole: 30-50 yards sometimes.  How do you play this shot, and when is it effective? 

1- First, choose a club with minimal loft, ie a 6 or 7 iron.  Play the ball just back of middle in your stance with the shaft only slightly forward.  This is slightly different than a chip and run around the green (where you might play the ball farther back with a sand wedge) because for a longer shot, you don't want too much backspin which will negate the "run" portion of the shot. 

2- Allow the clubface to rotate open going back and do so with a soft rotation of the forearms.  Keep the body pretty still with about 60 percent of your weight into your front leg. 

3- As you release the club, let the toe softly pass the heel through the shot.  You should sense the image of a tennis racket hitting a forehand shot and closing over top of the ball. 

4- Practice the shot to learn to gauge how hard to hit it.  The key element to learning feel for this shot is to get the ball to roll CONSISTENTLY every time off the clubface, hence point #1 above. Along with that, your tempo should be very rythmic with no "hit" at impact.  Think "soft". 

5- This shot is useful when you have a lot of green to work with and maybe a back pin, or you have a bad lie or a severely downhill lie that prohibits sliding a wedge under the ball and lofting it back to the hole.  Also, if you are not a very confident pitcher of the golf ball, and chip and run, or even a putter, will likely produce a more solid shot. 

One final tip....examine the contour of the ground prior to the shot closely.  Try to visualize how the ball will roll and how the slope will affect it as it tracks toward the cup.  Then, aim appropriately to allow the ball to follow the track you imagine. 

© Golf In The Now, Jim Williams. All rights reserved.