Justin Thomas's chip shot: the “nippy”

It starts low, takes one or two bounces, then comes to a sudden stop: that’s the “nippy”—the chip that brakes late. Facing a No Laying Up player, Justin Thomas explains how he plays it with a 60° wedge, and why his favorite drill takes just three balls.

Justin Thomas · his YouTube channelFree lesson selected by Fred P.

What the lesson shows

For Justin Thomas, chipping should not be technical: Players who look like robots standing over the ball are rarely good chippers. His favorite drill sums it up: three balls: one high, one medium, one low, without ever playing the same chip twice. He mainly uses his 60°, keeping most of his weight on his front foot, and reads the wind: with a tailwind, the ball stops less; with a headwind, he can land it almost right next to the hole. For a low chip, he shifts more weight forward, closes the clubface, lands the ball a meter or two onto the green, and lets it roll.

The “nippy” is another shot: low, but one that slows down on the second bounce. Thomas describes it as a “covered” chip”: the ball positioned toward the back of the stance, the clubface barely open (it opens mostly naturally as the club rises), and the body moving cover the face by swinging across the ball with a fairly vertical motion, slightly from the outside in, like a small, low cut. The weight continues to move toward the target. To get a feel for this movement, he recommends hitting chips from a very narrow stance. Two variations of the demonstration: clean, dry grooves, otherwise the ball “floats,” and if it’s hit too far back, it goes straight up.

The Exercise, Step by Step

1. Take three balls and a 60° wedge around a sloping green.
2. Hit a high ball, a medium ball, and a low ball, paying attention each time to where the ball should land.
3. For the approach shot, weight clearly on the front, face slightly closed, landing very close to the edge of the green.
4. For the “nippy,” move the ball back in your stance and keep the clubface almost neutral.
5. Swing back letting the face open naturally, then come down fairly steeply, slightly from the outside.
6. Swing through while feeling your body turn toward the target and cover the ball, without losing speed.
7. Wipe the face between shots to keep the grooves clean.

Key Takeaways

Mistakes to Avoid

• Thinking about a thousand things other than the ball instead of reacting to what you see.
• Playing the easy chip without paying attention, out of habit.
• The ball is too far forward on the “nippy”: it goes straight up without biting.
• Stance too wide: the movement becomes a simple shuffling motion, with the hands in front.
• Slow down upon impact, especially with a club that isn't fully open.
• Chipper with dirty or wet grooves.

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Video posted on YouTube by its creator (Justin Thomas). Best Golf Tips selects and summarizes the best free lessons, without hosting them.