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AlignmentChippingBunker shotWedge play = Pitching and Chipping Wedges Intermediate ⏱ 3 min 🇬🇧 Video in English, summarized

Feet Position for Chipping and Bunker Shots, According to Lee Trevino

Why are there so many missed chips and bunkers you can't get out of? For Lee Trevino, it all starts with the feet. Facing the camera, he demonstrates that a square stance forces you to force the swing, while an open stance allows the club to naturally follow the correct path.

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Lee Trevino
Lee Trevino · his YouTube channelFree lesson selected by Fred P.

To be continued

4 minSame problemReading Greens with Your Feet, Justin Rose's WayJustin Rose · Intermediate10 minSame problemBrooks Koepka's Fairway Finder: The Safe FadeBrooks Koepka · Intermediate / Expert5 minFrom the same proLee Trevino's Right-Hand Grip: Curve It, Keep It LowLee Trevino · Expert

What the lesson shows

Lee Trevino sets a rule: The club always goes in the direction your feet are pointing. He wants a narrow stance when chipping, so as not to let his body move all over the place, without, however, locking it up: the knees can move. With square feet, the club path rises slightly inside the line; you must absolutely avoid swinging back from the outside, or you’ll shank the ball. However, a short, tight shot requires a club path that moves outside the line. The player with square feet must therefore execute a backswing, by moving the club outward, which Lee Trevino refuses to do.

His solution: open the stance, with your feet and shoulders aligned along this open line, and let the club follow that line. It comes out naturally relative to the target, without any compensation. The same logic applies in the bunker: many amateurs swing inward and then slice the ball, and it doesn’t come out. The secret, he says, is an open stance, with the clubhead moving up along the line of the feet and then coming back inward through the sand.

The Exercise, Step by Step

  1. Bring your feet closer together for a chip shot or a short lob.
  2. Open up the stance relative to the target.
  3. Align your shoulders with your feet.
  4. Raise the club along the line of your feet, without lifting it outward.
  5. Let your knees move slightly during the movement.
  6. At the bunker, keep an open stance, walk along the foot of the bunker, and come back toward the inside across the sand.

Key Takeaways

The club always follows the direction of the feet.
Narrow stance for chipping: the body moves, but not excessively.
With square feet, swinging back from the outside causes a shank.
You should never force your backswing.
Open stance, shoulders aligned: the club naturally moves away from the line.
In the bunker, you move along the baseline, then cut back toward the center.

Mistakes to Avoid

  • A wide stance that gets your whole body moving.
  • Stay square, then lift the club outward: a forced backswing.
  • Go in on the inside and come out on the outside: the shank.
  • Spread your feet apart but keep your shoulders square.
  • At the bunker, step inside and then hit the ball, which remains in the sand.

Driving Range Mode

Keep it in plain sight, on the rug.

  1. Club placed on the ground along the feet to visualize the open line
  2. A narrow, open stance, aligned with the feet
  3. Same setup at the bunker, monitoring the sand outlet
  4. Check your shoulders after each set

Your Questions

Why spread your feet apart on a small chip?

Because a short shot requires a club that moves away from the line. With square feet, you’d have to lift the club outward—an artificial motion. With open feet, it simply follows the line of the feet.

According to Lee Trevino, where do shanks around the green come from?

A swing that moves inward along the line with square feet, then comes back along the outside.

Should you also open your shoulders?

Yes. In his demonstration, his shoulders are aligned with his feet. Many golfers spread their feet apart and then pull the club inward—that’s what he wants to avoid.

How does this principle apply to the bunker?

Open stance; the clubhead moves up along the line of the feet, then swings back toward the inside through the sand. Hitting the ball on the inside and slicing it leaves it in the bunker.

Learn More

All “Alignment” videos →Find the lesson that's right for youAll “Chipping” videos →Find the lesson that's right for youAll “Bunker Shot” videos →Find the lesson that's right for youAll videos on “Wedge Play = Pitching and Chipping” →Find the lesson that's right for you DeChambeau's Short Game Practice: Chips, Rough, BunkerHis typical practice session around the green: three basic chip shots, three shots from the rough handled differently, and in the bunker, controlling the point of impact on the clubface. Scheffler and McIlroy's Wedge Workshop: Chips and BunkersScheffler and McIlroy are looking for a “shallow” swing and a draw feel around the green, from a tight lie to the bunker, to make better contact with the ball. Chip shot from the thick rough—Adam Scott: Read the lieAdam Scott reads the lie by placing the club behind the ball, then plays either a standard bunker shot or a modified bunker shot with fixed wrists against the grain. Lee TrevinoAll of his lessons

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

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