Open-faced chip with hands forward: Jon Rahm's lesson
Around the green, Jon Rahm doesn’t know how to “spin the ball by relaxing.” He opens the clubface, pushes his hands forward, and maintains that angle all the way through. In *Me and My Golf*, he demonstrates this biting chip shot, shows how to replace it with a simpler shot, and explains why it all starts with the lie.
To be continued
What the lesson shows
On a chip shot of about 30 yards on grass with the grain, Jon Rahm hits the ball low with a lot of spin. His technique: open stance, hands well forward, and maintaining the angle without letting up. He explains that by maintaining this angle, the club comes down straight but flat spring: No big divot. It’s when you relax that you dig in. An open clubface also helps you use the sole. He adds that he feels his hands moving forward and the club’s edge “dragging” along with them to ensure he turns to the left: as soon as he thinks too much about his hands, his body stops.
When he has plenty of green, he doesn't try to put on spin: he counts his steps from the landing spot to the flag, picks a reference point (in this case, the start of a shadow), and then takes his shot Face square, hands slightly back, and let go. He emphasizes the lie: Within a meter of each other, three types of snow can react in three different ways. One shot will bite, the other two will roll, and you have to adjust your technique. On a deeper lie, it hardly changes anything—at most, you’ll feel like you’re digging your heel in deeper. On an uphill lie, he prefers a ball that spins less to give him a chance of reaching the hole.
The Exercise, Step by Step
- First and foremost, read the lie: grass lying with or against the grain, the ball resting on the ground or buried in it.
- For the chip shot: open up your stance, push your hands forward, and maintain that angle all the way through the finish.
- Remember to drag the club's edge along with you and swing to the left, without thinking about your hands.
- If you have a lot of green space: count your steps from where the ball landed to the flag and choose a visible landmark.
- So, square up to the ball, keep your hands back a little, and let the club relax.
- On a slightly sunken lie, use the same technique while feeling your heel sink in further.
- On an uphill shot, choose a ball that spins less so it will reach the hole.
Key Takeaways
Mistakes to Avoid
- Play each chip the same way without looking at the lie.
- If you release the club while trying to make the ball bite: the club digs in.
- Focus on your hands to the point of stopping your body's rotation.
- Trying to put on spin when you have a lot of green ahead of you.
- Trying to “help” the ball rise in front of a tight flag—something coaches consider dangerous.
Driving Range Mode
Keep it in plain sight, on the rug.
- Three balls placed less than one meter apart, on three different lies
- Biting Chip: Open stance, hands forward, angle maintained
- Rolled chip: not counted until the flag, ground marker, square face
- For each lie, note whether the ball bites or rolls
Your Questions
Why does Jon Rahm keep his hands forward without letting up?
He says he doesn't know how to make the ball spin when he releases the club. By maintaining the angle, the club enters the ball steeply but comes out flat, without a deep divot, and the open clubface remains exposed, causing the ball to bite.
When does he play a square face shot?
When he has plenty of green and doesn't need spin, he counts his steps to the flag, chooses a visible landing spot, positions his hands farther back, and lets the club release.
What changes when the ball is slightly sunken?
Almost nothing. Since the ball is already coming in pretty steeply, he keeps the same technique and just makes sure to push his heel down a little more to get under the ball.
Which wedge is he using for this chip shot?
A 60°. He says he doesn't go any higher in loft: to hit the ball higher, he relaxes his hands more.
Learn More
Video posted on YouTube by its creator (Jon Rahm). Best Golf Tips selects and summarizes the best free lessons without hosting them.