Why Do My Golf Chips Go Right?

You hit a great drive, a solid approach shot, and now you’re sitting just off the green with a simple chip to get up and down for par. You feel confident, but when you make your swing, the ball shoots off to the right of the pin, sometimes even missing the green entirely. It’s one of the most frustrating shots in golf, but you’re not alone and the fix is often simpler than you think. This guide will walk you through the most common reasons why your golf chips go right and provide straightforward drills to get you hitting them straight at the flagstick.

The Main Suspect: An Open Clubface at Impact

In almost every case of a chip shot going right (for a right-handed golfer), the primary culprit is an open clubface when you strike the ball. Think of the clubface as the steering wheel of your shot. If it’s pointing right of your target at the moment of contact, that’s where the ball is going to go. There are a few key reasons why that face might be open.

1. Your Grip (The Steering Wheel)

Your grip has the most direct influence on where the clubface is pointing throughout your swing. A "weak" grip, where your lead hand (left hand for a righty) is turned too far to the left on the club, is a classic cause of an open face. With a weak grip, your hands naturally want to return to a neutral position during the swing, which twists the clubface open.

How to Check and Fix Your Grip:

• Sqaure the Clubface First: Before you even put your hands on the club, rest the sole of the wedge flat on the ground so the leading edge is perfectly perpendicular to your target line.
• Check Your Knuckles: Place your lead (left) hand on the grip. Look down. You should be able to see the knuckles of your index and middle fingers. If you can only see one knuckle or none at all, your grip is likely too weak. If you see three or four, it's too strong (which can cause shots to go left).
• The 'V' Check: The "V" formed by your thumb and index finger on your left hand should point somewhere between your chin and your right shoulder. If it’s pointing straight up or to the left of your chin, let’s adjust it.
• Your Trail Hand: Your right hand should cover your left thumb, with the "V" a V formed by your right thumb and index finger pointing to a similar spot - your right shoulder. It should feel like your palms are facing each other.

2. Ball Position and Hand Position

Where you place the ball in your stance and where your hands are at address also has a big impact on the clubface. A lot of amateurs set up with their hands even with or even behind the golf ball for a chip shot. From this position, it’s almost impossible to strike the ball with a square face without some major last-second manipulation. It encourages a "scooping" motion which opens the face.

How to Fix Your Setup:

• Ball in the Middle: For a standard chip shot, your ball position should be in the middle of your relatively narrow stance.
• Hands Press Forward: Your hands should be slightly ahead of the ball at address. Imagine a straight line running from your lead shoulder, down your arm, and to the ball. This "forward press" promotes striking the ball with a descending blow and helps keep the clubface square through impact. It discourages any scooping or flipping of the wrists.

Your Swing Direction: Is Your Path 'Out-to-In'?

If your clubface is square but your chips still go right, your swing path is the next place to look. Often, amateurs chop down on their chips with an "out-to-in" swing path. This means your clubhead is moving from outside your target line to inside your target line as it passes through the ball. The club cuts across the ball, imparting sidespin (a "slice" spin) that sends it to the right.

This path usually happens because you’re using all arms and no body rotation, or your body alignment is pointing left of the target to begin with.

Three-Ball Gate Drill to Correct Your Path

This is a fantastic drill to get immediate feedback on your swing path. It forces you to swing the club down the target line.

1. Place a ball down that you intend to hit.
2. Place another ball about four inches behind it and a clubhead's width *outside* the target line. This is your "outside gate."
3. Place a third ball about four inches ahead of your main ball and a clubhead's width *inside* the target line. This is the "inside gate."
4. Your goal is simple: hit the middle ball without touching either of the other two "gate" balls.
5. If you hit the outside gate on your backswing or downswing, you’re coming "over the top." If you hit the inside gate on your follow-through, you're swinging "out-to-in." Practicing this will naturally train you to approach the ball from the inside and exit down the line.

The Foundation: Body Alignment and Weight Distribution

Sometimes the ball goes right simply because that's where your body is aimed. It's common for golfers, in an attempt to "see" the target better, to unknowingly set up with their shoulders aiming well left of the pin. From this open alignment, your natural swing path moves across the ball to the left, and golfers often compensate by pushing the clubface open to get the ball back toward the target. The result? A push or a slice to the right.

Fixing Your Alignment and Weight

A stable lower body is the unsung hero of a great short game. For a chip, you want your weight favoring your front foot. Think of a 60/40 or even a 70/30 split, with most of your weight on your lead (left) leg. This helps you maintain stability and ensures you strike the ball first, then the turf.

Drills We Can Use Here:

• Alignment Stick Check: When you practice, place one alignment stick on the ground pointing at your target, and another parallel to it, just outside your toes. This gives you a clear visual guide to ensure your feet, hips, and shoulders are all square to your target line.
• The Trail Foot Back Drill: Set up to a chip shot, but pull your trail foot (right foot for a righty) back so just your toes are on the ground for balance. This forces most of your weight onto your lead foot. Hit some light chips from this position. You'll instantly feel how this gets your body's center of gravity forward and helps your club bottom out after the ball, with no falling back or scooping.

Using Your Body, Not Just Your Hands

The final reason your chips may go right is an overuse of your hands and wrists. A good chipping motion is a miniature version of a full swing. It's a rotation of your torso and shoulders, not a flick of the wrists. When you try to "pop" the ball up with your hands, the club often outraces your body, the clubface opens up, and you get that weak push to the right.

Simple Drill to Connect Your Swing:

• Place a headcover or a glove under your lead arm (left arm).
• Make some practice chip swings. To keep the headcover from falling, you have to keep your arm connected to your chest.
• This teaches you to use your bigger muscles - your chest and shoulders - to move the club. The a chip shot feel more like a putting stroke, where the triangle formed by your arms and shoulders stays intact.

Final Thoughts

Seeing that little chip stubbornly drift right of the hole can test anyone’s patience, but fixing it is almost always about correcting one of a few fundamentals. By checking your clubface first, then confirming your swing path and foundational setup, you can turn that frustrating miss into a reliable, pin-high shot.

While mastering these drills is a great way to build a reliable technique, we know every golfer's swing is unique and getting a second opinion right when you need it changes everything. This is precisely why we created Caddie AI. Our app acts as your personal golf coach, 24/7. So next time you're on the range confused about a shot, you can ask for a specific drill tailored to your problem. Or, when you're on the course staring at a tough lie, you can even snap a photo of it and get instant, smart advice on how to play the shot. Our goal is to take the guesswork out of your game so you can play with more confidence and enjoy an every round.