Dan Grieve Fixed My Short Game In 30 Minutes - Here's How

If you asked a selection of golfers which area of their game needed the most attention, I would wager the majority would say the short game - it's the elusive missing piece of the puzzle for many.

Rarely does a mid-handicap golfer get the chance to have a one-to-one short game clinic with one of the best coaches on the planet, but that's exactly what we organised for amateur James Henry.

Dan Grieve has built an incredible reputation for fixing golfer's technique, mentality and consistency around the greens, amassing more than a million followers across his social media channels.

You can watch the full lesson video below, packed with all of Dan's top chipping tips and drills, but in this article I have broken down the problem that the lesson identified and how the short game guru set about fixing it...

How Dan Grieve Fixed My Short Game In 30 Minutes

THE FAULT

After watching James hit a few chips, Dan Grieve identified that a swing plane issue was causing him to release the head too much, sending the ball high into the air with too much spin for the low-flighted shot required.

Being under plane when chipping can cause a variety of issues for club golfers, but predominantly it results in inconsistent strikes.

The problem is caused by too much forearm rotation in the early part of the swing, rather than letting the lead shoulder initiate the action.

Rolling the forearms early causes the clubface to be far too open at the top, but because James has good golfing instincts, his brain recognises the clubface has opened up and gone under plane.

To return the club to the ball properly, his instinct forces him to manipulate, flip and over-release the head. When the forearms rotate this way, the swing path shifts inward, which lowers the bottom of the arc and leads to scruffy or inconsistent strikes.

It's also important to consider the loft needed for the shot in hand, taking all factors, such as slope and lie, into consideration. A good golfing IQ is a crucial way to improve your short game.

THE FIX

The first step to fixing this issue lies in James' set-up. By moving the golf ball further back in his stance and lining it up with his right heel, James' sternum is now in front of the ball at address.

A great drill I used with James was to place a reference ball on the ground and tell him to keep the clubface pointing at it at the top of the backswing, preventing it from opening.

Another drill is to take your trail hand off the club and initiate the takeaway using your left shoulder and chest rather than the forearms, keeping the club on plane as an extension of the arm.

The clubhead should be outside the hands, not inside, as James had it when we started. The follow-through should be knee-high at most, with a smooth tempo and ‘tick-tock' motion.

Changing loft impacts how the ball reacts when it lands, so practise from different lies.

This set-up works for a low runner, but loft and ball position will dictate release in other scenarios.

James Henry's Reflection

James Henry

James arrived at the clinic with Dan explaining that his handicap had dropped significantly in the last 12 to 18 months, but his consistency around the greens was holding him back.

"I really enjoyed my lesson with Dan Grieve.

"One thing that I was aware of before I came in was just how dominant I am with the right hand. A lot of my chipping technique tends to be quite flippy and tends to be manipulative as I come through.

"The lesson changed everything when Dan gave me that feel of pushing with the outside of my left arm and just almost taking my wrist out of the equation. It feels much more repeatable, much smoother with the tempo.

"I think that's definitely something I'm going to take away. The drill of pushing off with just the one arm and feeling the how the weight is totally different when it's inside or under plane versus when it's just held nice and straight.

"I'm really going to practice that because that's obviously something I can do at home as I don't even need a golf ball. Just having that feeling of pushing away, I think will really help me control and have a lower launch with the chip shots."

Dan Grieve's Best Chipping Drills

Need more help with your short game or want to know Dan Grieve's top 5 chipping drills? Check out this video to help you shoot lower scores and cut your handicap in 2026...

We Asked Dan Grieve For His 5 Best Chipping Drills - YouTube

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