With or against the grain of the grass

[dkerby]

When chipping or pitching from heavy grass would you
change the hinge action for with the grain of the
the grass as to against the grain of the grass.
What is the best hinge action for the two shots?
Would you use "club in palm of hand" for the shots?
Seems like the longer swing to get the ball out of
heavy grass requires the club to be in the fingers of
the grip. Is this correct?

[Yoda]

When chipping or pitching from heavy grass would you
change the hinge action for with the grain of the
the grass as to against the grain of the grass.
What is the best hinge action for the two shots?
Would you use "club in palm of hand" for the shots?
Seems like the longer swing to get the ball out of
heavy grass requires the club to be in the fingers of
the grip. Is this correct?

Personally, I would not change my grip. The Clubshaft should be under the heel of the Left Hand and in the fingers of the Right. The Grip should be firmer than usual to avoid Clubhead twisting during the grass encounter. Emphasize Pivot (the 'Left-Right' mark-time motion of the Feet and slight rotary motion of the Hips and Shoulders) and Arm Swing. Minimize Hand Action unless you are employing the Pause Minor Basic Stroke, i.e., Arm Swing back and a stopping of the Left Hand (and passing by the Right) through Impact. This last Stroke is essentially a deliberate 'Throwaway', but with practice, it can be a useful alternative when you need a higher, softer shot.

The real key to this shot is the Angle/Arc of Attack. It must be steeper than normal to minimize grass contact prior to Impact. Achieving this steeper Clubhead approach is easy: Simply move your Pivot Center (Head or 'Point between the Shoulders') slightly left of its normal Centered location. To further encourage a steeper angle (relative to the Ball) and to increase loft, you may also want to hit a 'Cut' shot, i.e., swing the Clubhead along a slightly Open Plane Line with an Open Clubface.

[dkerby]

Lynn, Thanks very much for your reply and "How to".
Yesterday I went over the 3 hinges for chipping/Chipping
with our PGA Club Pro. I got him to order your DVD. I
think that he has watched it 4 Times. He likes it very
much and has put it into the training program for his
understudies. His chipping has improved considerably
with the left hand palm grip and the concept of the
feel of reverse roll on the backstroke for the vertical hinge. As he found out the pitch against the grain of the grass did not work as well with the palm grip which you said it would not in your reply. The pro says that you are a genius and I certainly agree. You mentioned the head a little left of center and
I picked up on it with your review of Brian Gay.
Thanks, Donn