A chilli-dip golf shot is a mis-hit golf shot where the club head strikes the ground before it strikes the golf ball. The result of the club head striking the ground first is that the club head speed is transferred into the ground rather than the golf ball and as such, the golf ball travels only a very short distance, if any at all.

A chilli-dip golf shot happens when the lowest point of the swing arc that the club head is travelling around you on is too much to the right of the golf ball (for right handed golfers). This can happen for a variety of reasons such as your head moving to the right on your backswing or you not transferring your weight correctly to your left side on your downswing. However, whatever the cause of the lowest point of the swing arc being too much on the right of the golf ball, you can cure a chilli-dip golf shot by moving this low point to where the golf ball actually is, rather than before it.

A great drill to allow you to achieve the correct area for the low point of your swing arc is as follows.

Take the cover from your driver and place it on the target line to the right of the golf ball, just outside your right foot. Set up ready to play a shot, but without the golf ball involved initially. Take up your address position and hover the club head above the ground so you can swing the club head on your backswing but without striking the head cover on the ground. Swing to the top of your backswing. Swing back down and work on striking the ground on the left of the head cover. If the low point of your swing arc is too much to the right, then you will hit the head cover. Make a swing and strike the ground on the left of the head cover, without hitting it. Do this slowly to begin with and then as your confidence grows, gradually build the speed back into your swing. Once you feel you are swinging at a fuller swing speed then re-introduce the golf ball and actually hit shots with the head cover in place.

If you strike the head cover, don’t worry, this is just showing you that the low point of your swing arc is too early. Just keep working on striking the ground on the left of the cover and you will begin hitting some great golf shots.