Another Steve Stricker Chipping Variation: the Tom Scott "Soft-Elbows" Shot

In an earlier post (here) I presented a Stack & Tilt variation on Steve Stricker's "stiff-wrist" approach to chipping. Tom Scott has a variation on the Stricker Swing which he calls the "soft-elbows" chip. Here's Tom's explanation of the shot that's demonstrated in the video below (given the typically high level of wind noise  at the Orchards Golf Club in Door County, WI, on this day, you can't hear what Tom is saying in the video, but I've asked him to write the copy below).



When I'm looking at a pitch/chip from rough or even longer cut fairways I like to use my flop wedge (60 degree).  I take a pretty open stance and, depending on the distance, I'll move my hands either more or less forward from neutral, in effect changing the loft of the club I suppose as much as +/- 10 degrees from nominal.  The swing itself is characterized by soft knees and particularly soft elbows with little to no wrist break.  In the practice swings what I'm looking for is a soft brushing of the grass in a smooth no-pinch stroke.  Distance is controlled by both loft and backswing, the latter rarely past half-way.  I use this swing on all my short to medium chip/pitches and with all my wedges.  From really short cut fringe/apron, where putting isn't possible I'll use my pitching-wedge or my gap-wedge, same swing.

Tom tried to teach me this chip many years ago and I never got it. What I seemed to be missing is that he works his right hand under on the follow through keeping the club face pointing up toward the sky. What I do a little differently, at least for right now, is to use a little more forward body movement (see the Stricker Chip here). My hands are not as good as Tom's, so I need to make sure that the club head is lagging behind my hands on the follow through (see my post on Padraig Harrington's approach to chipping here).