Chipping Off Wet Grass or Mud: What Changes?

The Challenge of Wet Lies

Every golfer knows the uneasy feeling of walking up to a short game shot and seeing water glistening off the grass — or worse, the ball sitting half-buried in mud. These types of lies are among the most difficult in golf because they take away your margin for error.

One inch too far behind the ball and the club grabs; one inch too far ahead and you blade it. Even your usual reliable technique might betray you if you don’t make a few crucial adjustments.

That’s why understanding how to chip in wet conditions isn’t just helpful — it’s essential if you want to save strokes on soggy days.

Whether it’s early morning dew, post-rain mud, or soft turf near a water hazard, this guide will walk you through the key changes to your setup, technique, club selection, and mindset that will help you chip with confidence — not guesswork.

Understanding What Wet Grass and Mud Do to Your Wedge

Before you change your technique, it helps to understand what’s really happening under your club in a wet or muddy lie.

When the turf is dry and firm, your wedge has predictable bounce and can glide under the ball cleanly. But when grass is wet or ground is muddy, that bounce reacts differently — sometimes skipping, sometimes digging, and almost always reducing friction in ways that challenge your usual control.

Resource: Get the All Access Pass. Learn about our training programs with step by step practice drills, weekly schedules and routines to follow so you can break 90, break 80 or scratch golf. Plus access our video lesson library in addition to following the practice plans.

Here’s how wet lies change things:

Water reduces friction, making it harder for your grooves to grab the ball — especially if there’s grass or mud between the clubface and the ball.

Soft ground allows for more digging, especially if your club has a steep leading edge or too little bounce.

Mud can cling to the clubhead, making it harder to maintain clean contact and causing the club to decelerate or twist at impact.

Sticky grass behind the ball grabs your club during takeaway or entry, leading to deceleration or early wrist release.

The result? Mishits like chunks, heavy contact, or thin shots are much more common. That’s why wet lies require a cleaner, more precise strike — and a slightly different approach than you’d use on firm turf.

Setup and Stance Adjustments

When chipping off wet grass or mud, your setup plays a critical role in reducing the chances of fat or thin contact.

These conditions leave very little room for error, so the goal is to create a stable, controlled platform that encourages a crisp, downward strike. Small tweaks in your stance and weight distribution can make a big difference.

Here’s how to adjust your setup:

Weight slightly forward: Shift about 60–70% of your weight onto your lead foot. This helps encourage a descending strike and ensures you hit the ball before the ground.

Narrow your stance: A narrower base gives you more control and prevents swaying, which is crucial when footing is slippery or the turf is unstable.

Ball position slightly back: Move the ball about one ball’s width back in your stance compared to a normal chip. This makes it easier to contact the ball first, reducing the risk of hitting the wet ground too early.

Quiet lower body: Minimize movement during the swing. Wet or muddy turf can lead to slipping or shifting if your base isn’t steady.

Slight shaft lean: At address, your hands should be ahead of the ball. This delofts the club slightly and promotes better turf interaction.

These adjustments help you stay grounded and deliver the club on a more controlled, vertical path — essential for handling soft or unstable lies. By creating a more stable foundation, you improve your odds of making solid contact, even when the conditions try to take it away from you.

Technique Tweaks for Wet Lies

Once your setup is dialed in, your swing technique needs to adapt to the unpredictable nature of wet grass and muddy lies. Standard chipping mechanics may not be reliable in these conditions — especially if your usual motion is shallow or wristy. The key is to simplify your movement, firm up your control, and ensure the club enters the turf cleanly after contacting the ball.

Here are key adjustments to make:

Use a slightly steeper angle of attack: This reduces the chance of the club bouncing off the wet ground or skimming into the ball too thin. Focus on a more downward strike — think “ball, then turf,” not the other way around.

Minimize excessive wrist hinge: Wet conditions punish loose, flippy swings. Keep your wrists firmer during the takeaway and through impact to reduce unwanted variations in loft or clubface control.

Compact, shorter swing: Avoid long or overly fluid motions. Use a tight, triangle-based swing (arms and shoulders together) that keeps the motion simple and the strike clean.

Hands slightly ahead of the clubhead at impact: This helps control loft, prevents early release, and ensures better contact on soggy turf.

Accelerate through the shot: Don’t decelerate, even if you’re worried about the lie. A committed, confident stroke is far more likely to succeed than a tentative one.

This isn’t the time to try trick shots or touchy floaters. Wet lies reward disciplined, compact technique. A cleaner strike with a simplified motion is almost always better than trying to “help” the ball into the air with a scoop or flick.

Choosing the Right Club

In wet or muddy conditions, your usual go-to wedge may not always be the best choice. The lie, turf softness, and required shot shape all influence which club will give you the most consistent results.

Wet ground changes how your club’s bounce reacts, and if you’re not careful, it can cause the club to either dig too much or skip into the ball.

Here’s how to make smarter club choices:

Use lower bounce in mud: If the ball is sitting in wet, sticky mud, high-bounce wedges can cause the club to skid or bounce unpredictably. A wedge with low to moderate bounce (6°–10°) helps reduce interference and allows cleaner turf entry.

Use higher bounce in wet grass (if the lie is clean): If your ball is on damp but fluffy grass — not buried — a wedge with more bounce (12°–14°) can help the club glide without digging.

Avoid excessive loft unless necessary: High-lofted wedges (like a 60°) are more likely to slide under the ball or chunk in muddy conditions. If you’re unsure of contact, a gap wedge or pitching wedge can help you make a more controlled, lower-trajectory shot with less risk.

Consider a bump-and-run: In certain wet conditions (especially where the front of the green is dry), using a 9-iron or 8-iron for a low-running chip may be a better option than risking a high-spinning flop.

The best club choice will vary depending on the specific lie — wet grass is not the same as wet mud. Always assess how the ball is sitting, how much turf is underneath it, and whether there’s any moisture between the ball and the clubface.

Shot Selection Based on Lie Type

Not all wet lies are created equal. A clean ball sitting on damp grass plays very differently from one nestled in a muddy depression or surrounded by soggy rough. The best players take a moment to analyze the lie before deciding which shot to attempt — and what to avoid.

Here’s how to approach different wet lie situations:

Wet, clean lie (ball sitting up slightly on soft grass)

• This is the most manageable type of wet lie.
• You can often play your standard chip with a little modification — compact motion, controlled tempo, and focus on clean contact.
• A medium- or high-bounce wedge may still work here.

Ball sitting down in mud

• This is one of the toughest lies in golf.
• Avoid trying to float the ball up with loft. Instead, treat it like a basic chip — hands forward, minimal wrist hinge, and low follow-through.
• A lower-lofted club or a wedge with less bounce will help prevent the club from sticking.

Thick, wet grass behind the ball

• This lie can grab your clubhead on the way down and destroy your contact.
• Try to limit swing length and make a firmer, descending blow.
• Avoid flop shots here — the thick grass will twist the face or cause a chunk.

Tight, soggy lies with little grass underneath

• Don’t try to pick the ball perfectly — you’re better off playing a low runner.
• Choose a bump-and-run style shot with a PW or 9-iron, and get the ball rolling quickly.

In all cases, it’s smarter to play conservatively. You’re better off leaving yourself a 10-foot putt for par than risking a chunked or bladed chip that leads to double bogey. Take what the lie gives you — and sometimes that means just getting the ball safely on the green.

Common Mistakes in Wet Conditions

When golfers encounter a wet or muddy lie, panic or guesswork often leads to poor decision-making. Whether it’s choosing the wrong shot or failing to adjust technique, these errors can turn a manageable up-and-down opportunity into a double bogey.

Here are the most common mistakes to avoid:

Trying to hit a full swing chip or pitch

A longer swing increases the chance of slipping, decelerating, or striking the ground before the ball.

Solution: Keep your motion short, compact, and under control.

Using excessive wrist or “flipping” through impact

In muddy or wet turf, this often leads to chunked shots or inconsistent contact.

Solution: Maintain firm wrists and a quiet hand path. Let your upper body control the motion.

Choosing too much loft

Wet lies aren’t the time for high-risk flop shots or delicate floaters — especially when the ball is sitting down.

Solution: Use lower-lofted clubs when the lie is questionable, and prioritize control over height.

Ignoring the lie completely

Many golfers grab a wedge without looking closely at how the ball is sitting — on top of the grass, in mud, or in standing water.

Solution: Take 5 seconds to assess the ground under and around the ball before committing to a shot type and club.

Failing to commit

Uncertainty leads to tentative swings and deceleration — the enemy of clean contact.

Solution: Once you choose your shot and club, commit fully with confident motion.

Avoiding these mistakes comes down to awareness and discipline. You can’t control the conditions — but you can control your preparation, your mindset, and your ability to make smart choices under pressure.

Practice and Mindset Tips

Most golfers avoid practicing in wet conditions — but that’s exactly when valuable experience is gained. Getting comfortable with wet lies isn’t just about mechanics; it’s about building feel, confidence, and decision-making in less-than-perfect conditions.

Here’s how to improve your short game when the ground is soft:

Practice after a rain: Head to the course or practice green after a storm, when the ground is still damp. Take wedges and mid-irons and hit chips from various lies — wet fringe, soft rough, muddy areas, even puddle-adjacent spots.

Create mini wet-lie drills: Pour a small amount of water on a practice area, or practice on low areas of the green that stay saturated. Get used to how the club reacts and what swing changes produce solid contact.

Use a dry towel rotation: Wet hands or grips will ruin your feel and control. Keep two towels in your bag — one for your hands, one for your clubs — and rotate them throughout the round.

Stay mentally steady: Accept that wet lies increase unpredictability. Instead of fearing them, approach each one as a problem to solve — and trust that good setup, smart club selection, and compact technique can still lead to great results.

Use a wet-weather glove: For soggy days, consider keeping a pair of rain gloves in your bag. They maintain grip even when wet and can help prevent the club from slipping in your hands mid-swing.

The key to chipping off wet grass or mud is preparation and trust. You don’t need a perfect lie — you need a plan, a clean strike, and the mental calm to execute it.

Over time, what once felt like a disaster shot becomes just another opportunity to save par.

Golf Practice Plans to Follow

• How to Score in the 60’s Golf Training Plan
• How to Score in the 70’s Golf Training Plan
• How to Score in the 80’s Golf Training Plan
• All Access: Get Every Practice Plan (Lifetime Membership)

Thanks for reading today’s article!

Nick Foy – Golf Instructor