Jordan Spieth’s coach says 1 thing changed his short game. It’s a ‘don’t-do’ tip

Cameron McCormick made one small move with his left foot, from backward to square with his right foot. 

And the result?

It’s a bold statement. 

“This one thing,” he said, “changed my chipping and pitching game forever.”

He was talking via a video posted this week to his Instagram account, which has become a treasure trove for swing advice. Of note, Jordan Spieth’s longtime coach has recently dished on “a short-game death move.” And seven “roadblocks” to avoid in order to be great. And “a No. 1 swing killer” for amateurs. At the least, McCormick has a touch for catchy headlines, and his latest was the quote from the paragraph above. 

And the one thing that changed his chipping and pitching game forever?

McCormick said he moved his stance from a closed setup (with his left foot back) to a squared set-up (with his left moved back forward). If you’re a left-handed player, this would all be for your right foot. 

“It’s a don’t-do-this type of recommendation,” McCormick said on the video. “I don’t want you to stand open.”

Why?

“It leaves your body pressure and therefore your mass too much on your trail foot,” McCormick said on the video, “causing you to hit the ground early.”

And the adjustment?

“I want you to square your stance up,” McCormick said on the video. “It’s going to give you solid contact time and time again.”

The takeaway? It’s worth a shot. Would McCormick also encourage you to play your own game? Of course. 

But while you’re here, and you’re in the market for some more short-game knowledge, we know a place:

Here. 

Where you can find a story on a “glue” drill, from GOLF’s Nick Dimengo, through GOLF Top 100 Teacher Brech Spradley.

And a story on a secret to lofting chip shots over hazards, from GOLF Top 100 Teacher Carol Preisinger. 

And a story on a simple key to executing chip shots when under pressure, from Parker McLachlin, a GOLF Top 100 Teacher to Watch,.    

And a story on how to “shave off up to 10 shots” by mastering chips from tight lies, from Dimengo, through GOLF Top 100 Teacher Kevin Sprecher.

And a story on a “safer” option around the greens, from Dimengo, through GOLF Top 100 Teacher Trillium Rose.

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Nick Piastowski

Golf.com Editor

Nick Piastowski is a Senior Editor at Golf.com and Golf Magazine. In his role, he is responsible for editing, writing and developing stories across the golf space. And when he’s not writing about ways to hit the golf ball farther and straighter, the Milwaukee native is probably playing the game, hitting the ball left, right and short, and drinking a cold beer to wash away his score. You can reach out to him about any of these topics — his stories, his game or his beers — at nick.piastowski@golf.com.