
Min Woo Lee is one of the best in the game when it comes to chipping around the green.
Calling himself “Dr Chipinski”, Lee has been among the top 2% of players on tour in strokes gained around the green. He was also the most efficient scrambler from 10-20 yards on the PGA Tour this year.
In 2025, he picked up 0.49 strokes per round with his short game, and during his first PGA Tour win, he gained a full stroke around the greens.
For amateur golfers, improving your short game can lead to fast progress because of how often approach shots miss the fairway. And when it comes to learning how to get up and down from just off the green, there aren’t many better examples than Lee.
Amateurs often fall into the trap of repeating the same shot or always working from a perfect lie. But out on the course, those ideal conditions are rare. The reality is, you’re more likely to face tricky lies than perfect ones.
Lee believes practising from difficult positions is far more valuable than repeating standard shots. He says his chipping improved when he started to challenge himself with tougher situations.
Speaking on Callaway Golf’s YouTube, he explained: “I think the main thing you guys have to practice is on tough lies. I did that as a kid all my life.
“I put myself in lies like this (divots) because you know there’s going to be nice lies. But if you make it hard it’s going to be easy when you get the easy lies.
The Chef is in the kitchen . Watch Min Woo Lee get his first taste of the new Opus SP wedges. pic.twitter.com/SdTwW6uygG
— Callaway Golf Europe (@CallawayGolfEU) October 30, 2025
“(Points at ball in a divot) I know this lie is pretty terrible. It’s plugged, pretty much. You can hit it a lot of ways. I can hit it high or I can hit it low. I can get the back of it. But it’s just all practice. You’ve just got to learn how to adapt.
“Just try to make it tough, and learn. You’ve got to learn every time you put in a lie. Put yourself in amazing lies and see how it comes out too.”
When it comes to dropping shots and getting down to single digits, the stats back up just how important the short game is.
Shot Scope data shows that scratch players convert 54% of their up-and-down chances, a full 18% higher than average golfers.
That number drops as you move up in handicap. For example, a 10-handicapper gets it done only 39% of the time from within 50 yards.
And for those playing off 20, it falls even further to just 31%. Compare that with scratch players, who one-putt over half their chances in those situations. That’s a big reason why higher handicappers give away so many strokes around the green.
If you’re looking to see real progress in your scores, taking Lee’s approach and sharpening your short game could make all the difference.
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