While John Daly is best known for his power off the tee, there’s a lot more to his game than just distance.
Across nearly a decade, Daly led the PGA Tour in driving distance and earned a reputation for blasting the ball further than anyone else. But what fans often overlook is how good he was around the greens.
Daly developed his touch in some tough conditions early on. Growing up playing on bare football fields with hardly any grass, he learned quickly that having solid technique was essential if he wanted to compete.
That came through during his Open Championship win at St Andrews in 1995. It wasn’t just his length that stood out; it was the way he navigated those firm greens with smart play and sharp putting.
These days, Daly’s one-handed chipping routine has become a signature part of his practice. He’s said it helps him focus on an aspect of the short game that even Tiger Woods hasn’t always nailed down.
John Daly’s chipping advice for Tiger Woods
Photo by Steven Garcia/Getty Images
When asked about his one-handed chipping drill, where he practises shots around the green using only his left hand, Daly said it was designed to fix something he believes Woods has struggled with throughout his career.
Speaking to the Golf Channel, Daly explained: “I’ve tried to reach out to Tiger a lot of times with his chipping when it went bad. You can’t chip when your shoulder’s up. How that left shoulder gets up on him, you can’t drive into the chip.”
Daly added: “So the blessing for me has always been the left arm chipping, but look at the left shoulder. It always stays low through impact. Once that shoulder stays low through impact, all you’ve got to do is change the loft of the club to hit a flop or to hit it low or whatever.”
Daly replied: “Changing golf clubs and of course changing loft.
“I mean, this is a 50. I hit that really low, but I can lean a little left, open the face up, come a little more get up a little bit high side and in because it’s a wedge and then flop it a little bit.”
The simplicity of Daly’s approach also stands out because there are plenty of players who end up overloaded with technical thoughts around the greens.
Why John Daly’s advice made sense
Woods was never known for his short game. In 2006, he was picking up over two strokes per round with his irons alone, so he never really needed to lean on his chipping when everything else was working.
He didn’t have a single season where he gained more than one stroke around the green and 2015 ended up being the worst of them. Woods dropped 0.87 strokes around the greens that year and had a tough time at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, struggling with chip shots all week.
Daly’s assessment held up again there too: Woods’ left shoulder moved upward through impact on many of those bladed chips.
If Daly’s advice could help someone like Woods, it’s worth considering for anyone looking to tidy up their own short game.
