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20' from the pin


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Okay, so you hit the ball about 20 feet from the pin, how do you handle this situation?  Right now, I usually get an iron [7 or 8 iron] and have my hands holding the club so that the club head is behind my wrists.  I come down onto the ball with a putter like swing, not sure if that's making sense.   Anyway the club head hits the ball and it pops up into the air a little with a 6 or 7' roll maybe.

I have a buddy that gets a sandwedge and just pivots [no arm swinging] his wrists to pop the ball into the air and land [hopefully] on the green.  Just curious what other techniques are out there.  My tee time is at 11:30am and I figured I'd get there an hour early to practice my short game.

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Originally Posted by zipazoid

If I'm 20 feet from the pin hopefully it's a 20 foot putt.

LOL I guess I should have clarified that you're not ;)

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Depends on the lie and the layout of the green.  There are so many variables.  Generally with a decent lie in the rough, a little pitch shot with my 58 wedge onto the green would work.  The landing spot depends on whether it is uphill or downhill.  A chip can work too.  I would use this if the lie was deeper or had a tuft of grass behind the ball.  You have to play the break like a 10 foot putt.

There are so many approaches to this shot.  I practice this one a lot.

Scott

Titleist, Edel, Scotty Cameron Putter, Snell - AimPoint - Evolvr - MirrorVision

My Swing Thread

boogielicious - Adjective describing the perfect surf wave

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20 feet? or 10 yards? 20 feet is pretty close. I prefer to use my 60°, but has been trying to incorporate my 9 iron and hitting the ball about 1/4 the way to the hole and letting it roll out. Depends on lie/location of the ball.

"My ball is on top of a rock in the hazard, do I get some sort of relief?"

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Just saw some pro on the tour use a hybrid or fairway wood.   May be worth experimenting with that concept.

From the land of perpetual cloudiness.   I'm Denny

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Originally Posted by dennyjones

Just saw some pro on the tour use a hybrid or fairway wood.   May be worth experimenting with that concept.


If I have nothing but short grass between my position and the green, I often use a 3 Hybrid and hit it just like a putt - works pretty well and I'm more accurate with that shot than trying to pitch it close to the pin.  There's also a lot less chance of chili-dipping or skulling it, compared to a chip/pitch.  I always try to play the highest percentage shot I can.

Mac

WITB:
Driver: Ping G30 (12*)
FW:  Ping K15 (3W, 5W)
Hybrids: Ping K15 (3H, 5H)
Irons: Ping K15 (6-UW)

Wedges: Cleveland 588 RTX CB (54*, 58*)

Putter: Ping Scottsdale w/ SS Slim 3.0

Ball: Bridgestone e6

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I hate to be an ass here, but 20 feet is only about 6 or 7 paces. Most pins are further than that from the edge of the green. I'd have to guess that about 95% of the time, if you are 20 feet from the pin, you are on the green. Now, 20 yards is a different discussion.
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Originally Posted by MyrtleBeachGolf

I hate to be an ass here, but 20 feet is only about 6 or 7 paces. Most pins are further than that from the edge of the green. I'd have to guess that about 95% of the time, if you are 20 feet from the pin, you are on the green. Now, 20 yards is a different discussion.

The people that set the pins must be a lot nicer in Myrtle Beach than they are around here. The norm is about 4 or 5 paces and it doesn't bother their conscience a bit to put them even closer than that (especially when there's a tournament).

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I don't think the MB courses are being generous. The USGA recommends that pins are a minimum of 15' from the edge of the greens. Using that as a guideline, I'd say 95% of the time, the flag is at least 20' from the edge. I think some of you are over estimating how far 20' is, especially when looking at it as a length on the ground, as opposed to a vertical height.
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Originally Posted by MyrtleBeachGolf

I don't think the MB courses are being generous. The USGA recommends that pins are a minimum of 15' from the edge of the greens. Using that as a guideline, I'd say 95% of the time, the flag is at least 20' from the edge.

I think some of you are over estimating how far 20' is, especially when looking at it as a length on the ground, as opposed to a vertical height.

I assure you that the courses around here that I'm talking about couldn't care less what the USGA recommends. The course Superintendant used to ride around in his cart and laugh at us and ask "how do you like the pin placements today?" He always got more of a kick out of it than we did.

BTW I spent my whole life in an industry that required me to make hundreds of measurements a day so I'm no stranger to how far 20' is.

I've seen holes actually on the false front where it was impossible to even place a ball on the ground within a yard of the hole without it rolling off of the green.

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Heh, my home course couldn't put the pin anywhere but the middle of the green if they were trying to keep it 20' from the edge.  Small greens..... just measured a couple on the course using google earth.  55 feet at the widest point, and 40 feet on average from front to back.

To answer the OP, it depends on how much green I have to work with.  If it's 10' of fringe and 10' of green, I usually usually hit my 50 degree wedge with a putting stroke.   As long as I have more green than fringe, that's my choice.  If the amount of green is less than fringe, I will hit a floppier shot with my 60... but it's not as high percentage as the 50 degree putt.

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Originally Posted by Unkynd

Heh, my home course couldn't put the pin anywhere but the middle of the green if they were trying to keep it 20' from the edge.  Small greens..... just measured a couple on the course using google earth.  55 feet at the widest point, and 40 feet on average from front to back.

To answer the OP, it depends on how much green I have to work with.  If it's 10' of fringe and 10' of green, I usually usually hit my 50 degree wedge with a putting stroke.   As long as I have more green than fringe, that's my choice.  If the amount of green is less than fringe, I will hit a floppier shot with my 60... but it's not as high percentage as the 50 degree putt.

Sounds a lot like the main course I play. Makes hitting greens in regulation entirely different.

My biggest problem when I go to other courses is that I rarely get any practice with really long putts because about 50 feet would be the longest putt possible on the course I play, and that's if we are on one side of the green and the pin is on the other side.

The greens on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail look like 5 acre fields compared to where I play and I feel like I don't have enough club to hit those 40 yard putts.

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Originally Posted by MyrtleBeachGolf

I hate to be an ass here, but 20 feet is only about 6 or 7 paces. Most pins are further than that from the edge of the green. I'd have to guess that about 95% of the time, if you are 20 feet from the pin, you are on the green. Now, 20 yards is a different discussion.

Yeah I think 20' may have been too short of a distance.  I probably should have said 10 or 15 feet from the fringe.  I guess what I was getting at is, do people try to "putt" the ball onto the green with an iron or hybrid or do they pitch it on hoping to drop it near the pin.

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If it is really smooth fairway grass, then putting with a iron or hybrid could work.  You really have to determine what the fringe grass will do and what is happening once you get on the green.  Try to practice different techniques and see what you are most comfortable with.  If it is uneven or patchy grass/dirt with little depressions, then I would chip or pitch over it to eliminate the variable.

Scott

Titleist, Edel, Scotty Cameron Putter, Snell - AimPoint - Evolvr - MirrorVision

My Swing Thread

boogielicious - Adjective describing the perfect surf wave

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  • 2 weeks later...

Most people just putt it.  If its 10 fringe and 10 green, I would putt a 60* or 52* depending on how I felt it would fall. A hard putted 60* is good for 10-15 ft depending

on how hard I hit it. If it is 18 fringe and 2 green, then I would lean towards the 60* as the 52 will roll past, then go kick the groundskeeper in the shin.

Where I play, they overwater the greens and you do not chip or pitch from the fringe unless absolutely necessary.

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Note: This thread is 3998 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

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