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Need help on Approach Shots


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Thank you guys for all the helpful advice so far...

Also I should mention that my most common mis hit with these shots are usually fat ones. They aren't super fat where they go like 10 yards, but it It causes me to lose distance and land short of the target where sand bunkers are usually placed

The drills @Club Rat suggested are helpful.  I work on trying to make consistent solid contact on the range (using the 5 simple keys as a guide).  On the course, I focus the same way.  I select the club, visualize the shot and only focus on making good contact.  If I start letting other thoughts creep in, I can struggle too.

Scott

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I like Club Rat's answer.  Lots of practice at that yardage is essential for good scoring.  I'll add to the idea of being aggressive.  Make sure you aren't taking too much club and trying to swing easy or execute a distance control swing.  If you know your distances, then pick the club that allows for your best, aggressive swing and go with that club.

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A pretty good golfer told me when I first started playing "The closer to the green you get the more aggressive you need to be. Most golfers play just the opposite of that. They are aggressive off of the tee and get more and more tentative with each shot after that." At the time it really didn't sink in because I couldn't understand how I could be "more aggressive" with most short game shots. Eventually it dawned on me that I could be aggressive even with the most simple running chip. It's more of a mindset to accelerate through the ball with confidence than the actual club head speed through the ball,

By more aggressive, do you mean with your swing? Or more aggressive toward the flag stick?

- Jered

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By more aggressive, do you mean with your swing? Or more aggressive toward the flag stick?

Generally speaking, more aggresive with your swing. That's not to say you should try to swing out of your shoes every time you're holding a pitching wedge. Just that you want to make sure you're accelerating all the way through the ball. Bad things happen when you decelerate on the downswing.

Tyler Martin

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Thank you guys for all the helpful advice so far...

Also I should mention that my most common mis hit with these shots are usually fat ones. They aren't super fat where they go like 10 yards, but it It causes me to lose distance and land short of the target where sand bunkers are usually placed


Fat shots as you described are common of club path (swing - arc of swing) club descending into the target (ball on ground) at a steep angle.

A couple of scenarios: ball position in stance, level of stance, and wet turf conditions

If ball position in stance is back (closer to right foot) then arc of swing will most likely be steep. For correction, move ball to center of stance position.

Level stance versus upgrade stance. When approach play is not on level turf, then adjustments of shoulders must be made. Typically, player who does not adjust does two things in the swing. 1 - weight does not transfer to left side (swing path is now usually steep and fat shots occur) 2 - Hips do not open causing swing path inside-out, the results are typically shots to the right, hosel shots and chunks.

Wet turf conditions are a difficult shot to execute when stance is not level.

Club Rat

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By more aggressive, do you mean with your swing? Or more aggressive toward the flag stick?

Not really. Like geauxforbroke said, I mean more aggressive with the shot you are trying to hit whatever that shot may be. It may well be the safest or highest percentage shot.

That's what confused me when I heard it. I equated aggressive ball striking with aggressive course management, aggressive club selection, and aggressive shot type instead of considering them entirely separate things.

The same guy that told me to be more aggressive the closer I got to the green also told me I was falling too much in love with flop shots, too many high spinning shots, and was going at too many pins.

Those statements seemed contradictory to me until I understood that he meant aggressive through the ball whether it was a 100 yard shot or a 5 yard chip to a downhill green and to pick the smartest shot and then commit to it aggressively.

~~BTW. I still mess up "easy" shots around the greens and almost without exception as soon as I do it I realize I wasn't aggressive on the shot, and was tentative about it.

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Not really. Like geauxforbroke said, I mean more aggressive with the shot you are trying to hit whatever that shot may be. It may well be the safest or highest percentage shot. That's what confused me when I heard it. I equated aggressive ball striking with aggressive course management, aggressive club selection, and aggressive shot type instead of considering them entirely separate things. The same guy that told me to be more aggressive the closer I got to the green also told me I was falling too much in love with flop shots, too many high spinning shots, and was going at too many pins. Those statements seemed contradictory to me until I understood that he meant aggressive through the ball whether it was a 100 yard shot or a 5 yard chip to a downhill green and to pick the smartest shot and then commit to it aggressively. ~~BTW. I still mess up "easy" shots around the greens and almost without exception as soon as I do it I realize I wasn't aggressive on the shot, and was tentative about it.

So by aggressive you mean accelerate through impact. That, to me, is every shot; not just approach shots. An aggresive swing to me is swinging hard(which usually is from the top) which never ends good. :-)

- Jered

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So by aggressive you mean accelerate through impact. That, to me, is every shot; not just approach shots. An aggresive swing to me is swinging hard(which usually is from the top) which never ends good.

There's big difference in swinging hard and swinging aggressively . Accelerating through the ball doesn't mean that you have to swing any faster, have a quicker take away, or faster transition. It simply means that the club head is constantly accelerating on the downswing, even if the club head speed at impact isn't extremely high.

Tyler Martin

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So by aggressive you mean accelerate through impact. That, to me, is every shot; not just approach shots. An aggresive swing to me is swinging hard(which usually is from the top) which never ends good.

Being aggressive on a shot is slightly different than simply to accelerate through impact, although that's a main feature of it. It includes a level of mental commitment beyond just acceleration.

I suppose it's so nuanced that to say accelerate through impact is close enough for internet purposes. :-D

BTW. Swinging at the ball from the top is a killer. In my mind the swing doesn't start until I drop to the lower plane (although I don't quite get there). That first part of the downswing is more like a continuation of the back swing with the lower body having already started leading the way.

If I wanted to throw a submarine pitch my arm would go back like a back swing, my lower body would start while my arm dropped into position, and only then would I power through the throw. No matter how hard I intended to throw that ball the mechanics are the same. They have to be. If I tried to make that submarine throw "from the top" I would throw the ball directly into the ground.

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Note: This thread is 3731 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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