I suck... Need Help!

Just being honest...

A little about my game... I am, as most people claim, an athlete. HS baseball player, good at most sports, except hockey because I can't skate, and golf because... well... I'm about to tell you.

I really can't swing at 90% and expect it to go straight. So my drive average is probably more like 260-270. I don't hit fairways that often, but can usually manage to bogey or double bogey even though it's not in the fairway because it's usually playable. My irons are "ok" although I hit it fat a lot. My wedge play absolutely sucks. My putting is actually pretty good.

My handicap over there <---- is not factual. I really don't know what it is so I have made it a goal to keep track of my scores and really try to improve.

I can get up and down pretty good. For example... the 197 yard par 3 I'm about to mention later... I flew the green into the woods just behind it... chipped out with a light 7 just to hack it outta there, and two putted for a 4. That's good for me.

I played yesterday and pared the first hole. I was thinking yes! it's going to be a good day, 89 here I come!... I shot a 108.

My first goal is to break 90. I know that's almost 20 strokes but I really think most of it is my wedge play. Yesterday, I was chipping from within 15 yards. Par 5, 5th shot, one of you guys would have chipped it close and tapped in for bogey. I would have been fine with that. I chipped 4 times within those 15 yards and ended up with a 10! Come on, a 10!?!?!

I don't understand wedge play. People act like they are scared with high lofted wedges, but my best wedge is my cheapo mcgregor 64* flop wedge. I can hit that club. But my awesome vokey wedge - I suck with. It's 56/11.

I've read the tips, tried stuff on my own. People say you need a descending blow with a wedge. ok. Perhaps you open the face. Keep your hands ahead of the club. Have you thought about that? Grab your wedge. Pretend you have a ball back in your stance so you can keep your hands ahead of the club head. now open the face! That's impossible!

Sometimes I can play it back and just hack down at it like a bump and run but it still goes high... or no where - like on the par 5 where I scored a 10 cuz I kept sticking the wedge in the ground and moving the ball 3 feet.

How do I get under a wedge? And if the ball is back and my hands are ahead... doesn't that deloft the wedge? Can I not just sweep under it and get it up in the air for a little 10 yard pitch? I hate golf... LOL, I'm kidding I love it which is why I'm so frustrated.

Also, when you say how long you can hit a club... you mean off the deck right? I use a 6 iron on a 197 yard par 3 because I can use a tee... off the deck it's more like 175ish.

oops, that got long, but if you can read 30 pages of the guy who wants to tour you can read my 1 page book!

Thanks in advance!

Considering I am in the other thread, I feel obligated to help you (for as much I can).

So, just a quick question. What do you chip with? Do you solely use the 64* for pitching & chipping?

The best tip I can give you is to research chipping technique and practice, practice, practice. I used to get stuck in the grass all the time just like you, but after hitting the practice area for several weeks, I now get up and down at least 25% of the time. I am in a fairly similar situation as you, so although I am far from being an expert, I can at least share what works for me with you. I have quickly learned (through research and practice) that chipping is easier for me than pitching. Even over obstacles and hazards. For example, that 10 yard pitch you are talking about? If there's no obstacle to fly over, I'd much rather take a 7I or 9I, chip softly and let it roll to the hole. Direction is easy to manage and at most I'll be 8 feet short or long. If there a slight uphill rough in between and only 5y of green, I'll switch to a 56*, open the club face a bit, but still keep the same chipping motion.
Breaking 90 is, in my opinion, all about managing risk. Use the simplest shot you can that leaves you in the best position with acceptable risk. So, a 30y greenside bunker shot for me would often lead to a little chip to the fairway (>90% of succes). At most I lose one shot this way. If I try to be a hero and splash it all the way out to the green (25% chance), I can be left with a second bunker shot (50% chance) or skull it over the green (25% chance).. So, 75% of the time I lost a shot and still be left in a similar or worse situation.

Video about improving chipping technique: http://www.videojug.com/film/golf-ho...ping-technique
Here's a video with chipping practice drills: http://www.videojug.com/film/golf-ch...ractice-drills
Also, this is a pretty good video of how to perform lob shots: http://www.videojug.com/film/golf-the-lob-shot

Thanks Zappa! haha, I thought the guilt trip might work!

I want to be able to chip with the 56 because there are times when it doesn't need to go high. It just needs to clear about 8 to 10 feet and run up there, ya know? I guess I could hit the 64 and flop it up there but I'd rather learn to use the 56 than alway rely on a lob shot which might not always be the right shot.

Thanks for your help! I will check out the videos!

never heard of video jug till now... nice!

I edited my first post, so you may want to read it again to read the rest.

Like I said in that post, I'd try chipping with all your clubs and learn about how they behave. Some people don't like that method and stick with one club, but I feel that leaves fewer options. Personally I think the bump-n-run is easiest to execute if the situation allows for it, so I will chip with as low a club as the situation allows for. I'll chip with a 7I from 30y if I can... I'd much rather to that than try to lob it with a 56* (I don't have a lob wedge).

Videojug is great. Rickard is a good video teacher. You should definitely check out all the video's.

Based on your description of you skying a 197 yard par-3, I believe you when you say your driver goes 260 or so. That's obviously very good.

Chipping and pitching well involves a variety of factors, the most important one being technique obviously. You use a narrow stance which you can either play with an open, square or even closed stance if you want. Most people choose to be either open or square to their target line.

You need to make clean contact with the ball while still being able to accelerate the club head through the impact zone- that means don't take a big backswing, realize in a split second that it's too long, and then slow down on the downswing to compensate for it. That's where the duff that goes four feet in front of you usually comes from. Take a shorter backswing. You must accelerate through the ball at impact and make clean contact to be able to be consistent.

If you're using a hard-cover distance ball, the short game will be slightly more difficult to control for you. Distance balls release a lot once they land on the green, so you basically just have to account for this more often than you would with like a Pro-V1.

When you're chipping (shots on the fringe or close to the green in a good lie) and you have a lot of green to work with, it's always best to just put that 64 degree club away and grab an 8-iron, 9-iron, or PW. Less loft there means the ball will land pretty quickly and start rolling like a putt. For these, you want to get in your narrow stance and use a stroke that keeps your wrists quiet. Imagine that you're putting, basically.

Anyway, hope that helps. Make sure you really know the proper technique for pitching and chipping before hitting up the practice range and working on stuff. After a while, you'll gain experience in understanding how much of a backswing determines how far the ball the goes, etc. and you'll be able to apply this to lower scores at the course. Oh, and for those 30+ yard pitch shots from the rough, you turn your hips in the follow through to get whatever extra power you need to get it there.

chipping is all about getting the ball rolling on the green as quick as possible. So that doesn't always mean use your sw or xw. Many pros use their short irons and pw to chip with. I also do this, because it get the ball on the green rolling alot quicker than a higher lofted club. This will give you more accuracy, because they are much eaiser to chip with than a high lofted club. To chip like this, i like to keep my feet together with a bit of an open stance. Then play the ball off your back foot, and swing the club like you would a putter, with NO wrist action. This is a very easy to do, and will make you more consistant.

Oh yea, I forgot to mention to forward press your club at address when chipping, but the video Zappa provided covers that. It encourages that you make a downward blow on the ball.

And obviously you can't chip from the rough with like an 8-iron. You need more loft to get it out.

Dude... Your in my favorite state for golf. I've only played one course in alabama I wouldn't recommend and that was still better than a lot of muni courses up here. So at least you're in a great area for golf. And I'm glad your as enthusiastic as you are. It usually means you'll work to get better.

You posted a lot of stuff so I'm going to be as thorough as I can.

Now I don't know what your putting is like but my theory is that everyone can improve on putting. Personally I set up a little plastic practice hole in basement. I figure the carpet is pretty close a green for straight puts. But I practice every day for atleast 20 minutes. Start out at 4 feet, once you can make 9 out of ten there go back to six feet. I go all the way out to 12 feet and then I do the same when I go the practice greens. The theory here is to get to where if you can place the ball with in a certain distance then you are confident you can make the putt.

Second, read up on pitching the ball and chipping the ball. Don't get too fancy with it. I don't care if a chip or lob looks pretty if I can't get close or there's not enough green and I'm at a reasonable place to do so then I'll often pull the putter out to try and get close. Come to think of it I made my only birdie this weekend with my putter from 8 feet off of the green on a fairly flat area. The putter can be easier to control. Now if there is a steep slope or a false edge then I would go for wedge shot. But know your limitations.

Third, a lot of players today have these big drivers that they can't hit straight. I try to play my driver as much as possible but when I'm not sure if I can set my self up properly because of the trajectory of my usual drive or if I'm just not hitting it how I want to, I'll put it away and go with a 3 or 5 wood. Its better to hit a club you position yourself with than to just grip and rip with no hope of controlling it.

Going along with that, play your trajectory. If you draw or fade the ball consistently then play it. Alot of players, including tour players play their trajectories like that.

Lastly, slow down your thinking a bit. Before you focus on breaking 90 get to where you can break 100 consistently then set your sights on 95. What my coach told me when I was starting was pick a score that is realistic and challenging for each hole and set your goals accordingly. I started doing this and my projected goal went very quickly from 104 to 85. You have to remember to slow down though. Don't go get a par on the fifth and then set your sights on a score for the entire round. Set your goal for the next hole. Think of how you're going to strategically play it.

Of course as a standard response I recommend lessons and that may fix your flaws if have them. But ultimately I think the things I suggested would benefit you more.

You can't??? And to think, I've been getting close doing just that for years.

My bad

Thanks for the help guys. I think I will indeed try some chipping with a PW to 7i. I often use the 7i to poke it out of the woods and stuff... I'll try that.

I guess it seems like getting from a 108 to an 89 seems like a pretty big jump, I just think I can do it if I can get the short game going. Because that's where I blow it. Thanks for the help everyone.

We do have lots of nice courses... and I'm blessed to have one of the acclaimed Robert Trent Jones courses here in Huntsville. And I will indeed work to get better...

Looking back, I bet I could have gotten that 15 yard chip up there with a 7i or PW instead of duffing it 4 times with a SW and ending up with a 10. Why didn't you tell me that before I went out there!

One more tip... Don't look back. Look forward to how you'll do next time.

great point!

i use my 8 iron A LOT when im chipping too. depending on how far im off the green and how far it has to roll, i will use anything from a 6i down to chip with

I will definitely work on chipping with the irons... but when DO you guys use your wedge? Up hill lie? got a carry a bunker?

it just depends on so many factors. if i dont have much green to work with and i have to go over a bunker, yes, i will definitely use a wedge. whenever there isnt much green to work with, that is when wedges come into play. but, thats not the ONLY time they come into play though. it just depends.... sorry about being so vague, but there are just too many to mention