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In between distances.


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What do you do when your in between on your iron distances. Short grip? Easier swing? Shorter backswing? Mainly referring to the scoring irons and not long irons or pitch shots. I ask this because I hit my PW about 105-110 and my 9 about 125. If I'm about 115-120 out, sometimes I shortgrip which ends up in a pull once in awhile and sometimes I shorten my backswing which ends up going the full distance. Lightening up has the worse effect since it ruins my tempo.

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I usually use a shorter backswing, but I hear what you are saying about pulling them at times. That usually happens to me when I speed my tempo way up which happens when I really concentrate on a smaller backswing, rather than just 'feeling' a shorter shot.

Something I've been playing with some is the shortened follow thru that Tiger described in that "Playing with Tiger" special or whatever that was where A.K. actually hit the shots because Tiger was still hurt. Cut off the follow thru around your chest and it keeps the ball lower, and thus it travels a shorter distance.
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3Wood - X 3W Stock Stiff Callaway Graphite Shaft
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I usually take the club that would be short and hit an aggressive punch shot with a steep backswing for a little extra bite, If I try to swing easy on the club that would normally be long....not good usually.

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In the OP's situation, I'd slam the PW.

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What do you do when your in between on your iron distances. Short grip? Easier swing? Shorter backswing? Mainly referring to the scoring irons and not long irons or pitch shots. I ask this because I hit my PW about 105-110 and my 9 about 125. If I'm about 115-120 out, sometimes I shortgrip which ends up in a pull once in awhile and sometimes I shorten my backswing which ends up going the full distance. Lightening up has the worse effect since it ruins my tempo.

Long answer: I don't really have any "in between distances". I can safely cover my "gaps" by adjusting the shot type. I prefer to hit my PW 130 and my 9 iron 140. But I can hit either club 135. I don't have a pre-determined shot if I end up 135 from the pin. It varies hole to hole. Depending on all kinds of things... the lie, angle to the pin, pin placement, wind, shot shape, where the trouble is, where a 'good' miss is, etc...

Short answer: I'd feel better taking a little more club and hitting a controlled shot vs taking less club and over-swinging.

driver: FT-i tlcg 9.5˚ (Matrix Ozik XCONN Stiff)
4 wood: G10 (ProLaunch Red FW stiff)
3 -PW: :Titleist: 695 mb (Rifle flighted 6.0)
wedges:, 52˚, 56˚, 60˚
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Take one club more and hit hit a high cut. It's a shot I love, even if I only hit it well maybe 2/3 of the time and as I envision it maybe 50%. When I pull it off I look like a genius. When I f' up, well, it explains why my handicap isn't lower.
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When I need to take something off my distance. I usually aim left and open the club face slightly and this works for me. My golf buddy chokes up and swing as usual and this takes distance off the club also. Try different methods and see what is repeatable for your swing.

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What do you do when your in between on your iron distances. Short grip? Easier swing? Shorter backswing? Mainly referring to the scoring irons and not long irons or pitch shots. I ask this because I hit my PW about 105-110 and my 9 about 125. If I'm about 115-120 out, sometimes I shortgrip which ends up in a pull once in awhile and sometimes I shorten my backswing which ends up going the full distance. Lightening up has the worse effect since it ruins my tempo.

There are a couple answers to this.

Suppose, for the sake of argument, that you hit your PW 110 every time and 9-Iron 125 each time. Then, if you're 120 to a front pin, you hit 9-iron. 120 to a back pin is a PW. Either way, you're likely in 2-putt range. But you probably don't hit your PW 110 each time. You probably hit it 110 most of the time, but maybe 105-107 if you don't catch it right. And maybe you sometimes hit it absolutely flush and it's 115 yards. Similar adjustments occur with your 9-iron. So, the question isn't "which club and swing lands this ball in the cup", but rather "which club's likely shot dispersion gives me the best value for expected number of remaining shots to finish the hole?" When I "go for" a back pin, I hit the club that will get me there if I hit it absolutely solid , but will otherwise likely leave me in the middle of the green. If it's in the front, similar idea: pick the club that will take you to the middle of the green if you hit it absolutely solid - that's a good place to be, and if you mis-hit it, you're not only still on the green, but probably close to the pin. I realize it's a little perverse to have a potentially better result from a mis-hit : try to keep that out of your head when swinging. Alternately, how much distance do you gain or lose due to a fade or draw with each club? For example, if you hit your 9 iron 125, how far do you hit it, in absolute distance from you, on a fade? How about PW on a draw? If this is, say, +/- 5 yards, then play the draw or fade that will get you there (while still leaving the possible "straight shot" in a good position). Remember to never curve a ball towards trouble, nor start it such that not turning over puts it in water.

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Driver:  Titleist 915D2.  4-wood:  Titleist 917F2.  Titleist TS2 19 degree hybrid.  Another hybrid in here too.  Irons 5-U, Ping G400.  Wedges negotiable (currently 54 degree Cleveland, 58 degree Titleist) Edel putter. 

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I like in between shots.

I take more club, shorten my backswing a little, and just don't swing quite as hard.

The key is to make sure you still accelerate through the shot; just because you aren't swinging full speed doesn't mean you aren't accelerating.

Dave Pelz has a good description of the idea in his Short Game Bible. He talks about the clock system for wedge distances, but I think it applies to filling gaps between other clubs, too (and also for low punch shots you need to keep under the trees, etc).

The way Pelz describes it is if you keep the same tempo with a shortened backswing, the swing speed will be slower, and the ball will fly a predictable distance shorter. And you can still keep everything else about the swing the same. Works for me.

I don't change my shot shape or anything, I just change my swing speed and use a little feel and creativity.
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work on the 9 to 3 drill at the range and partial swings become much easier. When I swing too hard I come over the top and pull the ball so I take the larger clube and shorten my backswing typically
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Unless there is serious trouble long, I take the longer club and use a normal swing. That way, if I mis-hit it, the ball will still get there. Keep in mind that I'm a 17 handicap (index). I do have some other shots in the bag for special occasions, but in most situations I can use a normal swing.

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Depends on where I'd prefer to miss the ball, what the wind might do, how the greens are holding, what trajectory I'd like to use, and a bunch of other factors.

In still wind a few days ago I hit a 7-iron from 145 on one hole and an 8-iron from 165.

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But you probably don't hit your PW 110 each time. You probably hit it 110 most of the time, but maybe 105-107 if you don't catch it right. And maybe you sometimes hit it absolutely flush and it's 115 yards. Similar adjustments occur with your 9-iron.

Excellent post.

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I look to see where my shot is most likely to go with the regular swing of each club. If I'd rather miss the target long, I'll take the bigger club and vice-versa. My lack of ability will take care of the easy/ hard swing part.

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When I'm inbetween, it depends on how high I want that shot to go, how aggressively I'm swinging, and the day. If you're having problems pulling with a choked club, it's probably that you're not setting up properly with a shorter club. You need more flex at the hips, and knees and your balance needs to be readjusted. If you're pulling, it's because you're coming up and out of it at impact, very easy to do with a club too short for you. Gotta stay down through the shot and finish the swing. If it's too uncomfortable, I suggest you learn to shorten your backswing. A quick transition to swinging easier might mess with your tempo, that requires time and practice.
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My dad used to say that if you don't occasionally hit is past the pin, you are not taking enough club. He used to play with guys who would never be behind the pin. They would be short of the green, then chip up short of the pin, then put short of the hole, then tap in. He felt that if they only took one more club on every hole, they would be lots of shots lower.

907D2 driver and 906D4 3 wood
Idea Pro Gold 3 4 5 hybrids
Apex Plus 6 7 8 9 E irons
900 52 gap 56 sand 60 lob wedges
Rossa Suzuka Putter

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Regardless of other factors (wind, lie, pin position, best place to miss, etc.) the swing speed is the same. I will usually take the longer club, choke down, and use a shorter back swing. By doing this I can maintain my swing consistency and have better distance control. Although there are certain situations when it just feels right to take the shorter club and try and hit it hard.

I will judge my rounds much more by the quality of my best shots than the acceptability of my worse ones.

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Note: This thread is 5404 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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