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Using a 54 for all greenside shots ......

post #1 of 6
7/24/11 at 8:11am
Thread Starter 

I have tried about all short irons/wedges near the green, there have been weeks I was lethal with a 8i ...... getting most shots within 3-4 ft. from the hole ..... some even in the hole (but that is luck of course ...... so in mind that is about the same as close enough), there have also been weeks that none of these low bouncing and running/rolling came anywhere close enough the 1-putt ...... I also went through some sets in the last half year and with varying lofts .... I kinda lost my short play and feel of playing the low rolling chip that could be so reliable, that I didn't bother much if I missed a green as my scrambling was near perfect.

 

I have been practicing with several irons, to regain my scrambling ...... but till a few weeks ago it never was like last year.

 

I threw my thoughts away with playing all short play with several irons and dedicated my practice to different shots with one wedge only. In my case I use a 54/11 wedge for about all my short play now and vary the trajectory by hinge or firm wrists and ball position.

 

Try to land the ball closer to the hole now and be less depending on roll, as roll can be quite different from condition to condition.

 

The most difficult for me is a low bouncing shot with about 50 roll with the 54/11 wedge 

 

...... any thoughts to get this under control ?

 

I am also considering a 60 degree wedge now ....... mainly for bunkers with deep steep walls, I know they are told to be hard to control, but that sounds as people telling what other people tell......

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post #2 of 6
7/24/11 at 8:25am

Including my pitching wedge I have 5 wedges in my bag. A PW wedge which is 45*, and then a 52*, 56*, 60*, and a 68*. I use all of them multiple times on the course. The 60* and 68* are not hard clubs to use, you just have to remember to use the same fundamentals as your other wedges. If you start finessing the ball with these clubs you can get into some trouble but for anything over a half swing I can be very deadly with these clubs. If you have flipping issues though you will really struggle with the high degree wedges. I love them, the 60* I can hit around 65 yards with a smooth swing and the 68* about 45 yards. I got the 68* as a joke club for some fun but was shocked how fun and useful it has been.

 

Are you referring to a shot with around 50 feet of roll or 50% air time, 50% roll?

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post #3 of 6
7/24/11 at 8:43am
Thread Starter 

for 50 ft. of roll ...... I might use a putter a2_wink.gif

 

I meant 50% air and 50% roll (or even a higher percentage of roll) chip with the 54 wedge.......

 

Currently I try this with playing from just inside the right ankle, hands before the ball, weight 70% on the front (left) foot troughout the whole stroke, firm wrists..... some are great, some pop in the air a bit too much, land softly and roll too less.

 

I have no problems doing this with let's say a 7i, but like I said I rather would like to have to be able to control 1 wedge to the finesse, than having this shot with a 7i, the next with a 9i and another with the 54....... using one wedge for all these shots, makes chosing the right club as easy as can be.

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post #4 of 6
7/24/11 at 9:18pm

I pretty much use a 60 for all pitches/chips and have pulled off any shot I need with it at one time or another.  I've gotten much better at opening up the face and being able to put the ball where I want it and I attribute that to not fiddling with a bunch of different wedges.  A 60 degree wedge is no more difficult to master than any other club in your bag....its still a golf club and it still takes practice. 

 

I know after 3 years of dedicating myself to JUST the 60(even though there still are rare instances where i might bump a pitching wedge up and let it run through the collar or use a 54 for the same purpose) for all short game stuff that when I get it in my hand...I have a great shot at an easy putt and at worst a decent shot to hole a longer putt. 

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post #5 of 6
7/24/11 at 10:36pm

My 60* is pretty much my "missed-the green-in-regulation" club and I use it for almost everything less than 30 yards to the green.  The only exceptions are bunkers and when the ball is sitting well in heavy rough where I favor my SW.  I'm working on my bump-and-run with a 7i but at the moment I'm more reliable with a 60* within 30 yards.

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post #6 of 6
7/25/11 at 1:33am

My go-to club around the green is my 58*, and I'm much more confident with it than anything simply because I spent a year with it in my yard hitting thousands of various chips and pitches.

 

Now, I do -try- to change things up a bit depending on how much roll I have between myself in the hole.  I know the one club system is supposed to be 'Beginner's Mistake' territory. 

 

But... I don't have great results with other clubs.  It's just a matter of practice, of course.  Less confident when I'm pulling out my 8i for the first time ever on any given type of chip.

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