Short Game Swing Thought

Personally, I have my chipping motion pretty grooved and I have little trouble with pitches. Any time I hit bad ones it's always due to bad contact, especially fat or thin. Usually I have no trouble from the rough or sand as long as I commit to the shot, it's usually on tight lies I hit the worst ones.

My trick to hitting better ones is the same though I use for putting; I focus both eyes on the back of the ball, not taking my eyes off the back row of dimples or moving my head until the ball is halfway to the hole, really focusing on perfect contact. It's also worth finishing your motion, whether you hold off the club or swing through.

I visualize the trajectory I want to achieve while keeping a smooth, fluid, rythmic tempo.

Here is something that works for me, this is a green side system.

Look at where your ball is and how far the pin is on the green, if the pin is in front then you have a shot which has more air time less ground time so you would use a 60* wedge for that shot.

If you had a pin that was in the middle of the green then you would have a shot that is 50/50 so I would use a pitching wedge

If you had a pin that was in the back of the green you would have less air time and more ground time so I would use a 7 iron.

Use different clubs and just experiment around with this making different shots and see what works best for you.

I doubt this would help anyone else but me, but lately I've been using my right hand (my trail hand) to cock the club up faster in my backswing. Prior to a few days ago, I used only the strength of my left (lead) hand to cock up the club on every shot. If you've seen my swing thread, you can see that I have somewhat of a late wrist set, and I get into that Steve Strickerish position at A2 and A2.5 (and not in a good way, and there are some other reasons I get into that position, but I won't get into that here). For essentially all shots, I've just used my left hand -- backswing wrist set, downswing wrist bowing... By adding the right hand into the mix, I've found its a lot easier to get set, so I can use more speed with a shorter greenside swing. 

Anyway, it's a feel for me, so who really knows if it'd help anyone else. Just thought I'd share.

Well, not everyone can effectively play a log wedge off hard pan, near the green, on a downslope to the pin. Why? 

For me it's lack of confidence and past experience. So my solution to all such difficulties is to play the shot, use whatever club, i have the most confidence in.  When faced with above situation maybe the putter is best for me. If i have doubts, it's gonna fail.  Gotta let my ego go. 

For many golfers the flatter faced club around the green is the way to go for results. Rather than any wedge use the 8 iron. But learn to control that club.

See here for some good round the green tips 

http://www.golfmagic.com/chipping-tips/learn-from-sir-nick-faldo-chipping/6627.html

Quote:

Originally Posted by dkling8 

What is your "go-to" swing thought for your favorite short game shot?

 

I bring this up because I've been practicing using the bounce more in almost all of my short game shots. I've been keeping an eye on the "Quickie Pitching Video" and related threads to try to ingrain the proper feel to hit this shot. I always understood the concept of using the bounce for extra forgiveness, but it just never worked for me for some reason. I felt like I would hit pitches fat and thin just as often as before. I always felt like I was thinking about too many things...how to shift weight, how much wrist hinge, how outside or inside my takeaway was, etc. 

 

Today I tried thinking about one simple thing: Set up with the handle SLIGHTLY ahead of the ball at address, and return the handle to SLIGHTLY ahead of the ball at impact.

 

As long as the ball is just forward of center, the bounce has to work for me. I can screw up everything else about my swing, but this single swing thought puts my club in a position at impact that gives me the forgiveness promised from using the bounce. This is probably what all the "bounce advocates" have been saying all along, but sometimes it takes condensing 10 thoughts into 1 for the point to get across.

 

What's your single short game thought that you always go back to when you start hitting bad ones?

Until you develop above average "feel" for short game shots, in my opinion, the best rule is to use the lowest lofted club you can that will clear the lip of the green by three feet. In other words, instead of trying to hit a lob wedge from 30 yards with 25 yards of green to work with, let a 6 or 7 iron shot run up to the pin. The less loft, the less sidespin you'll get. Just get a feel for distance control. This rule also means putt whenever you can. I can't count how many times I've been on a practice green watching people chip for a half hour from 3-5 feet off the green to a pin 40+ away with a sand wedge. Why? Unless your wedge grooves are like sandpaper and you make perfect contact, a putter will ALWAYS serve you better.  

My swing thought is simple, trust the loft of the club and swing down on the ball to make sure to hit it solid.  My go to shot is the flop.  I have to brag on this one, I've been in several severely downhill lies to the pin up front this last year, and have hit a perfect shot to put it within 3ft every time.  It's practice and trusting the club to put the ball in the air the way you want it to.

Mine is clearing my mind of all things i don't want to have happen, and focus totally on what i want to have happen, and the feeling of past shots similar to the one i have that turned out good. Because if i get a thought of, "Don't chunk it," i will skull it, "Dont skull it", i will chunk it. So if i think that, just back away, clear the mind, and focus on a good shot. 

When I practice, my swing thought is weight forward while keeping my left knee flexed.  During a round, I think about the target landing area.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mmoan2 

 

Until you develop above average "feel" for short game shots, in my opinion, the best rule is to use the lowest lofted club you can that will clear the lip of the green by three feet. In other words, instead of trying to hit a lob wedge from 30 yards with 25 yards of green to work with, let a 6 or 7 iron shot run up to the pin. The less loft, the less sidespin you'll get. Just get a feel for distance control. This rule also means putt whenever you can. I can't count how many times I've been on a practice green watching people chip for a half hour from 3-5 feet off the green to a pin 40+ away with a sand wedge. Why? Unless your wedge grooves are like sandpaper and you make perfect contact, a putter will ALWAYS serve you better.  

Oh, as to my "thought..." Hit it within 5 feet to 1 putt. Expect to do it because I do it on the range 60% of the time. If only I could muster that kind of confidence for a 195 approach shot from the rough!