What do you call this shot? Bump and run, long chip, short pitch......

In one of the last scramble tournaments that I played it, I really struggled with shots under <100 yards using full or even 3/4 shots with wedges (Gap, Sand, and Lob). The tournament was three days. Day one and two were pretty disastrous on these shots and I really had a lot of trouble. One day three, the actual day that scores really counted, I decided to try and play smart golf and take higher percentage shots. A lot of shots involved clubbing up a club or two and hitting less than full swings. Basically keeping everything low and in front of me, avoiding OB left and right. One thing that I did that worked well for me was when I got inside of that magic 100 yards and in, I kept the wedges in the bag and would hit anything from a 7 iron to a PW with quarter and half swings. Basically trying to land everything short of the hole and the green and running it up on the putting surface. I definitely don't feel that a very short backswing 8 iron from 80 yards can be considered a "chip" but I also don't think it is a true bump and run because I wasn't really running it the whole way to the hole.

Basically on most of these shots I would fly the ball at least half of the way there and then let it hop, bounce, or run all the way up there. Obviously when you are running the ball across the ground you can't always count on getting the ball as close hole as possible, but I found that I got the ball on the putting surface more often than not and that allowed me to get GIR and leave myself an easier opportunity for a two put part and even a few makeable birdie puts. I know that I probably shouldn't even be concerned with what it is called if it works, but was just looking for input. It's sort of a combination of pitch (half pitch), long chip, and bump and run. Lately I have been struggling with pitches again and was at the range today basically hitting 8-PW with quarter and half shots to see what kind of distance I could get. I was hitting to a pin about 55 yards away using a 1/4 swing with my PW and generally hitting it between 50-60 yards after rollout but the percentage of shots that stayed on the practice green were way way higher than my half wedge shots that I was trying to fly there. I think if I want to score below 90, this shot is going to have to become one that I play more often than not, especially when there is a clear shot to the green. Thoughts?

Agreed. I really like this type of shot and should probably use it more often.

I got kind of good at them when I was really struggling with my irons two years ago, I would often hit half swings just to get the feeling of good contact before going back to a full swing. But I noticed that I had quite a bit of control with contact, distance and direction - even with a 5iron.

One reason I don't play this shot more is probably due to my need to work on the more lofted approach shots. But if there isn't anything but fairway to the green, or if there's a branch I have to shoot under to get to the green, it's a nice shot to be able to play.

A chip and run is generally a shorter shot from near the green. Generally, I use a 7 iron or maybe a PW to get the ball up enough to pop it onto the green, about halfway to the hole, and run the rest of the way. If it's 10-15 feet from fringe area to pin, I might use a SW.

I play the ball back in the stance slightly, and use a low takeaway and low follow-through with hands staying in front of ball.

You may have been using a pitch and run . On this shot, I use anything from a 7 iron to a GW.  This is a shot with some wrist hinge - you want to land the ball on the green and roll it to the hole. This shot works really well if you're going uphill slightly, and have green to work with.

If the ground is damp, this shot doesn't work that well. It's better then to hit a pitch and stop , landing it close to the pin.

Also, there's a punch and run . This a good shot from 50 to 80 yards out , especially it there's a strong crosswind to handle. I generally hit this with 6i or 7i. Smooth takeaway, with a a crisp follow through. Hit it firmly with left-hand lead, but don't try to kill the ball. This is more a half swing motion.

This might help. Some great info, and a video on chipping, and pitching.

http://thesandtrap.com/t/60526/erik-hitting-a-few-chips-and-pitches

It doesn't matter what you call it, as long as it works for you! :-)

Thanks all. Not knowing what to call it definitely won't keep me from using it since it has worked well for me in the past. I'm going to guess that over the last 2 or 3 times that I have played thinned or fatted pitches have cost me at least 5 strokes per round. I'm guessing it is more of a pitch and run based on what I'm seeing on these replies.

I call that a bump and run or a punch shot. Generally when the term pitch or chip is used, the ball typically lands on the green. There are no absolutes, but what you described is the classic bump and run. Obviously whatever works is what you go with, but eventually you will want to learn how to land the ball on the green. It is by far more predictable what will happen to you shot. Landing the ball short of the green is much more of a crap shoot. If you know the surface you'll be hitting to, it can work for you. I've always been able to hit partial shots, so I find it hard to relate to not being able to hit the green under 100 yards (not that I always hit the green). Hit balls in a field to a target that have varying distances. Your game will love it.

It is just semantics so it really does not matter.  But a bump and run, as I understand it, does not stay on the ground the whole way - you bump it through the air and then it runs up.  I would never want to playing a shot from, say, 80 yards, that stays on the ground the whole way.  I don't know how I would even do that, since if I hit it hard enough to reach the green I would have to flat out top it to keep it from flying a decent part of the way.

That said, I particularly like to play the bump and run when the fairways are really tightly mown.  It is probably all just in my head but I feel like I have such a much bigger margin for error on the ball strike because of the lower loft of  6 or 7 iron.  My good shots are not that much less that my good shots with the wedge, but my bad shots are much better than my bad shots with the wedge.  And at my own particular stage of skill, the quality of my bad shots seems to have a bigger effect on my scores than the quality of my good shots.

PS. Running the ball the whole way to the hole would be called a putt . :-)

I would call your long game shots knockdown shots. The ones you describe inside of 100 yards I would call low pitches. Some people are calling them punches, but, to me, a punch shot is very low and pretty forceful. Essentially a stinger, just not off the tee. But that's a distinction others may not make. In my mind, a bump and run is essentially a putt, so if it covers any significant percentage of the distance in the air, I'd call it a chip instead.

I think you could call it anything you want. One man's chip, might be another man's pitch.

Several decades ago, where I was playing,  the bump, and run was also known as a shot that the golfer would  "bump" into the side of a raised green. The ball would impact the down slope of the turf, hop up on to the green, and continue to "run" to the hole. It was a helpful shot when the golfer had less green to work with.

Now days I have heard many call a chip/run shot a bump/run shot too. Both have less air time, and more roll. A pitch/run shot has more air time, and less or no more than 1/2 roll time. As stated another way to define these shots can be based on the club being used.  More loft might mean a pitch shot, while less loft could mean a chip shot.

I would also suspect the firmness of the turf/green might dictate the name of the shot a golfer might use. Firm, dry turf might be better for today's bump/run shot, while softer/wetter conditions might favor a pitch shot with more air time than roll.

I have a go to shot from 100 yards where I use my 6i and a 1/2-3/4 swing. I need relative flat conditions, with no hazards between my ball and the hole. I use it for accuracy more than anything else, and usually on days when I am having problems making any other shot work. I just call it my "Go To Shot".

LOL  I've been known to comment, after I flat out top a grounder from the fairway, "That wasn't my best lag putt."

When there is no hazard in front and plenty of green to work with, the bump and run is the percentage shot. Much less chance of fluffing it than with a wedge. Takes the wind out of the equation as well.

Most of the courses I play have very wet conditions just short of the green from watering. Best to fly it on the green whenever possible. If the greens are too hard to hold, probably the approach area is also hard, so the bump and run could be in play.