Is There a Reason for the 100-Foot High Approach Shot?

[golfthyme]

Or does it just look cool?

im old school, keep the ball as close to ground as possible and rolling on the green as soon as possible. That’s more accurate and better control than a 100 yard approach shot flying 100 feet high, if there’s water or a bunker in front of the green that’s different, I dont even own a hybrid or a lofted wedge! Old school!

[Double Mocha Man]

27 minutes ago, golfthyme said:

Or does it just look cool?

im old school, keep the ball as close to ground as possible and rolling on the green as soon as possible. That’s more accurate and better control than a 100 yard approach shot flying 100 feet high, if there’s water or a bunker in front of the green that’s different, I dont even own a hybrid or a lofted wedge! Old school!

Just be aware that repeated "Old School" references are a veiled technique to achieve carte blanche in opinions that are denigrating and run counter to modern thinking.  It's a way of making a statement and then washing your hands of the responsibility of it by claiming "Old School".  Trying to be diplomatic here in reference your other stances, on items other than golf.

Edited August 8, 2020 by Double Mocha Man

[dennyjones]

A valid question which I posed to myself yesterday while playing.  I was 85 yard out from the green w/o any trouble either side of the green.   I paused for several seconds thinking about my club choice.   Should I hit a bump and run or a 3/4 sand wedge?   Since there was no real danger except length, I chose to bump and run a pitching wedge which worked well.     I believe it was the safer shot in this instance.  

[Shindig]

I find that in most circumstances, there are fewer hazards in the air than on the ground.

[knott]

The high approaches is more about being able to use a full or near full swing for me. Find it harder distance control on half swing but I am still experimenting. I am actually currently trying to convert to a chip and runner. I even removed my lob wedge from my bag. Dispersion wise left to right is probably a bit better and distance a bit worse. I must say its a booring defensive shot but safer for sure. That said to simple shots I sometimes miss due to underestimating them. Its ridiculous how you can miss the simplest pitches sometimes. A full shot with my 50/56 wedges do require my full attention. 

[DrvFrShow]

It depends upon the course. Sometimes I might want to hit a 100' high approach shot that sticks on the green. Sometimes, if the fairway is trimmed tight and conditions are dry I might even want to putt it from 100 feet out.

[RickK]

Anything outside of 75 yards, I want to bring it in high because I typically will hit a full shot.  Now, inside of 75, getting a bit too close for my LW so I tend to hit knock down type shots which will come in lower.  If I can't reach a green, I prefer to be 75 yards or more out so I can hit a full shot.  I hate 30 or 40 yard shots, especially over bunkers.  

[Shindig]

5 hours ago, RickK said:

If I can't reach a green, I prefer to be 75 yards or more out so I can hit a full shot.  I hate 30 or 40 yard shots, especially over bunkers.  

May I make a suggestion?  Learn how to hit those.  Figure out for your wedges what your half swing gets distance wise;  there's a good chance that after a little bit of practice, you'll get the ball closer from 30-40 yards than you do from 75 yards. 

[TourSpoon]

19 hours ago, golfthyme said:

Or does it just look cool?

im old school, keep the ball as close to ground as possible and rolling on the green as soon as possible. That’s more accurate and better control than a 100 yard approach shot flying 100 feet high, if there’s water or a bunker in front of the green that’s different, I dont even own a hybrid or a lofted wedge! Old school!

Are you using a brassie and pitch with a niblick with hickory shafts? Or are you talking first gen metal woods, 50* degree pitching wedge, maybe a 55* sand wedge and a bullseye putter with a wound ball old school? How do you feel about graphite shafts? I think of old school today as traditional lofts on normal sized irons along with a quality spin ball. I carry a hybrid, but its an Adams Pro Gold. 

The high lofted shot suits me when carrying a bunker with the pin tucked. I also will use it on a tiered green if the tier you are trying to get to is tight and you want to avoid hitting a severe slope and killing the shot.  With that said, I prefer flighting the ball with my wedges especially into the wind. I don't try to hit it as low as possible from 100 yards, but tend to hit a controlled and predictable trajectory with a nice amount of spin. Many times, I am in what many consider to be "x" wedge range, I hit a lower lofted wedge for control.  To become a better player you need to be able to hit a variety of shots and then know when to play them. I try to play using the don't hit it higher than you need to philosophy.  

 

[shanksalot]

The way courses are built today it is imperative to hit the  ball in the air. I have been playing since 1962 and back then it was easy to keep the ball on the ground, but not today with all the sand traps and water hazards in front of the green and behind it. 

[Club Rat]

2 minutes ago, shanksalot said:

The way courses are built today it is imperative to hit the  ball in the air.

Ditto that. also wanted to mention green design in modern courses.
I played a new course this past week which left me very lengthy putts when my approach shots
landed in the wrong zones of the greens.

It wasn't due to poor shot selection, but lack of knowledge of the greens.
One was a really good shot into the middle of the green and just rolled off the hump in the other direction.

Being my first time playing this course, I could not tell from the fairway these greens had these massive undulations.
It made for some challenging putts which was fun. LOL

[CarlSpackler]

Yeah. Pretty crazy. I like to keep mine at about 95’ high. Anything over that is just for vanity. 

[Double Mocha Man]

1 minute ago, CarlSpackler said:

Yeah. Pretty crazy. I like to keep mine at about 95’ high. Anything over that is just for vanity. 

... or gets lost in low hanging clouds.  "Yes, I uploaded my golf ball to the cloud."

[boogielicious]

5 hours ago, CarlSpackler said:

Yeah. Pretty crazy. I like to keep mine at about 95’ high. Anything over that is just for vanity. 

Yeah, I keep mine 93-96. 100 is just for posers.

5 hours ago, Double Mocha Man said:

... or gets lost in low hanging clouds.  "Yes, I uploaded my golf ball to the cloud."

I’m about 10 miles from Logan International. They asked me to keep it down for safety.

[rob0225]

100 foot high shot seems awfully high.

[onthehunt526]

My peak height is around 110’ what the hell is wrong with that?

[Missouri Swede]

We track that instead of closest to the pin.

[Zippo]

3 hours ago, boogielicious said:

Yeah, I keep mine 93-96. 100 is just for posers.

I’m about 10 miles from Logan International. They asked me to keep it down for safety.

Ha! Good one, @boogielicious. Mine hang in the air so long I had to register my ball on the FAA drone website!  😄