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

[iacas]

100 feet is not that high.

[Bonvivant]

3 minutes ago, iacas said:

100 feet is not that high.

While I agree, remember that there are mortals on the forum.

The higher we can get it, the better of a downward trajectory we can get it on.

[onthehunt526]

4 minutes ago, iacas said:

100 feet is not that high.

No, not really. What would you consider a high apex @iacas?

1 minute ago, Bonvivant said:

While I agree, remember that there are mortals on the forum.

The higher we can get it, the better of a downward trajectory we can get it on.

You can have a 78 foot apex, if your descent angle is 55° that ball will stop. And for the record, the apex is only one number in the formula.

[TourSpoon]

I used to hit my Hogan Apex exactly 100 feet. Coincidence? Hogan 4 shafts. 

Edited August 10, 2020 by TourSpoon
punctuation

[boogielicious]

1 hour ago, TourSpoon said:

I used to hit my Hogan Apex exactly 100 feet. Coincidence? Hogan 4 shafts. 

 

There is no coincidence to exacting precision. 😜

[StuM]

I prefer to come in from a high apex.  I have no accurate clue of how high I actually hit it but what I know is that if I come in high there will be less roll and less likely I will run off the back of the green.  It may be my personal issue but form 40+ yards out I really cannot read the roll of a green and could just as easily roll off the back of the green or stop well short. By coming in High I can pick my number and have a better chance of staying close to that target distance.  My preference is @ 100 yards out because I can take a nice easy full swing on my Sand-wedge and the ball is typically not more than 2-3 feet form my ball mark.  I still need to execute an accurate shot but at least I am confident if I do execute I have a good chance of getting the result I want.  Of course, if I do not execute a good shot than it does not matter what I am trying to do, the result will likely be bad.

[ncates00]

On 8/8/2020 at 2:03 PM, 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!

I don't think 100' is high or low; it depends on ball speed and spin rate.  Really, what is important is descent angle.  You want a reasonably steep angle of descent for a "normal" full approach into the green so the ball will stop.  Obviously, a person can alter the descent angle to chase it to the back pin, flight down a wedge, flight down other short clubs to mitigate "suck back," hitting into the wind, etc.  I think the pros tend to be around 50* on most approaches into the green (on normal average full shots), while driver descent angle is around 40* to get some roll (may be undesirable in some cases so as to hold a tight fairway).

[TourSpoon]

2 hours ago, TourSpoon said:

I used to hit my Hogan Apex exactly 100 feet. Coincidence? Hogan 4 shafts. 

 

 

1 hour ago, boogielicious said:

There is no coincidence to exacting precision. 😜

Exactly, the Hogan 3 shafts were only good for 75 feet. 🤣

[iacas]

15 hours ago, onthehunt526 said:

No, not really. What would you consider a high apex @iacas?

You can have a 78 foot apex, if your descent angle is 55° that ball will stop. And for the record, the apex is only one number in the formula.

100' is slightly higher than normal.

It's not "high" — which I'd take to mean 110+ or 120+ feet.

[onthehunt526]

3 hours ago, iacas said:

100' is slightly higher than normal.

It's not "high" — which I'd take to mean 110+ or 120+ feet.

Well I’d be in the higher than normal category, that explains why my 6-iron stops like a wedge. (That and sharp descent angle). 

[darthweasel]

I used to have a really high ball flight. it was pretty routine for the ball to be in or an inch from the pitch mark. I have several pics I took over the years of the ball embedded in the green. I KNEW where my wedges would land. Injuries have altered my swing and now I have a lot less arc. On a completely unrelated note, I tend to hit a club weaker than I used to and routinely see the ballrun off the green at which point I mutter aspersions against the green not holding...truth is, I needed that trajectory to control my distance.

 

that is the best reason I can imagine for a high trajectory...distance control.

[saevel25]

The issue with high ball flights with amateurs is it comes with poor golf mechanics. This leads to inconsistent ball flights. Also, it will make it very hard to hit full swing wedge shots with consistent distance. 

100' is not that high. It's slightly higher than average, but not crazy high. 

[gjunkie57]

High approach shots are cool. 

[Patch]

Given the choice, I normally go with the higher, drop, and stop approach shots. 

High lob shots are part of my bag of tricks, and I'm pretty good at them. I also find high fliers easier to read than the turf surfaces....lol

Lower,  ground runners are ok, but the turf conditions have to be in good shape. Especially on the longer shots. 

[Tepi90]

I think 270 feet is high enough.

 

[StuM]

270 Feet....WOW!.  Is there now going to be a "High Apex" competition along with the "Long Drive" events?