Can't do this with a hybrid.....

[Dub]

Played a round today....my bag is as noted in sig line except no 7 wood.

9th hole hit a drive 20 yards left of the fairway. There were a group of pines 25 yards ahead.....the green beyond them.

GPS said total yardage to the pin was 165.

My ball was on a tight hardpan lie. There was an "open" spot between 2 pines....about 15 feet. There were branches hanging down over this open zone....about 7 feet off the ground.

What to do?????


Easy punch back to the fairway....smart shot.....but I was feeling another shot. I took my 3 iron out.....gripped well down, almost to the bottom of the grip........placed ball 1/3 back of center......took a full swing...parrallel back and through.

The ball was crisply struck.....went quail high......beneath the branches.....landed in the fairway and rolled up to the green....SWEET!!!!

Two putts later had me carding a par.

I do want to add a 4H in the bag for many reasons......but the 3iron punch is a handy shot to keep.

[brandon_mcg]

i found myself wanting to hit that shot my last round but couldnt because i had a hybrid.

had to punch my 5 iron and hope for a good roll, wound up paring the hole but that is a nice shot to pull out in those scenarios

[Dub]

Just saw your location, Brandon.

We ought to try to get together for a round .

I'm gonna try to tee up with Todd (from thesandtrap.com) next week sometime.

[Zeph]

Why can't you move the ball back with the hybrid?

[Dub]

Why can't you move the ball back with the hybrid?

In the shot that I described....I was already well back of center....just can't see the hybrid working in this case.

It may be a moot point though, keeping a stick in the bag simply for recovery shots.....but I find myself using this very shot at least once per round.

[bradpet]

...

Very useful advice. I normally hit a 5 iron punch but I've noticed sometimes that it pops the ball up too high when there are extra low hanging branches. I'll try my 3 iron next time. Thanks for the tip.

[Fourputt]

Played a round today....my bag is as noted in sig line except no 7 wood.

And I can (and far too often do) play the same shot with my driver or 3W...

And I can use them for other shots too. Since I can't consistently hit the 3I any other time, it's not worth carrying it just for emergencies.

[slackhouse]

I play punch shots with my 3 and 4 hybrid all the time. I'm actually becoming pretty good at it. Especially since I do 3-6 times per round.

I put the ball in the back of my stance, keep my hands in front of the ball and swing away.

[PROFX4]

I tried a punch shot with my 17* hybrid the other day. Normally I would've used my 3 iron. I had low hanging pines about 40 yards in front of me. Worked like a dream. Got under the pines and ran it all the way to the green. I'm guessing it was 170 yards (Skycaddie battery had died after 36 holes).

[brandon_mcg]

i can never get the ball to stay low enough with the hybrids. maybe i need to back it up in my stance a little more???

[wrx_junki]

For 100 yard punches I just use a 7 iron and for 150 yard punches I use the 5 iron. Extra low punches I just use the 4 iron. I usually don't use the hybrid or 3 wood for punches because I used to skull them and I can shape the punches easier with the irons. Can hook it so it wraps around a tree pretty well lately with a very flat swing.

[sk71]

I have a 21* to replace the 3 iron but I keep the iron in the bag for that exact shot.
I love a good 3 iron punch shot. Good job Dub.

[microcrayfish]

I use my 3 iron all the time for recovery shots like that when I need to keep them low. Never hit it otherwise, but considering my current level of golfing ability I end up using it often enough during a round. I actually only carry 12 clubs but that's mostly because I have yet to get a new 3 wood and another wedge.

[Blades4me]

Played a round today....my bag is as noted in sig line except no 7 wood.

I carry 2 hybrids, both work well with a punch shot. IMO the most important thing is to use a 3/4 swing and be smooooth. Also put 60% of your weight on your forward foot. Good shot to know and is a good introduction to the knock down shot.

[rudygu]

I use my 2 hybrid to hit this shot all the time (as well as my 3w and any iron, depending on the clearance from the ground to the branches). I do one key thing differently from what anyone else has mentioned: I keep the ball in its regular position in my stance or even a little forward of that. This produces a good deal less backspin than moving the ball way back in your stance and beating down on it. Without the extra backspin the ball won't flare up as quickly and will roll out further than you may expect. I read this technique a long time ago somewhere on this forum (I think iacas posted it if anyone wants to search for it) and it has worked very well for me. Another benefit I have found from moving the ball up is that my most common miss is a topped shot...much better in this situation than shooting the ball up into a branch.