The shot I really want

[steviesouthpaw]

I want to ask all of you lower handicaps; what are the basic elements to the 30 or so yard low pitch shot that lands, skips maybe once and grabs and stops quick where you want it to? Is it keeping your hands ahead of the club head with the shaft leaning towards the target? And is it really possible to hit these kinds of shots consistently without a bladed wedge? For now I use the stock SW that came with the set.

[Hackerpratt]

It can be done with any degree wedge, I use that shot a lot with my 58. My thoughts on pulling it off are these:
ball back in your stance, open your stance, press hands forward and maintain thru impact, have to hit down on the ball and keep face square (don't release) on follow-thru.

It is not a function of swinging faster, but you do still have to "hit" the ball. I really find that my hands have to move around my body or some would say to the left of the target after impact, this is to maintain the squareness of the clubface and also to keep that moving down the target line.

[tim31x]

when i hit these shots, i like to open the face up and hit down on the ball alot. i play it back in my stance and the ball hits and then bites. it is possible without a bladed wedge, i like to use my 60* which has a bounce of about 6, so it is a nice bladed edge. i sometimes hit them with my 56* if im further out, but i find alot of success with my 60*.

[DaveLeeNC]

It takes decent (not badly worn) grooves on most any lofted wedge - doable with a SW and easier with a LW. It also requires a crisp contact with a descending blow. It does not have to be a steep blow - a crisp shot where the clubhead barely scrapes the grass in front of the ball will work.

And it is WAY, WAY easier with a high end ball (Pro V1, etc). WAY easier.

dave

[FortAsel]

To me, I OPEN the club face at adress, put 80% of my weight on my front leg and place the ball, in the back foot. Then make sort of a punch swing. You should take a slightly bigger and deeper divot. you have to work on it though.

I practice this with wilson staff driving range balls, and I can get a big spin (the ball hits the ground and stops). Of course when I go and hit this shot with a tour ball, it hits the ground and comes back about 50 feet (if the green is sloped). Funny thing about this shot... I was playing a mini tourney, with some friends of mine and I had a 50 meter shot. I hit this shot, to a front pin position, with a lake on the right of the green. The green actually slopes hard towards that lake, and has my ball landed on the green, about 20 feet past the cup on the left hand side of the green I said, "Oh sh!t... that's in the lake". The ball comes and rolls back, making an horseshoe and the diving deep into the lake. That was a bitter sweet moment, because one minute it almost went in the hole and then it dives in the lake