Using different parts of the wedge face

[golfaddiction]

An awesome putting tip I learned a long time ago was to use the top of the putter face for super quick downhill putts if you want to control the speed. This part of the face isn't as "hot" and the ball will not jump off.

I was wondering if anyone did the same thing with chips. For really short chips (5-10 yards), I can never hit the ball softly enough. Maybe using the top of the face would be a good idea for this shot?

[microcrayfish]

I remember reading in Tiger's book that he sometimes hits out towards the toe more if he wants to make sure the ball stops quickly after landing. Never tried it myself so I don't know if it works or not.

[TakeDeadAim]

Probably a 20 handicap should concentrate on other things to improve his/her game.

These tips, whether they really worked or not, should be something a far more consistent player would gamble with.

Do not get ahead of where your game is...

[woodzie264]

Probably a 20 handicap should concentrate on other things to improve his/her game.

I cant think of anything more important than improving one's putting, a 20 handicap or a 6,7 (whatever that means). He's asking a legit question on how to improve the one of the games most important skills...why do so many people in this forum tell others what their priorities should be????? he's onlt trying to improve his game. If you really cvared to help him, you should have then suggested which parts of his game he should focus rather than rudely tell him he has bigger issues.

[iacas]

An awesome putting tip I learned a long time ago was to use the top of the putter face for super quick downhill putts if you want to control the speed. This part of the face isn't as "hot" and the ball will not jump off.

I think you misread it.

I've heard of people using the TOE of the putter. Never the TOP of the putter. As for the wedges, just hit the ball in the center of the clubface. It's the only way to get consistent results. If you want to hit it shorter, take a shorter swing or use more loft.

[pjsnyc]

Sometimes when I'm faced with a fluffy lie and I need to flop it onto the green, I'll consciously try to hit it off the toe. In all honesty - it works well for me. It certainly prevents the dreaded shank when cutting across the ball.

[golfaddiction]

Yes, I didn't mean the top of the club, I meant the toe part of the face. You'd set up the same as a regular wedge shot, and swing the same, but the ball would be placed off-center, closer to the toe. I tried a few swings like this and the ball seemed to come of consistently, just with less power.

I think adding more types of shots around the greens would be a good place to start if I wanted to improve my scoring. But if this isn't something that people normally do, I'll stick with the standard chip and just try to control my distance by swinging shorter and/or opening the face.

[jojoampt]

I cant think of anything more important than improving one's putting, a 20 handicap or a 6,7 (whatever that means). He's asking a legit question on how to improve the one of the games most important skills...why do so many people in this forum tell others what their priorities should be????? he's onlt trying to improve his game. If you really cvared to help him, you should have then suggested which parts of his game he should focus rather than rudely tell him he has bigger issues.

He's actually asking a question about chipping, not putting. And what TakeDeadAim is saying, is that a 20 handicap shouldnt be concerned with trying to get all cutsie with chipping and hitting certain parts of the club face. (which i totally agree with) He (or she) should maybe work on length of back swing, or experimenting with different clubs around the greens, or any number of other reasonable chipping drills before trying to manipulate where the club face contacts the ball. Concentrate on hitting the CENTER of the club face. Thats hard enough.

[DavidFehertysBike]

Ive done similar things at times. Using the top of the wedge or toe of the putter will kill the ball. It works on very slick greens. But the situation comes up so infrequently its probably better just to use the middle of the face.

[Zeph]

If you practice it, this may work. Still, you normally shouldn't have a problem hitting the ball soft enough, even with the face of the wedge.

[whip_it_out]

Hitting a wedge using the top of the face is similar to hitting it with the shaft. The ball goes nowhere. I would just concentrate on hitting the center of the face, just adjust the length of your swing or take a higher lofted club.

Unless you have pure, fast greens, using the toe of the putter can be very inconsistent. Again, I'd recommend hitting the center of the face for the most consistent results.

[ControlJunkie]

If you're looking for ways to control distance on close shots, experiment with choking down on the wedge, but keep your swing the same. This is very tough for me because I'm kinda tall (6'2") but my Vokey is off the shelf, standard length. It takes a lot for me to get down that low I have had good success with doing that, it's just uncomfortable for me. To me, that's a much easier compensation than trying to zero in on specific spots on the face of the wedge.

[bjw181]

Hitting a chip off the toe deadens the impact. You can use a bigger swing which equals more accuracy.

[Zeph]

I sometimes grab a bit down when chipping, but mostly keep the length. Hitting the wedge off the toe sounds a bit risky. Hitting it off the middle sounds easier to control.

Distance control comes with short backswing. The most important way to control distance for me is to pick a spot on the green where I want the ball to land and let the green take over control. If I focus on the flag when hitting, I usually hit it too far. Finding a spot and focusing only on that spot gets me a lot closer to the flag.

[woodzie264]

He's actually asking a question about chipping, not putting. And what TakeDeadAim is saying, is that a 20 handicap shouldnt be concerned with trying to get all cutsie with chipping and hitting certain parts of the club face. (which i totally agree with) He (or she) should maybe work on length of back swing, or experimenting with different clubs around the greens, or any number of other reasonable chipping drills before trying to manipulate where the club face contacts the ball. Concentrate on hitting the CENTER of the club face. Thats hard enough.

putting/chipping, whatever; my point is that he wasn't being trying to be helpful to an earnest question about the all important short game. my point stands - I consistently see responses that are not constructive (they're short and all the the lines as the response above) and I'm not sure why this is a trend...aren't we all trying to better our skills and promote golf??

[woodzie264]

He's actually asking a question about chipping, not putting. And what TakeDeadAim is saying, is that a 20 handicap shouldnt be concerned with trying to get all cutsie with chipping and hitting certain parts of the club face. (which i totally agree with) He (or she) should maybe work on length of back swing, or experimenting with different clubs around the greens, or any number of other reasonable chipping drills before trying to manipulate where the club face contacts the ball. Concentrate on hitting the CENTER of the club face. Thats hard enough.

you're response was much better - constructive, with specific tips - thanks!

[zeg]

Suggesting that a question indicates that the person asking may be heading down the wrong track for improvement is a perfectly valid and quite possibly helpful response.

[tjy355]

I use different parts of the wedge face for different shots all the time.

I hit the ball with the leading edge of the wedge when I want to skull a low line drive over the green and into the back bunker.

Sometimes I slide the wedge completely under the ball and hit it with the very top of the face when I want to pop it up and land it short in the front bunker.

My favorite is when I use the hosel part of the wedge to shoot one straight off to the right.