Working the ball into the greens??

[kleraudio]

So Ive been reading about people talking about iron sets and how easy one iron set is over the other when working the ball with 7-pw...

I never thought that balls were worked into greens, I thought they were worked one way or the other from longer range...

So Im on the course today and I tried doing this whenever I was inside 150 yards and I must say that is one great way to play golf! I had a lot of success with it. Its so much easier getting it close to the pin when you can move the ball around...

My question is this, was I doing it wrong?

If I needed to work it right to left (Im righty) aimed right of the pin and closed my club face a bit to where it was aiming at the pin. Essentially the pin was on the left side of the green and I just aimed at the middle with my stance but closed my face to aim at the pin.... and just took a normal swing.

Just the opposite if I needed it to go from left to right. I set up at the pin and opened up my stance, while keeping the face aimed at the pin...

Is this how "real golfers" do it, or is this just a very unorthodox way of working a ball...??

Regardless, it was a lot of fun watching my ball "seek" the pins!

Thanks!

Jim

[kennay92]

this is how i do it, and a lot of regular golfers do.. but the pros usually take normal alignment and stuff but either roll over their wrist/arms more for a draw or hold off the club from turning over and keep it square/open as long as possible for their fades. they also take different swing angles and attacks.

[WUTiger]

In "Golf My Way," Nicklaus has diagrams on how to set up to work the ball.

If you try to hit it straight and slice it, you end up 20 away from the pin.

Idea is: If you try to fade or draw the ball on most shots, you're working toward the pin. If you line up to fade the ball, and you hit it straight, you end up 10 feet long and left of the pin. If you line up to fade and slice it, you'll end up 10 feet short and right of the pin. And, if you actually fade it, you end up with a tap-in birdie. (Or, at least Jack does).

Fade = open stance, clubface square to target | swing path slightly outside in. (
Draw = closed stance, clubface squart to target | swing path slightly inside out. )

(This of course assumes you're swinging well, and have accurate distance and wind info. As noted in my own thread, I'm not swing well of late.)

This is one of the most common "work the ball' set-up technique. Others involve using strong or weak grip, tight or loose right hand, and .... Any other techniques which work?

[Dub]

Working the ball = huge satisfaction.....at least when it's intentional.


Small draws and cuts are great shots with the shorter sticks as you mentioned. It's a great way to play for the center of the green and gain access to pin on scary placements. It's also a great way to hold off the effects of the wind.

There are numerous ways to do it.....key is to find the way that works for you and your gear. The ball you play has a lot to do with it, too.

[Where's the Cart Girl?]

That's a method of moving the ball that a lot of people subscribe to. I honestly don't have much success that way, but many people certainly do.

That said, I like to try and work the ball whenever applicable, and it is incredibly rewarding to pull it off, but I don't think about it much at all with my 8/9/PW shots. The 7 is the first club that I even really give it a thought with, and even then, if my typical flight isn't going to really be a risk I'll take the 15-20 footer everytime (although I rarely make it) over trying to work it against my tendencies and throw a dart to 3 feet.

I have a relatively high ball flight, so I'm not afraid to go right at most pins with short irons in-hand, and I've played enough to anticipate and protect against my typical misses. To each his own, but if I have a 8-iron or less in my hand I'm thinking nothing but normal shot because it's not very hard to begin with.

As an aside, if you also consider going high/low with a shot "working the ball", which I do, then I'm guilty as charged. I do that anytime there is any wind, or if the greens are especially hard/soft, or just for the hell of it. The knockdown 8-iron might be the most consistent shot in my bag. And it's a cake-walk to pull off.

[Scott_K]

I usually hit baby fades with my 7-PW. I try to keep it with a 5 yard bend. Fades tend to have a higher trajectory than draws, so I feel I can stop the ball easier with my shorter irons. I'm able to bend the ball both ways with my 5 and 6 iron, but have better consistancy with fades. I can draw the ball better with my 3 and 4 iron. I attribute that to having a more of a sweeping swing with those clubs.

The more shots you have in your aresenal the better. Knock downs, punches, etc. are very nice to have if you can control them.

[kleraudio]

Cool, thanks for the replies, so this is not an "untraditional" way of working the ball?

Tiger, thanks for that post, that is exactly what I was thinking. If I try and hit it straight and I miss, well I may miss the green and be in a bad spot.

But if I try to work the ball toward the pin, my misses will still be on the dance floor...

I'm really liking this and Im gonna head to the range later this week to do some more work on it.

Thanks!

Jim