Long chip, short run

[CalBoomer]

So here's the problem. A 30 foot chip in medium thick grass to a green with essentially no collar and only 15 feet to the pin from the edge. Any kind of shot that lands in the grass first is dead. My chipping motion is pretty standard: ball back, hands ahead, wrists locked. I usually use my 56 degree sand wedge with standard bounce. I do not have a good method for executing this shot consistently. When I try to open the face a lot and use the standard chipping motion, the ball pops up nicely and stops if I have the distance (1-2 feet onto the green) perfect. I can execute this about 25% of the time. Trying to execute a delicate "flop" pitch gives me less good results, because of the difficulty in getting the distance right. If I use a 62 degree wedge with less bounce, my tendency to chunk it increases substantially. How do all of you approach this shot? I find that variations of it are not that uncommon on the course.

[Gibby]

I would just take my 60 degree and hit a standard chip, maybe ever so slightly open face, and try to land it a couple feet onto the green. If i had the right lie i might try a mini-flop. Either way i'm pretty confident in my short game, and i find it fun to execute all sorts of shots, even if i miss one every now and then. For chip shots, i would argue confidence is more important than anything. Any slight deceleration because of any hesitation makes incredible differences in the result.

[GaijinGolfer]

Id pull out the 60* wedge and hit a flop shot. Thats really the only chance you have of getting it to stop close to the hole in that situation.

[delav]

If I use a 62 degree wedge with less bounce, my tendency to chunk it increases substantially. How do all of you approach this shot? I find that variations of it are not that uncommon on the course.

Hitting a shot from the rough with a fair amount of carry and a short stopping distance is tough. My go to is a flop in most cases, unless I can play a lower shot into the fringe and safely release it. If you can't hit your 62 and need the bounce of your sand wedge not to "chunk it" then I suggest you work on this shot in particular. You shouldn't need the bounce of the sand wedge to slide cleanly beneath the ball or avoid a fat shot.

Remember, a flop is a finesse shot, and it requires soft wrists. It's a totally different motion through the ball.

[Gerald]

Most players look for the optimum solution, with the finesse of Pro (who invested mannnnnnny hours in perfecting these kind of shots) and forget there are probably plenty of other options.

At HC 12 I would say you can do better than that, I can imagine there is also room beyond the pin and a total distance of 45 ft .... to the pin, I would suggest a pitch shot with your 56 SW !

You have to take out the risc of getting stuck in the thick grass and it is way easier to hit a 40-45 ft. pitch shot than trying to land a 32 ft. chip shot rolling 10-13 ft. to the pin.

A pitch shot of only 45-40 ft. will normally land softly and hump maybe only a few ft. further, so you must be able to save par or at the worst make a bogey from there.

[CalBoomer]

So, I guess most of you who have responded would go with a pitch shot. But a 13-15 yard pitch from thick (but not high) grass would require an open club face even on a 60 or 62 degree wedge and extremely good touch to pull off consistently. I am fine with using the 62 degree wedge when I can swing harder (ie 30 yard range) but when I have to dial down and hit from thicker grass my results are just not consistent. Guess I need to practice even more.

[zeg]

I'm gonna have to go with aim for 35-40 feet and let it roll past. Maybe flop; I can flop pretty well in that range with a 56, but it really depends on the lie. If I'm in fluffy grass, I'm not going to try because I'll probably cut under the ball. So I'd say that the last thing you want for your next shot is a short chip OUT of the fluffy stuff; get on the green for sure and hope for the best, even if it's a 40 foot putt back.

Of course, my handicap is a lot higher, so I rarely get too hung up on eking out the up and down.

[James_Black]

read this, and the other tips greg has. They've helped me a lot.

http://www.shark.com/sharkwatch/inst...n/lesson72.php

[Quinn07]

I would try and hit a chunk and run. I usually take my 56, open the face slightly (depends on the shot - maybe more, maybe less), align my body left because I am a righty, and kind of just jam it or chunk it behind the ball...a mini blast shot but I would try a take as little of a follow through as possible. I don't know that I have explained this properly or not. But I find the ball will come out soft and run a little bit once it hits the ground. I like this shot when I am chipping down hill or have short sided myself. The ball should sort of knuckle out onto the green.

[bong_crosby]

How do I approach it?

1. I try not to put myself in the situation you described. A lot of golfers shoot at the flag or use poor course management only to put themselves in a situation just like you described. They short side themselves or leave them self with a downhill putt or chip. I can't tell how many times someone has yelled at my ball to "get up" or "go" when that's not what I wanted. While they have an unstoppable downhill putt that will run to the fringe if they merely breath on it, I have an uphill up-and-down. I'll take my odds.

2. If I break rule #1, then I take my medicine. Get the ball on the green, take my 2-putt and get the hell outta there. Again, people try to get "creative" and flop it like they see on TV. They hit a nice flop, unfortunately it's about five feet short. Now they have even less room to work with, it's the dreaded, "you're still away" and they rush the next, send it past the hole and 2-putt for their double.

I practice the flop all the time (it's fun) but I rarely use it, only with a good lie and the odds in my favor do I play it on the course.

[RobS]

I would grab my 58 degree wedge, open the face so it doesn't close down when going through the thick rough, keep left arm straight/dominant, and use a one-lever swing. That's just what I'd do, there are many different approaches to every shot.