Short game <sigh>...

[vmsea]

Random ranting..

18th hole yesterday.. We all drove it reasonably well. one person was in a weird rough..(1 is a head pro at a local course, another a 2 HC visitor).

Me - 2nd shot - on the light fringes of the green - about 15 feet out
Pro - hits it close to green, but needed a 3rd to chip on. didn't chip well. 35 feet away
visitor - 2nd shot was like 220 from a weird stance (uphill, and side slant), in thick rough. some how he creams a FW to 20 feet of the hole.

Pro - drains the par putt from 35 out..
2 HC - drains the birdie from 20
by this point, i'm both amazed and distracted that these guys putt so ridiculously well.
Me - choke as usual, chip horribly on, and 2 putt in for bogey

UGH.
I need chipping lessons.

[BallStriker]

Hang tough and keep practicing your chipping.....soft grip pressure, firm wrists, and let the hands lead the clubhead through contact.....


BTW, where were you playing (I am a Seattle guy too)?

[vmsea]

heyhey, i played yesterday at Golf Course at Newcastle.. Coal Creek.
Free round. i wouldn't have paid whatever it costs to play there.. but the scenery on a clear day is gorgeous though.

I went out alone, but after some holes, caught up and ended up with the head pro at WA National (Mike), and a friend of his visiting.

[martytilma]

Try this drill. Take 10 balls and pick a distance that you think you have trouble with. Make a 3 foot circle around the hole with some t's. Now start chipping from that distance. Don't stop until you get 7 out of 10 inside the 3 foot circle. When you do that, move to another spot and do it again. I've been doing that drill now for a couple of months 3 times a week and it's helped my short game out tremendously. Got that drill from Phil Mickelson's video, maybe not exact, but close.

[Fourputt]

Random ranting..

First, maybe try to putt from the fringe? I almost never chip in that situation unless the angle is such that I have to roll the ball across 5 or 6 feet of fringe, or there is sprinkler or some such in the way. I am a decent chipper, but I'd rather putt if it seems reasonable.

[ks8829]

it's all in the take away in my opinion. club around and up is natural and provide solid chips around the green. I tranfer this take away to my full swing.

[Ash1974]

Tell me about it, tee to green I was spot on last round, anything that missed the green ended up with double bogey, chipping was shite, I even shanked two of them out of longish rough
Really anoying as driver/woods and irons were great.

I started putting off the fringe last few holes (never done this before) as a 2HC we were playing with said that if there is nothing in the way and you only have around 2-3 feet of fringe then put it, as a bad put will still be on the green where as a fluffed chip will be short or off the side/back. (he did say that anymore than 3-4 feet would need a chip)

Gonna practice my chipping but until I get it back I am gonna be putting just of the fringe, as I got it closer than I could have with a chip those last few holes

[bshack]

if i could piggy back on your rant... sunday i was playing at a new course and while playing a par 3 I put my tee shot in a greenside bunker. the front of the bunker is steep and built up similar to st. andrews but instead of sand the front is wooden planks... I had to hit 3 shots out of the sand and shoot a 6 on the hole... ended up shooting a 42 +6 on the front of a very tough course... i was pretty pissed but what do I expect i dont practice my shots from the sand too often. Next time im at the range i will be hitting sand shots for a good hour

[saevel25]

Nothing like the texas wedge...

[jetsknicks1]

First, maybe try to putt from the fringe? I almost never chip in that situation unless the angle is such that I have to roll the ball across 5 or 6 feet of fringe, or there is sprinkler or some such in the way. I am a decent chipper, but I'd rather putt if it seems reasonable.

I know that as a high handicapper, I will always putt from the fringe instead of chipping. I used to play with a really good golfer who told me that for somebody with a HC like mine my putt will almost always be better then my chip.