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Open or Closed Face for Pitch Shots?


jfrain2004
Note: This thread is 916 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

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Pretty much all square (pardon the pun) thus far, though I've been experimenting with opening the clubface.. with disastrous results. :P My "skidder" shot ends up not checking at all.. burner style lol

What's in my Tartan Precise TS-869 Bag:
Woods: Northwestern 1W, 3W, stock grip
Hybrids: 855 Graphite shaft 3H, 4H, Golf Pride Tour Wrap midsize grips
Irons: 855 R flex steel shaft 5-PW, Golf Pride Tour Wrap midsize grips
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I've been hitting more with a square face as the lies at my home course have been getting very thin and I find it easier to avoid a lot of bounce. Last week I also closed down the face when we played another course and hit a couple 4ft high GW shots into green that hit and stopped, very cool. If the course I'm playing has nice thick grass around the green, I'll definitely open up the club.

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3w: CB1 15* Grafalloy Prolaunch Platinum 75s
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It sounds like some of you need to learn to hit a low skidder with a square, even slightly closed, face. It'll change your life. Plus it looks really cool to hit a low, driven shot that stops dead after a bounce or two. Chicks dig it.

I practice this shot, but then always wuss out when I have the opportunity to try in on the course. It does look really cool I must admit.

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I practice this shot, but then always wuss out when I have the opportunity to try in on the course. It does look really cool I must admit.

It may look cool, but it has less chance of finding the hole than a shot which has some roll out. It requires near perfection for the ball to actually stop in the hole, while a chip with roll can still find the hole even when overpowered by 5 or 6 feet (or even more than that if you get a bit lucky).

Personally, I'd rather hole more shots, than look cool while missing them.

Rick

"He who has the fastest cart will never have a bad lie."

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  • 11 years later...

Was at the range today and spent a lot of time chipping. I tried closing the club face slightly with a loose grip to see the outcome. Always use a square to open club face but tend to hit it thin now and again if tempo is too fast. I noticed ball contact was better and actually on contact the face actually became fairly square even after toeing it in a bit. nice ball flight that starts slightly left and turned left a bit.  Will try more in the days to come. Found this thread cuz I was wondering if it was a thing with more golfers. Use 60 around the greens.

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  • iacas changed the title to Open or Closed Face for Pitch Shots?
  • 4 weeks later...

I've found that chipping with a slightly closed 9i can be more controllable than a 7i when I faced with a pitch shot I expect to run out to the pin. I don't want to admit how bad my chipping is when I open the club.

Just an older guy with 7 or 8  clubs and a MacKenzie Walker bag

 

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Don't even know how to describe it, but I open up to play a flighted wedge that will hop and stop. just let the hips and legs provide all the power, with the hands simply hinging and unhinging, naturally to a low follow through..

Most wedge shots I will play with a square face to simplify alignment, and I will change my 54 degree (my workhorse wedge) from a 10 degree bounce RTX to a 14 degree Vokey when facing very soft conditions or a very lush course.

I will intentionally put draw spin on a wedge into a good wind,  or when the pin is well left and I want to get a good bounce and a bit of run upon landing  or on a shelf I don't want to fly to then suck the ball back onto the lower level.

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Note: This thread is 916 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

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