Help around the greens....

[clg82]

Hey everyone this past weekend I shot a 58 on the front nine of my home course. Horrible I know. Since getting lessons the past couple of months my ball striking has gotten more solid, and now i'm having problems around the green. I use a 58* for around the green and for around the green I mean 10 yards and in. When I open up the face of the club, i usually end up chunking it. What do you guys use for around the greens in these situations? Or any tips or tricks on what I can work on to get better to lower my score around the greens?

[Stretch]

Try chipping with a lower-lofted club (like an 8 or 9 iron) and see how you like it. A lot of people find it easier to get the ball on the green quickly and running like a putt, rather than throwing it all the way up close to the hole. Whatever club you pick, though, you need to learn to use the bounce on the sole instead of sticking the leading edge in the turf.

[gerryg22]

i use my sand wedge, i go right down to the bottom of the grip and play the ball back in my stance and usually get the ball to check on the second bounce. Try picking a spot on the green where you want the ball to land rather than concentrating on the hole.

[clg82]

  Stretch said:

Try chipping with a lower-lofted club (like an 8 or 9 iron) and see how you like it. A lot of people find it easier to get the ball on the green quickly and running like a putt, rather than throwing it all the way up close to the hole. Whatever club you pick, though, you need to learn to use the bounce on the sole instead of sticking the leading edge in the turf.

With a lower lofted club will it check and then stop or will it roll out? Or does that depend on where it's at in my stance?

[clg82]

  gerryg22 said:

i use my sand wedge, i go right down to the bottom of the grip and play the ball back in my stance and usually get the ball to check on the second bounce. Try picking a spot on the green where you want the ball to land rather than concentrating on the hole.

What degree is your sandwedge?

[gerryg22]

56* also chipping with lower lofted clubs will make the ball roll out rather than check

[Stretch]

The lower the loft, the more roll you will get versus carry. Really, the only way to calibrate your brain for these shots is to go find a green where you can chip and hit a few from the same spot with your 58*, then maybe a 54* or 52* gap wedge, then a 9 or 8 iron. You'll quickly learn how the same motion produces a different trajectory with each club and get a sense of how the ball behaves.

[clg82]

  Stretch said:

The lower the loft, the more roll you will get versus carry. Really, the only way to calibrate your brain for these shots is to go find a green where you can chip and hit a few from the same spot with your 58*, then maybe a 54* or 52* gap wedge, then a 9 or 8 iron. You'll quickly learn how the same motion produces a different trajectory with each club and get a sense of how the ball behaves.

What motion is used? Is it a putting stroke?

[Stretch]

I am not actually paid by Andrew Rice, but since we started with him...

[mcgriff]

I bet you are trying to land the ball at the pin with that opened up 58. Don't mess with that unless you have no choice and no green to work with. I use a 50 and a 56 around the green. Thinking of it as a putt is a good idea.

Keep your wrists very firm. There will be a natural break as you hit the ball. Just concentrate on keeping things compact. Wrist and arm action are your enemy on chips. There are hundreds of little videos around so no need for me to repeat what they are saying.

It almost sounds like you are hitting flop shots instead of chips. That is definitely not a traditional way to move the ball close to the pin. Flop shots are used when you have to stop the ball really quickly on the green. Useful shot for sure, but not a good choice for every little chip around the green. You can certainly use your 58 to chip, just let it run out and stop trying to control distance with the loft you generate from opening the face.

[Arthur]

Thanks for the Andrew Rice videos. Will try that next chance I get.

[clg82]

  mcgriff said:

I bet you are trying to land the ball at the pin with that opened up 58. Don't mess with that unless you have no choice and no green to work with. I use a 50 and a 56 around the green. Thinking of it as a putt is a good idea.

Great advice! I was trying to land the ball softly which when I think about it makes no sense if there's nothing i need to get up and down over. I'll start concentrating on getting the ball running towards the hole instead of flopping into it!