50-70yd shot advice

[wildcorndog]

I have shot a 82,84 and a 83 the last three times Ive played. I feel like I could break 80 if I could hit the green from this range. I'm usually 50-70yds out after my drive on all par 4s, but I really don't know what shot to play from that distance. BTW most of our greens are elevated.

[saevel25]

for me, thats a finesse sandwedge, meaning i just feel out that shot, especially to an elevated green.

Find a range, or a course that has a short game area, or go to the range that has alot of flags. Then try to hit every club from lob wedge to 7 iron 50 yds, 60 yds, 70 yds.. That will get your feel really good.

[max power]

Depending on the green and pin location I'll use a 58* or 60* LW or 52* or 54* GW/SW 95% of the time.  70% LW swing, or about a 55% GW swing.  Occasionally I'll want to keep the ball lower and/or have it run out more on the green, and I'll use a PW (45-50* depending on my set that day).

[TourSpoon]

Originally Posted by wildcorndog

I have shot a 82,84 and a 83 the last three times Ive played. I feel like I could break 80 if I could hit the green from this range. I'm usually 50-70yds out after my drive on all par 4s, but I really don't know what shot to play from that distance. BTW most of our greens are elevated.

First thought...if you hit your drive this close to all the par 4s, maybe you should move back to the next set of tees. If that is not feasible then you can lay-up to give you a more favorable yardage. I have a couple of holes that range from 350 - 380 that I will hit 2H or 3W so that I have a full wedge in while others are hitting it past me only to try to scrape a wedge from a thin lie from 50 yards.

On the occasion that I have the 50-70 yarder, I usually gear down on a LW from a 1/2-3/4 to hit those ranges. If the lie is marginal, or in the wind, or the green is slanted toward me, I may take it in lower with a 54 degree SW. This is a shot that you really have to feel and practice a lot to hit it close.

[wildcorndog]

Well, it's really just during the summer. The ground is so hard it's like hitting across a walmart parking lot! Im usually 80-100yds in the winter time witch is a much more favorable distance. I've thought about teeing off with a 3 wood, but I don't wanna hang my driver up for months at a time. Simple fix would be go hit off the back tees.

[wildcorndog]

Do you use much wrist hindge from 50yds.

[TourSpoon]

Originally Posted by wildcorndog

Well, it's really just during the summer. The ground is so hard it's like hitting across a walmart parking lot! Im usually 80-100yds in the winter time witch is a much more favorable distance. I've thought about teeing off with a 3 wood, but I don't wanna hang my driver up for months at a time. Simple fix would be go hit off the back tees.

Well, the 50 yarder off the walmart parking lot is the toughest shot in golf. You really have to be precise to hit a wedge off a hard pan lie or club down with a less lofted club which will give you a little more forgiveness. I know this shot well, and I would take a PW and run it in there rather than risk blading it over the green.

Originally Posted by wildcorndog

Do you use much wrist hindge from 50yds.

Not really, you want to set up with your weight favoring your front side, maybe 60/40, and try to keep your head still with your hands pulling the handle through the ball. Having your wrists hinged at 90 degrees by the time they are waist high (parallel to the ground) would be ideal, but you don't want to overdo it and end up snatching the club too far inside because you were overly concerned with hinge.

[RC]

I would defer to the Ben Hogan method... don't use much arm swing -- leave the hands downish.  Hinge your wrists, then turn your body to hit the shot with minimal hand action.  Practice hitting shots with no release at all (try to keep some flex in the right wrist,) just hinging up and turning your body through, keeping weight more left at all times.  You will actually release a little wrist hinge automatically, but make sure your hands and club shaft are leading the shot (shaft leans toward the target) at impact.  To add distance, just turn through the shot faster with a slightly larger swing.  This shot is really easy once you learn this way to do it.  I think Stan Utley teaches this approach as well but Hogan was a master of this shot.  Once you learn how to do it, try hitting little 8 irons, 9 irons, PW, SW, and LW shots -- they will always be easy and very controllable.  You turn a challenging shot into a weapon you look forward to hitting.  I use it to hit out of divots as well, just use more club.

[imtomtomim]

This is definitely a touch shot.  I just go practice for a bit and figure out how far back I need to take the clubhead for certain distances.

Really the best way though, is to minimize how many times you really need to take that shot in a round.  Why don't you drop back a couple clubs on those par 4's and leave yourself 100-125 instead where you're hitting a nice easy full shot.  You may surprise yourself how close you stick it from there.

On those kinds of holes, I figure, If I'm not getting within 30 yards of the hole, it's probably not worth it and I should just give myself an easier shot in, plus, I can judge the distance past 100 much better than I could under.  I've got more clubs for that.  I also find it a bit demoralizing to be 50-70 yards away and not make a bird.  It's at the point where it feels close enough to think you can stiff it every time, but in reality, I'll probably be more accurate further out where I can use distances I know are precise.

[TourSpoon]

Originally Posted by RC

I would defer to the Ben Hogan method... don't use much arm swing -- leave the hands downish.  Hinge your wrists, then turn your body to hit the shot with minimal hand action.  Practice hitting shots with no release at all (try to keep some flex in the right wrist,) just hinging up and turning your body through, keeping weight more left at all times.  You will actually release a little wrist hinge automatically, but make sure your hands and club shaft are leading the shot (shaft leans toward the target) at impact.  To add distance, just turn through the shot faster with a slightly larger swing.  This shot is really easy once you learn this way to do it.  I think Stan Utley teaches this approach as well but Hogan was a master of this shot.  Once you learn how to do it, try hitting little 8 irons, 9 irons, PW, SW, and LW shots -- they will always be easy and very controllable.  You turn a challenging shot into a weapon you look forward to hitting.  I use it to hit out of divots as well, just use more club.

I use this exact method for pitching and chipping.  I am going to try it on the range with an 8 now. Good tip.

[bkoguy07]

Just dont hit driver on par 4's unless its long.  Its not like you will be hanging up driver for a month or all summer cuz you still have par 5s (i hope lol)

Dont hit a club for max distance, hit it to step up a favorable next shot at a comfortable distance.

On another note, I hate 50 yard shots lol

[wildcorndog]

Well I've been taking half a regular GW swing. So my swing is just past parallel to the ground.. Yea alot of wrist hinge

[ks8829]

Do you make solid contact with your wedges?

Do you come up short or long with your approach shot with your wedge?

Is it distance control?

How do you currently hit your wedges distances of 50-70 yards?

I usually take a shorter back swing on my 60 degree wedge and control the distance of 50-70 yards or I will aim slightly left and open my club face to take off distance and swing the same as a full shot, my 60 distance is 80 yards so I open the wedge up accordingly and that worked for me in the pass.  I currently take a shorter back swing and take distance off but this requires practice to know your shorter distances and what a 3/4 swing or 1/2 swing distance will be for my swing distances.

[ohiolefty]

Am I the only one that likes hitting wedges off of exceedingly tight/firm lies?!?!? Unless it's a cart path, or the kind of hardpan that forms along treelines (most of you, I'd think, know what I'm talking about. It's essentially the cart path) I love hitting those shots. For me, I just hit the ball first and play something pretty low, not too 'cute'. I usually get one big hop and it settles down nicely. Ball first! Ball first! Ball first!

.................

I can't advocate a specific method for these shots...but practicing is the biggest thing inside of 100 yards. My only advice is try to find a consistent method and get your alignment right. Once you have that, feel and both muscle and cognitive memory should take over.

[ks8829]

I was practicing today on dirt and wood chips hitting my wedges about 50 yards, fun stuff.

[mdl]

This is totally a touch shot.  Definitely go to the range and figure out how far your 1/2 and 3/4 shots with the LW, SW, and PW go.  But really you just need to practice these shots a lot and get the feel.

Example, I just went on a vacation that included no golf, and played this past weekend for the first time in almost a month.  I'd hit my birdie balls in the interim a bit, but it's impossible to get good distance feel with those obviously.  I'd been practicing my short wedges a lot before I left, but hit 3 wedges just to get on the green on the first hole (after hitting driver, 3i to get to about 35 yards on a 540 par 5!), and only on the back nine did I start putting any of my short approaches to a distance I was at least somewhat satisfied with.

[mountaineer maniac0823]

I think with you hitting that close you should back up to the next tees but I wouldn't do it yet.  I use to play from the whites at a course for a while and was always withing 70 yards after my drive on the par 4's and always used my 54 vokey. The best practice is if the course is not busy one day to just drop a couple balls on each hole where your drive lands and just practice that shot.  I feel like you get more practice on the course than on the range and once you get that "feel" for the shots at that distance then take it to the range and work on consistency of that shot.  It has been a while since Ive played that course from the white tees cause I have moved back to the blacks but I was to a point where my accuracy and distance control with the wedge was basically spot on, putting shots within 6' 80% of the time.  But once you get comfortable with that shot then I suggest you move back to the next set of tees cause that will expand your golfing ability.

[WUTiger]

TourSpoon had good idea on either moving back to next set of tees, or else using 3W or hybrid so you have a full iron shot into green.

This gets into course management. You can either stay out of the "40- to 80-yard zone," or calibrate your wedges. If you have a 14 HDCP, though, you can probably master the zone .

Take a day and calibrate your wedges - this is a variation of Dave Pelz technique. Find a quiet day at the range, and hit five shots for each cell in the matrix. Take average yardage for each wedge for all swing lengths. Put this yardage average in the proper matrix cell, and you have good idea of how far each type of shot with each wedge goes. You can laminate the matrix and hang it on your golf bag.

Wedge	Quarter	Half	3Qtr	Full
PW
GW
SW

Note: Use the balls you play on the course; range balls don't go as far as game balls. (That's why you want a quiet range day, so you can take shots up and down range box for day. Ask range manager first, or course.

I did this last summer, practiced a little on it, and broke 90 four times. I got a new wedge mix at Christmas, however, and haven't "recalibrated." Result: I'm leaving a lot of partial wedges 10 yards short or 10 yards long (good line, bad distance). Guess I need to redo my matrix.