Perfect, reliable contact on shortgame shots

[Sharkgolf]

Hi Guys.

I hope this doesn't sound like somebody whining, BUT (wwwwwwwaaaaaaaah) I have tried EVERYTHING, from the short game bible of Dave Pelz, to pros-lessons, to hours and hours of practise, and yet, at the absolute moment of truth, when you 100% need that shot to work, you know, the one where you are on a bit of hardpan, there's a yawning bunker in front of you, and the pin is cut fairly tight to your side of the green, and you go up to the ball, make your preview swing, nice & slow, feel the shot, see the shot, then swing, head down, posture perfect, on plane...............and you chunk it into the bunker??? Is there anybody out there who has the absolute answer to these 15 yard 60deg wedge shots which should be so easy, but prove to be a scorecard wrecker?????

All guaranteed help gratefully received.

[mybloodinvt]

this is not guaranteed help, but, here are a few things that come to mind in this situation; practice this shot, alot, start with a narrow open, stance with your weight shifted to the left (if you are right handed), make sure to keep a very quiet body, any change in your body position will cause you to blade it over the green or dump in the bunker, don't try to help the ball in the air, let the club do the work making sure your hands lead into the ball and hit down on the ball with a descending blow. oh yeah, practice, alot. very tough shot, good luck.

[ChillyDipper]

what i do when i need 100% confidence in my contact is play the ball way back in my stance. When I say way back I mean playing it off the outside of my back foot. Seems a little odd but this all but guarantees perfect contact because it produces such a descending blow on the the ball. Try this, I think it will help you.

[Wood]

I always try to keep about 80% of my weight on my left foot. This also helps to keep your hands in front of the ball, and have a quiet body while descending on the ball.

[niblick]

I've had the exact same problem, and I've found some improvement recently. I heard a pro mention that on those finesse wedges, the bottom of your swing will be where your head is. I realized my weight was hanging back on my right side, which caused my swing to bottom out early and hit it fat.

I'm not saying this is what you're doing, but setting my weight forward at address and keeping it there has definitely helped me. I hit a 30 yard wedge over a bunker to 3 feet on Saturday... and that's always the shot I screw up on.

[allin]

I think the key to these shots is mental. There are a number of sound techniques, some of them are contained in earlier posts. The bottom line for me is that I concentrate on simplifying the technique I choose as much as possible I avoid any thoughts of trying to play the perfect shot. This trap increases tension and robs you of feel. Once in awhile (last hole to win or showing off) I'll try something super high risk, but not often, and I do practice those shots quite a bit, since they are great fun. When I do I try to capture the feel of a performer. My ex used to make sarcastic remarks about my making difficult short game shots when I have an audience (true). I have a reputation as a guy who picks up difficult splits and bowls well in the 9th and 10th frames also. I believe it is because I see these as opprotunities to do something special. I am not physically strong or long, but these are my chance to shine. These are my middle aged equivalent of game winning touchdowns, last second 3 point shots, relish them.

[chingali]

the one where you are on a bit of hardpan, there's a yawning bunker in front of you, and the pin is cut fairly tight to your side of the green

That to me sounds as if you attempting to reliably pull off the impossible. Sure you'll get it close a few times, but more often than not you ARE going to dump it in to the bunker or blade it past the pin.

Why not just take your 55* wedge and knock the ball on to the fat part of the green, two putt, take your bogey and move on with minimal damage? Here's an idea for something to try, pick your worst nightmare scenario out on the course and drop 10 balls and try to get it close and putt out, add up your total for the 10 balls. Now drop another 10 balls in the same place and just try to get them on to the green safely, aim for the fat part of the green, aim away from the pin, I don't care just get them on the green and putt out then add up the total for the 10 balls. I bet that the ten balls you play safely will average out with the lower score than the 10 you try to play the impossible shot with.

[Philfest]

Smart thinking is what a lot of us are lacking in on the course. Smart and strategic course management is what I could use a major dose of.

Where I need help: Mental course management. Thinking paterns.

Thank God I have the physical requirements, a decent short game and I strike the ball well..... but I find myself in stupid trouble for not thinking or not being course smart.

Any suggestions.... books, tapes, videos?

[Q.Q.Quillume]

Also keep in mind, golf is not a game of perfect (credit, of course to Bob Rotella, author of a book by that title) that golf is a game of misses, the better your misses, the better your score.

[chingali]

Smart thinking is what a lot of us are lacking in on the course. Smart and strategic course management is what I could use a major dose of.

Forget about books tapes and videos and just use common sense, a lot of the decisions we are forced to make during a round of golf are simply risk management decisions.

What I always do when deciding on a course of action is to think about what I have to gain from an action and weigh it up against the consequences. In the situation you outlined above, a pitch shot over a bunker off hardpan with a tight pin position I'd be thinking, 1. How many shots will I save if I manage to pull off a perfect shot against a simple one? Answer is 1, I'll make par instead of bogey if I also manage to hole the putt. 2. How many shots will it cost me if I play the risky shot and I don't pull it off against playing the simple one? Answer is 1 possibly 2 if I dump it in to the bunker or blade it over the green. 3. What's the chance of me hitting the risky shot close enough to reliably hole the putt, say inside 5 feet? Answer is about 20% 4. Do I need to get it up and down, consider the state of the round or the match. If it's the last hole and I need to get down in two to win the tournament or halve a match then I'll go for it. If it's the 11th hole then I'll play safe and cut my losses. I reckon it's all about being able to have the best score possible without taking too many silly risks. A bogey isn't going to hurt your score, but a triple bogey will.

[schlyer]

I'd say the key to not chunking it is to keep accelerating thru the ball. I've seen way too many people set up for a tough pitch like this, swing back then kinda change their mind on the way down.

[chingali]

I'd say the key to not chunking it is to keep accelerating thru the ball. I've seen way too many people set up for a tough pitch like this, swing back then kinda change their mind on the way down.

The other thing I see every time I play is people trying to "scoop" or "lift" the ball when playing short pitches instead of accelerating down through the ball and allowing the loft of the club to gain the necessary trajectory as you mentioned. It might be an idea to get a friend video you playing some of these shots and then have a look at it, often what you think you are doing is well removed from the reality of it.

I still think though that off hardpan with a bunker between you and the pin and a tight pin position, a little cut up lob with a 60* wedge isn't the sensible shot to be playing. And one other thing, what were you doing missing the green on the short side anyway? You've made a mistake by doing this, don't compound your error by attempting the nearly impossible! Take your medicine and move on.

[Chas]

I always try to keep about 80% of my weight on my left foot. This also helps to keep your hands in front of the ball, and have a quiet body while descending on the ball.

I've been focusing on this lately and it's making a big difference to my consistency and feel. My fear of the dreaded chunked shot seems to be fading away gradually.

[Sharkgolf]

Ha! Now this was a pretty intense thread, Gents, with some sound advice and thoughtful answers to a tricky - and as you will probably all agree - neck-swelling situation, if the shot doesn't come off.

Of course the best idea is not to aim for the tight-cut pin but to approach the entire green as your target, to 2 putt from there and move on......

.....with second best idea being to keep the acceleration going through the shot...

...with the 3rd best being, to make sure you keep your weight forward, stay tension-free and head well down....

BUT DOESN'T IT JUST FREAK YOU OUT WHEN THESE SHOTS DON'T WORK AS PLANNED?

We need a workaround, something which works, ("reliable", was the subject of the thread, remember?) and doesn't pose such a problem....and I reckon the 56deg chip, as suggested by one of you, with the ball almost behind the back foot with a downward strike, seems to me, after a week of working on it, to be the best shot for this situation, under pressure.

The cut lob, the open faced soft-arms swing, these come with too much risk, don't they?

Thanks for all the input guys. Nice to know I'm not alone!!

[Fisherdude]

... Is there anybody out there who has the absolute answer to these 15 yard 60deg wedge shots which should be so easy, but prove to be a scorecard wrecker?????...

Well, I don't know who told you that 15 yard, 60 degree wedge shots from tight lies should be "so easy", but you need to give him a swift sand wedge to the kneecaps. That's a very tough shot, as any tour pro, and your own shaking knees, will tell you. As several posters have mentioned, this is a shot based on your own mental state, plus an understanding of the risk/rewards of the current situation. If you haven't practiced, a LOT, with a 60 wedge, don't even try it. If you can hit this shot in practice, then you need to "not care" about the outcome, and simply make it a practice stroke. Easy for me to say, I know, I'm not the one looking over that huge bunker! If you can do it in practice, then you're probably playing the ball in an ok position, i.e. not too far forward, and you're probably making a gentle body turn and not simply swinging your arms down at the ground. A pitch is a small golf swing. It's got everything, including turning your torso and shifting your weight, it's just smaller and very gentle. And you have to finish. Again, if you can do it in practice, just use your practice key ("turn back, turn through"), or whatever, and let it go. Now, even if you can quiet your mind and let your swing just go, if this is really from hardpan to a tucked pin, I'd really have to question why you're not aiming for the center of the green. I guarantee that's where I'd be aiming, and I'm pretty good with a 60 degree wedge.

[Chas]

Nice post Michael, but I would differ a tad on the cut lob. It's got a bad rep I know, but really if practised frequently it can be your friend around the green. But if you should not practise it for a couple of months like I did recently, be prepared for some less than stellar results .....
No, I love the cut lob. Keys to success for me are an accelerating move through the ball, lots of early wrist action and knowing when the lie makes it too difficult a shot to pull off well. The lie counts for more in this than any other shot, IMO. Anything remotely hard: forget about it. Ball sitting on top of tallish grass: clubface might pass underneath, barely moving the ball at all! But man is it sweet when that puppy flies really high and then lands soft as you please on the green. What a glorious game golf can be!

[teebuck911]

you can try as many drills as you want but you need to tune the mental side of your game... eg not thinking to much about the shot, like standing over the chipp for a long time, also thinking back to the last time you had this same shot and you duffed it into the bunker, you should think about the time when the shot worked an you put it close, also try not to think about the bunker being there try to ignore it,

tom

[Fourputt]

The way I solved this problem so it will never again be an issue?



I put the 60° in the garage and I'm going to leave it there. That removes the temptation of making the mistake of trying to pull off a shot that would challenge a lot of pros.

All I'm going to do here is try to get on the green.... anywhere, certainly as close to the hole as I can, but while still being sure to get it on the green . Every time I play I watch someone hit multiple chunks with a 60° wedge and wonder "Why? Why do they insist on trying to use a club that just absolutely kills their score?". If the club doesn't work for you, then put it away and use one that does. One extra stroke to pay for being in the wrong place is a lot easier to swallow than 2 or 3 or more from trying to play an nearly impossible shot.