Aiming chips/pitches

[14ledo81]

When you are within 15 yards (or so) of the green, and chipping or pitching, where do you aim? Do you aim at a spot and try to land the ball there, while planning for some run? Or do you just look at the flag stick and gauge how short you want to land it? I have to say I typically look at the flag stick, but was looking for other opinions. I guess I have never really tried to land the ball at a certain spot.

[Jakester23]

Always look for a spot on the green if I start looking at the flag I end up picking up my head and duffing my chips. After a few holes I can get a pretty good gauge of the roll out on any given course.

[WUTiger]

When my brain is working properly, I pick a spot on green where I want it to land.

I determine spot by... type of shot - chip or pitch / how hard the ground is / loft of club / is track of ball uphill, downhill, or level?

[mvmac]

Originally Posted by 14ledo81

When you are within 15 yards (or so) of the green, and chipping or pitching, where do you aim? Do you aim at a spot and try to land the ball there, while planning for some run? Or do you just look at the flag stick and gauge how short you want to land it?

I have to say I typically look at the flag stick, but was looking for other opinions. I guess I have never really tried to land the ball at a certain spot.

Your spot changes on what type of shot you're trying to hit and the contour of the slope.  When I have a severe uphill pitch, can only see the flag, I try to actually land it pin high.  Common error is to leave those shots shorts.

[14ledo81]

Your spot changes on what type of shot you're trying to hit and the contour of the slope.  When I have a severe uphill pitch, can only see the flag, I try to actually land it pin high.  Common error is to leave those shots shorts.

I understand the landing spot will change based on the type of shot or roll out. I just have never picked an exact spot and thought, "I want to land my ball right there." I have always just kind of looked at the whole area between myself and the hole and gauged accordingly. Just wanted to get a feel for what other members have done. If picking an exact spot is what most do, then I will have to give it a try.

[fRzzy]

Originally Posted by 14ledo81

I understand the landing spot will change based on the type of shot or roll out. I just have never picked an exact spot and thought, "I want to land my ball right there." I have always just kind of looked at the whole area between myself and the hole and gauged accordingly.

Just wanted to get a feel for what other members have done. If picking an exact spot is what most do, then I will have to give it a try.

This is what I do, I picture what the shot will look like, how the ball launch, land and roll and do some practice swing to pre set the swing, and then I setup and swing away... it's rarely happen the way I imagined, though :D

[inthecup]

I have been having similar thoughts lately and have been picking a spot and reading the break in the green trying to roll it close.  I have also been hitting the trajectory I want with different clubs from PW to 56 degree.  M y home course has severe greens with lots of slope and contour. I used to try and hit every one and now I am rolling  the ball where I want to putt from, not trying to hit every chip.  Honestly as a long term strategy I think it is a good one.  Hitting above the hole on my home course is punishing.

[boogielicious]

Originally Posted by 14ledo81

I understand the landing spot will change based on the type of shot or roll out. I just have never picked an exact spot and thought, "I want to land my ball right there." I have always just kind of looked at the whole area between myself and the hole and gauged accordingly.

Just wanted to get a feel for what other members have done. If picking an exact spot is what most do, then I will have to give it a try.

Try it in practice.  You can get a good feel for the run out in different situations.  You can also read the break after the ball start rolling just like a putt.

[Ernest Jones]

Last night I wanted to start a thread just like this but with a poll. Maybe we could get a mod to add a poll?

Anyway I've come to realize that one of the reasons my pitching game hasn't really translated that well to the course is because I am not playing the shot like I practice it. I typically practice pitching in my back yard. I'll just toss a box, bucket, hula hoop...whatever...to the middle of my yard somewhere and practice pitching to it from various distances, lines and lies. I have developed a pretty good feel for hitting the spot. Pitching in my yard is a little like pitching from light rough to light rough, little to no roll-out at all so naturally I'm picking my landing spot/target and focusing on that with little concern for roll out.

On the course yesterday after the fourth time I had a pitch roll too far and into the far fringe or off the green it dawned on me that my on-course focus for pitching is entirely different than what I'm practicing/training. On course I'm still picking a landing spot and I am planning for what I expect the roll out to be, I do try to read the green from my landing spot onwards BUT once I've set up I am focusing on the flag where as in practice I always focus on the spot. I think this is messing with my brain and my feel for distance is getting short-circuited. Anyways, towards the end of my round I had a few pitches where I made the correction, all the pre-shot planning stuff stayed the same but once I stepped up to the ball to make a few rehearsal swings all focus was on the landing spot and the results were much better.

I think it can work well either way but make sure you are consistent and committed to your method or you'll never get consistent results. You can either pick a landing spot then focus on the flag and trust your body to fly it to the spot with the correct speed and trajectory to get it to the hole or you can choose the amount of roll out and break you're playing for and then focus on your trajectory and landing spot and trust that the roll out will take care of itself.

I've read various teaching pros advocating both ways so I think it's just a matter of preference?

[saevel25]

Originally Posted by 14ledo81

When you are within 15 yards (or so) of the green, and chipping or pitching, where do you aim? Do you aim at a spot and try to land the ball there, while planning for some run? Or do you just look at the flag stick and gauge how short you want to land it?

I have to say I typically look at the flag stick, but was looking for other opinions. I guess I have never really tried to land the ball at a certain spot.

Usually i pick a small landing area. Like if i want to land the ball on top of a knoll and have it trickle down towards the hole.

[dsc123]

If I'm in the fairway chipping to pin placement that doesn't have much break, I'm looking at the pin.

The types of shots where missing your landing spot by a foot could cost you 5 feet in proximity, I'm looking at my landing spot.  This includes those shots were you want to just barely get it on the green to avoid running too far past or leaving it in the rough, or where there is a slope that you have to catch or avoid to get the line right.