Not getting check on chips and pitches

[SoundandFury]

I use my 60* exclusively from off the green.  I'm noticing that I need to be extremely precise to leave myself an easy up and down, because I almost always get about 2-4 yards roll out, even from the fairway/tight lies.  I'm not thinning it (when I do it's nowhere near 5 yards from the hole).  I don't flip, but no matter how much I make contact with a downward strike, I get nothing.

Any suggestions? I'm considering abandoning the 60* as my sole greenside club...

[Mr Smell Good]

I personally wouldn't use the 60 unless I had to hit it over a bunker.  If you're just off the green why not use a club with way less loft?  I would even use an 8 iron or something and just bump it up and let it roll

[newtogolf]

Just repeating what I've read and been told, but factors required to create backspin that will cause the ball to check up or roll backwards are; ball cover, wedge grooves / bounce, proper ball contact, and swing speed.

The wedges you're using are definitely some of the best out there and you seem confident you're not flipping, so maybe try a different ball that has a urethane cover and see if they react better around the greens.

[Mr. Desmond]

Is the shaft vertical at address w lob wedge (more spin - the greater the difference between shaft and ground with a high lofted wedge)?

Ball nearer front foot than center?

Weight remains on front foot during swing?

[SoundandFury]

Is the shaft vertical at address w lob wedge (more spin - the greater the difference between shaft and ground with a high lofted wedge)? Ball nearer front foot than center? Weight remains on front foot during swing?

Depends on what the shot calls for. If I'm trying to flop it or pitch it high and land soft when I have no green to work with, I play the ball slightly ahead if middle, more vertical shaft lean. Otherwise I play it just off the inside of my back foot, shaft leaning towards target. Either way I keep my weight on my left (front) side throughout the shot.

[cipher]

To get the check up you are looking for you probably need to use a less lofted club like a 56, and you may need to de-loft it a bit.  Pinch it and send it in fast a low.  I really am not a huge fan of the shot, you have to pick it pretty clean.  I just prefer little pitch shots using more bounce.  I will take a couple yards of roll usually with a higher margin for error.  Plus it is easier to hole out with a little 2-3 yard roll or so.

[RPMPIRE]

I had the same problem with the ball not getting enough spin. I used to follow a lot of the advice about leaning the club forward (Mickelson's hinge & hold method) and I struck the ball with too much leading edge. Even when struck properly, it would still keep rolling with no check.

What I did was to feel like the I just brush the bounce of the wedge just a little behind the ball with a shallower, diagonal approach. Contact was more crisp and I was getting the spin and check.

[BostonBrew]

As mentioned, it could be an equipment issue. Your ball selection might not spin enough or your wedge's grooves could be worn down. I've always heard that in order to perform that low trajectory spin shot we see on TV every weekend, you need to strike down on the ball (obviously) and have a fairly high swing speed (plus a lot of practice doing it). And keep in mind those guys play with new wedges every other event if not every week. When I first got my wedges, the grooves were so sharp they would cut the ball's covering and I'd get 5-8 feet of backspin. A few years later, I can't remember the last time I cut a ball with the grooves, and I only get 1-3 feet of backspin on full wedges.

[mdl]

What distance are we talking about?  If you're just off the green and trying to carry it 15-20 feet, landing just a few feet in front of the hole, it's going to be very difficult to get check that way.  A big percentage of spin comes from club head speed at impact (assuming good contact), and you're just not going to get a low or mid height pitch or chip to check instantly carrying it 15 feet.

I also mostly use my 60˚ around the green (though 54˚ sometimes too), but I prefer smooth easy pitches that roll out more than 2-3 feet.  I'm generally aiming for what you're complaining about, with roll out of 1-3 yards depending.  When I really need super short check with a short shot I just try to hit it higher.  You know the ball forward, more vertical shaft lean, use the bounce drill.  The other feel that helps me is incorporating the "butterfly" sand shot style grip, with left hand a bit stronger and right hand a bit weaker.  Also, to get it really high without going full flop, I'll sometimes put the ball well forward, set up with the face open, then hit it super wristy like some types of sand shots.

The other benefit of this is if you can hit it extra high you can swing harder, so you still land short but with more backspin, and I find this more consistent than a full flop shot, though still a bit risky from super tight lies.

[anthony]

Why not just play for the roll? I use my 61 around the greens mostly and it never checks up. I don't get 4 yds though, unless it's downhill or something. How are you playing the shot? I find that a ball forward / hands back pitch will have a nice steep arch and land softly with 1-2 yd roll out (assuming it's a 10-15 yd shot).

[jowlar]

What are the greens like where you are playing? Hard and fast?  Sloped?  The course where I play the vast majority of my rounds has very hard greens that require you to land the ball short and play for the roll out.  When I say hard I mean Phil Mickelson couldnt hit a hacky sack with a 64* wedge and get it to stop.  I have to adjust my approach when I play a course with receptive greens because I have to fly the ball a little farther to compensate for no roll. So perhaps your problem isn't your problem but a course condition requiring adjustment.

[Mr. Desmond]

Originally Posted by SoundandFury

Depends on what the shot calls for. If I'm trying to flop it or pitch it high and land soft when I have no green to work with, I play the ball slightly ahead if middle, more vertical shaft lean. Otherwise I play it just off the inside of my back foot, shaft leaning towards target. Either way I keep my weight on my left (front) side throughout the shot.

See this...

[$2 Nassau]

After about 10 years of playnig I'm just starting to be able to do this occasionally.  I used to hit down on it severely.  Sometimes it would check, sometimes not, very inconsistent.   I believe you have to almost pick it off of the turf, forward shaft lean but not necessarily "hitting down."  almost like a sweeping motion with a delofted club that allows that ball to run up the face.  push the club hands first low through impact and exaggerate not breaking your wrists.

[MuscleBack Sauce]

for people who understand the whole "descending blow" concept it is usually one of 2 things. 1) The ball.  If you aren't using a soft cover ball you simply aren't going to get check from short distances.  My buddy will sometimes use hard balls on the practice green (which infuriates me ) and then start complaining about lack of control which is just the opposite of practice.  2) Aggressiveness.  Shorter and faster is the key.  To get check take half the backswing and accelerate through impact.   Also, if the ball position is too far up in the stance it will tend to cost some backspin.

[EverythingGolf]

The softer the greens are the easier it is to get the ball to bite.

[deason]

Only thing that will get a ball to check is for it to be spinning backwards to the target....right?

So if you are decreasing the dynamic loft on that face then you won't have much club face to roll up unless you really pick it every time, which is lie dependent and skill/timing dependent.

I was going to post that Waite/Mayo vid which is funny.

[rustyredcab]

Your signature says you are playing E-6 balls. The other suggestions about ball striking may help, but, in my personal experience, that E-6 is tough to spin around the greens. Get a sleeve of B330- RX  or RXS and I'll bet you find a big improvement. I stopped playing the E-6 because I could not get them to stop. But man were they long.