5 Feet Off The Green - Front Pin... What Do You Do?

[whatwoodtigerdo]

Originally Posted by Slice of Life

Uh...I'm not sure that I agree with that at all. A lot of greens are very slippery putting backwards towards the hole, in that case I'd much rather try to get up and down with a 5 yard chip + putt than try to 2 putt downhill from 15 ft.

In a snip it of the new video series of Gary Player's that revolution golf is promoting he says if any doubt, take the longer club. He said, and I haven't bothered to track it, that if you mark where you miss the green during your rounds you will find that you are short a lot more than you are long.

[Slice of Life]

Originally Posted by whatwoodtigerdo

In a snip it of the new video series of Gary Player's that revolution golf is promoting he says if any doubt, take the longer club. He said, and I haven't bothered to track it, that if you mark where you miss the green during your rounds you will find that you are short a lot more than you are long.

That's all fine and well, but if there's trouble behind the hole, and nothing in front, and the green punishes long shots, I'm fine being short. Like I said, it's situational, grabbing an extra club isn't always the right call, just ask Bubba...

I'm far from a world class player, but I can get a 5 yard flat chip shot up and down probably 90% of the time. Probably a higher percentage than being long in that scenario.

And my miss is typically lateral to the green, not long or short...crappy ballstriking FTW. lol...

[saevel25]

Well think most amateurs miss short because of bad contact, not miss clubbing. Ever see an amateur try to take a bit off an iron, swing easier, then proceed to nuke the iron over the green. Yea, they just upped there smash factor on that shot due to much better contact.

I think first and foremost, just gauge yourself during your round. If your comming up a bit short, then adjust. If your going a bit long adjust. There isn't really a set rule there. But, those who struggle with contact, wont find it easy to do, because of the varied shots.

I agree with Nicholaus though, if you can putt it, PUTT IT. The ball has less chance to do stupid shit.

Just go to the practice green, put down 10 balls, chip with your normal club, then putt another 10, see which gets you closer overall. I would say putter.

[Slice of Life]

Originally Posted by saevel25

I agree with Nicholaus though, if you can putt it, PUTT IT. The ball has less chance to do stupid shit.

Just go to the practice green, put down 10 balls, chip with your normal club, then putt another 10, see which gets you closer overall. I would say putter.

I know that's the common advice, but I never follow it. I hate putting off of anything other than the short green grass. I've done the putt/chip practice routine, and am more accurate with my 60. Odd, I know...but it is what it is.

I was out your way Sunday and Monday, played at Kitty Hawk with my Uncle.

[Fourputt]

Originally Posted by WUTiger

For starters, quit hitting those just-short shots. When in doubt, take an extra club and get the ball on the green. It's a lot easier to putt backward 10 feet than to get up and down from in front of the green. Tennis players would call those short shots an unforced error.

Originally Posted by Slice of Life

Quote:

Originally Posted by whatwoodtigerdo

In a snip it of the new video series of Gary Player's that revolution golf is promoting he says if any doubt, take the longer club. He said, and I haven't bothered to track it, that if you mark where you miss the green during your rounds you will find that you are short a lot more than you are long.

That's all fine and well, but if there's trouble behind the hole, and nothing in front, and the green punishes long shots, I'm fine being short. Like I said, it's situational, grabbing an extra club isn't always the right call, just ask Bubba...

I'm far from a world class player, but I can get a 5 yard flat chip shot up and down probably 90% of the time. Probably a higher percentage than being long in that scenario.

And my miss is typically lateral to the green, not long or short...crappy ballstriking FTW. lol...

There is a problem with taking a generic statement like this to heart.  It tends to cause you to turn off your brain.  Distance says 9I?  Pull the 8I.  Of course if it's a back pin and 9I was actually the right club, you're now looking at a pitch from 10 yards behind the green, 6 feet uphill, landing on a downslope to a shortsided pin and you have maybe a 5% chance (probably closer to zero) of getting up and down from there.  Many courses I play have bushes and trees framing the back of the green, so now you've brought them into play too.  The real answer is learn your distances and pick the RIGHT club.  Gauge your adjustments based on where the worst trouble is.  Front hole?  Adjust a little longer if it seems indicated.  Back pin?  Do just the opposite.  Sucker left pin, tight over a bunker?  Play for the middle of the green and don't be sucked in.

There are no automatic answers in golf.

Originally Posted by moog77

Use a rescue club idiot proof chipping

Not really.  Can't carry the ball far enough for that to be a useful generality.  Sometimes yes, it's the right club.  Mostly, I find that the ball comes off the face of a hybrid hotter, and it requires an adjustment for that added pop which I don't have to make if I go with a 5 iron instead.

[iacas]

Originally Posted by saevel25

Well think most amateurs miss short because of bad contact, not miss clubbing. Ever see an amateur try to take a bit off an iron, swing easier, then proceed to nuke the iron over the green. Yea, they just upped there smash factor on that shot due to much better contact.

Poor contact, as well as an inflated sense of their own distances, yes. Both seem to be the reasons from what I see.

Originally Posted by saevel25

I agree with Nicholaus though, if you can putt it, PUTT IT. The ball has less chance to do stupid shit.

C'mon, man. We've all let you're/your, their/there/they're, etc. go without comment, but "Nicholaus"????? That's sacrilege or something.

[Slice of Life]

Originally Posted by iacas

C'mon, man. We've all let you're/your, their/there/they're, etc. go without comment, but "Nicholaus"?????  That's sacrilege or something.

Troof.

[geauxforbroke]

Originally Posted by iacas

Quote:

Originally Posted by saevel25

I agree with Nicholaus though, if you can putt it, PUTT IT. The ball has less chance to do stupid shit.

C'mon, man. We've all let you're/your, their/there/they're, etc. go without comment, but "Nicholaus"?????  That's sacrilege or something.

BAN HIM!!!

[Kevin04]

Originally Posted by Teamanglerx

For those who are interested I added my handicap as computed from Oobgolf.  I have never kept a handicap but I know its high but I am not ashamed of it.

You have no reason to be ashamed of it either. I love golf for that reason - I play with a guy around 15 hc, a guy who's 23, and another one at 2/3. We all have a great time together!

I was constantly shooting 30-32 over par 18 months ago. I'm now down to roughly about 14-15, but haven't updated my h/c as I don't want to jinx it just yet ;)

All the best buddy, and hope you are enjoying your golf.

[saevel25]

Quote:

C'mon, man. We've all let you're/your, their/there/they're, etc. go without comment, but "Nicholaus"????? That's sacrilege or something.

Sorry, one of my classic spelling mistakes. If you talk to my friends, i am good for a few of them from time to time, and there usually pretty bad. I'll try to proofread my sentences more often from now on ;)

[WUTiger]

WUTiger had said, Quit hitting the ball short...

Originally Posted by Slice of Life

Uh...I'm not sure that I agree with that at all. A lot of greens are very slippery putting backwards towards the hole, in that case I'd much rather try to get up and down with a 5 yard chip + putt than try to 2 putt downhill from 15 ft.

If the green has one of those "must stay below the hole" cups, I certainly agree.

But, if it's a case of a 17 HDCPer not taking enough club, up-clubbing to hit it to - or a little past - the hole and putting would be preferable to leaving it short.

Another course management concern: Greens with false fronts. In a case like that, you might want to bounce the ball on with a lower, less spinning approach shot to beat the spin-back pad.

[MS256]

Originally Posted by WUTiger

WUTiger had said, Quit hitting the ball short...

If the green has one of those "must stay below the hole" cups, I certainly agree.

But, if it's a case of a 17 HDCPer not taking enough club, up-clubbing to hit it to - or a little past - the hole and putting would be preferable to leaving it short.

Another course management concern: Greens with false fronts. In a case like that, you might want to bounce the ball on with a lower, less spinning approach shot to beat the spin-back pad.

I know some guys that have come up short on the par threes every single time I've ever seen them play, and I've seen them play a lot. Funny thing is that they are not that bad at ball striking and hit the ball fairly straight. They certainly aren't doing it out of strategy because they do it in any kind of play, even scrambles when a teammate is already on the green or match play where a competitor is already in close for birdie. They simply never use enough club and are always about one club short. I've been tempted a few times to tell them to go get another club but I haven't. Just as sure as I did they would catch the shot of their lives and airmail the green.

On the other hand there is a young guy that plays in our group that does the opposite. He airmails almost every green. Swings as hard as he can at everything and then seems to take a weird sense of pride as he announces "that was an 8 iron". I'm thinking yep, that was an 8 iron, and now it's a double bogey. Needless to say he is nowhere nearly as good as the guys that come up one club short every time.

[Fairway_CY]

On the topic of why a guy like me (17.9 handicap - original poster) comes up short... it's a definite combination of poor contact and not knowing my true distances.

For example...

Last Thursday, I hit a 7 iron (160 yard club) on a par 3 that was GPS measured at 179 yards.  Trouble long and left.  It was slightly downhill (1 club) and slightly downwind (1 club).  I came up to the right of the green in the rough, directly in line with the pin ("pin high").  The contact was very solid and I hit the ball at just about the 179 yard 'spot'.

Last Friday, I hit an 8 iron (145 yard club) on a par 3 that was GPS measured at 163 yards.  Trouble long and right.  It was also slightly downhill (1 club) and slightly downwind (1 club).  The contact was also very solid yet I came up 15 yards short and left.

Yesterday, I hit a 5 iron (180 yard club) on a par 3 that was GPS measured at 195 yards.  Trouble long and right.  It was very much downhill (1-2 clubs) and there was almost no wind, but what there was came from behind me and from the left.  The contact was again very solid but the ball seemed to float a little and I came up 10 yards short and left.

I know what it feels like when I mishit a ball.  I also know what it feels like when I compress the ball.  All 3 of those shots were solid shots where the ball was compressed.  The sound, both off the face and the first 20 yards in the air, was identical on all 3 shots.  The swings were all 100%, full swings.

I'm inconsistent when it comes to distances.  Sometimes I can hit my 8 iron on a flat hole with no wind 160 yards.  Sometimes I can hit it only 135 yards.  I know it's because my swing is not 'grooved' like others.  I do the same thing with my 56 degree wedge which used to be a full-blown swing 65 yard club, but is now a full-blown swing 85 yard club.

So... it's easy to say "don't leave the ball short".  The trouble is... I'm a 17.9 handicap and I have no idea which swing is going to show up each time I have the club in my hand.  If I know there is trouble in a certain area... I will avoid that area.  If that means potentially coming up 5 yards short and having to only chip/pitch/putt a straightforward shot... I'll take that option over playing from 10 feet below the green, off mulch or possibly having to drop because I'm in a creek.  I'm a bad golfer... that doesn't make me a fool.

CY

[rkim291968]

I hear you. In fact, there are a lot of holes I try to hit short to avoid long down hill putt from top of the green. If I hit well, it will be near the hole. If I hit short, then I pitch.

[Dave2512]

Faced this shot yesterday and I chose to putt it, within 2 feet and got up and down to save bogey. After holing out I played it again but tried a chip with the PW I carried to the spot with my putter. Not even close, would have left a 6-7 foot putt.

[rehmwa]

Originally Posted by Dave2512

Faced this shot yesterday and I chose to putt it, within 2 feet and got up and down to save bogey. After holing out I played it again but tried a chip with the PW I carried to the spot with my putter. Not even close, would have left a 6-7 foot putt.

i do this kind of thing frequently (if it's not busy).  glad i'm not alone in it.  It demonstrates a LOT to me.

[460CompMark]

if you are only 5 feet from the fringe, i would just putt it depending on the type of grass and the way the grass was mowed.  5 feet isn't very much.  you don't want to putt it if the grain is into you.  if the grain is into you, i would just use a PW or 54* that will provide enough loft to just barely clear the fringe and check.  now if you are talking more like 10-15 ft, i would go with a 60* and pitch it.  all of this really depends on the lie and space between the ball and fringe.

[Dave2512]

Originally Posted by rehmwa

i do this kind of thing frequently (if it's not busy).  glad i'm not alone in it.  It demonstrates a LOT to me.

I play late afternoon a lot so the opportunity for practice after finishing a hole is always there. I don't always take advantage of it but I had to with this thread in mind. There are times I wouldn't putt when this close but not often. With a putt I don't have to worry about hitting it thin or fat. I could misjudge the speed and line but the risk is definitely less for me. I practice chipping all the time, my new home course has two chipping greens with everything from closely mown areas to sand. I chip a small bag of balls and they're everywhere on the green by the time I finish. I've never blown a ball over the green with a putter but I have thinned and chunked chips all over the place. At my level if I take 43 strokes a side I can look back and count on one hand which of those were played exactly as I intended. The rest are mostly misses without drastic consequences.