What's your favorite shot from 50 yards?

[mdl]

Assume you're in the fairway with no overhanging trees or anything, 50 yards from the pin.  Obviously the shot you hit in any particular situation depends on the setup around the green, wind, other variable factors.  My question is, which of these shots, when it's appropriate, are you most confident over.  Which shot are you happiest about having the right green setup for?

For me it's a stock partial 60˚, not expecting too much roll out.

[Golfingdad]

Oh, if you would have said 40 or 45!!!  I've recently started getting better at the "Quickie pitching method" that I learned from Erik and Mike last year, and along with my new, handy, rangefinder, I have discovered that a "full swing" pitch using that method seems to top out at about 40-45 yards.

Soooo, that said ... from 50 through about 85, I'm usually using a "partial stock LW".  If the green is open in front and there is room to work with, I will also use the "partial stock SW."  (For the record, my wedges are 54.5 and 59)

[Lihu]

I answered high LW, but actually it would be a 3/4 high (a little forward of center) LW (60 degree). I only learned this shot within the last couple weeks. Before this it would have been a half stock LW and hope it hits the center of the green. I'm not 100% with the LW given I am about double your HI.

What is your percentage of success with a LW on a shot like this?

[MiniBlueDragon]

Partial stock 54 for me. I'v never been comfortable with "clever" shots involving spin and in the UK most of the time you're better off keeping it low so a high lob is silly. Bump and run was a possibility for me but I frequently mess up the run-out so stock half SW it is.

[jamo]

I said partial "stock" LW. I'd like to work more this year on hitting lower, spinning wedges.

[Lihu]

Partial stock 54 for me. I'v never been comfortable with "clever" shots involving spin and in the UK most of the time you're better off keeping it low so a high lob is silly. Bump and run was a possibility for me but I frequently mess up the run-out so stock half SW it is.

That's a really tough situation.

[mdl]

I answered high LW, but actually it would be a 3/4 high (a little forward of center) LW (60 degree). I only learned this shot within the last couple weeks. Before this it would have been a half stock LW and hope it hits the center of the green. I'm not 100% with the LW given I am about double your HI.

What is your percentage of success with a LW on a shot like this?

Not double for long!  I've seen your recent vids and I've been all over the place recently, feeling good a lot of the time but scoring terribly.

I don't know my percentage exactly.  And it depends on what you define as success.  From a non-soggy lie in the fairway I'm going to be really pissed if I'm not on the green, though obviously that happens!  I'm pumped inside 10-15 feet and feel like I did a good job if I'm inside something like 20-25 feet.  On the green but further than 25 feet and I'm not pumped but I'm not real pissed off about it or anything.  So that gives you some idea of my percentage?

[David in FL]

Fairly low, spinning SW. Throw it right at the pin. Hop and stop. Which is funny, because other than that, I have trouble fighting down high lofted clubs....

[LuciusWooding]

I'd take a 60 degree and pitch it a couple yards short and let it release. I usually make the mistake of choking up on this shot because I guess someone said I'm supposed to, but I always regret it. My contact is about 1 million times better when I don't grip up. I'd rather vary my trajectory and swing length and keep the solid contact at this point in my game.

If there's anything to the lie or I feel like trying something else, I chip a PW about 2/3 of the way there. Getting this distance with the PW is a lot shorter swing but it won't stop that easily.

What would actually happen is that I would catch it pure, land it an inch left of the pin and it would bounce like it hit cement, not spin and end up 20 feet past, then I'd 3 putt. 50 yards is a bit tricky. I do try to avoid this yardage like the plague unless I have a stroke to play with, and if I'm planning on getting close to the green I try to do a bit better than 50 yards. I can hit the green easily enough but my putting isn't great so not putting the ball near the pin can hurt. Even 70 yards is a lot less of a crap shoot because I can hit a shot that stops without trying to force it. I can stand to practice this yardage a bit more this year. Playing a bit better quality balls this year should help too.

[billchao]

I choke down on my PW and hit a low spinner.

[Hammer 4]

I voted High SW/LW drop and stop. If I had a dollar for every time I practiced that shot, I could easily buy a new Duramax with $$$ left over..lol

[WUTiger]

Probably a half GW, played just a little in front of center to encourage loft. Depending on how hard the green was, it would release 5 to 10 feet.

[flopster]

Take my 58* and set up back in the stance and pinch that baby right off that tight lie get 2-3 hops and a little roll, the greens at home are very firm and I have to put as much spin as possible on the ball or they just roll off the back or to a lousy spot for a tough 2 putt.

[Dave2512]

Lie and where to land it is everything. In rough it could be a steep 58 that flies on closely mown grass a runner with a 44. The closer to the green the more the need to be creative. Every hole offers something different.

[MS256]

Since it said "favorite" I voted "High drop and stop SW" but I probably use 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, and 6th fairly close to equal amounts depending on the lie/course condition, how much green I have to work with and the slope I'm landing on. I very seldom use the 3rd or 7th.

In the winter on wet, long, grainy, dormant Bermuda I use the 1st with a PW almost all of the time.

[Stretch]

Mid-low spinner with the 53 degree wedge.

[Lihu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lihu

I answered high LW, but actually it would be a 3/4 high (a little forward of center) LW (60 degree). I only learned this shot within the last couple weeks. Before this it would have been a half stock LW and hope it hits the center of the green. I'm not 100% with the LW given I am about double your HI.

What is your percentage of success with a LW on a shot like this?

Not double for long!  I've seen your recent vids and I've been all over the place recently, feeling good a lot of the time but scoring terribly.

I don't know my percentage exactly.  And it depends on what you define as success.  From a non-soggy lie in the fairway I'm going to be really pissed if I'm not on the green, though obviously that happens!  I'm pumped inside 10-15 feet and feel like I did a good job if I'm inside something like 20-25 feet.  On the green but further than 25 feet and I'm not pumped but I'm not real pissed off about it or anything.  So that gives you some idea of my percentage?

That's pretty good.

I guess a scratch golfer might have a chance to get it <10-15 feet?

[Draftstone]

My 60 degree wedge, with a full swing goes about 55-60 yards of carry and usually stops dead inside 1 feet (I still can't put backspin on it for it to roll backward after it lands).

So usually, when I seem to be halfway between green center and the 100 yard marker, I take my wedge and simply grip it like 1 inch shorter. It makes my swing a little slower since I have to lean a little more over the ball and it goes around 50 yards (give or take 2-3 yards, still not that consistent, but I am usually able to hit the green inside 100 yards.

All this might not be the correct technique, but it works for me right now, so that's what I am using :)