In the Rough, Close to the Hole -- What's the Preferred Technique?

[iacas]

More dealing cards, more around your body and less vertical.

Not a LOT more for these lies, but more for these, and a good bit more for softer pitches.

[JetFan1983]

@JetFan1983 , nice video.

Couldn't help but chuckle. "So that's what you want me to do" after your first pitch.

Lol, thanks. I mean, I kind of got lucky with the result, so that's why I was wondering. Erik pointed out some really good things I can work on.

More dealing cards, more around your body and less vertical.

Not a LOT more for these lies, but more for these, and a good bit more for softer pitches.

Gotcha. A bit more "under the plane" going back.

Also, I never noticed how different my actual pitch swing was to my practice swing. Big tip out. Familiar move of course. Funny how the tendencies are consistent for me throughout the bag.

Thanks for the post.

[vangator]

You call that rough? :) Your second shot is why my first choice is the chip with firm wrists. Your first results were pretty sweet though.

[Golfingdad]

I filmed myself practicing this shot today, so check it out if you all are interested. Took the advice of playing it like a pitch shot. Just want to make sure I'm doing this right.

I'm using a 56.14 degree sand wedge, square face. Lie no.2 in the OP for both shots. I'm about 14 feet from the hole. Bermuda rough.

In retrospect, from face-on, the ball looks too far back in my stance. And maybe I should've opened the face a bit, I dunno. I guess stance width could be narrower.

@mvmac what do you think about the setup and motion? And it doesn't have to be Mike that responds, anyone can. Thanks, guys

Crap, it's hard to see the lies I had. Should've paid more attention to that. My fault.

Maybe the camera angle was bad, but your ball position on the FO looked almost a little back of center.  I like it more by my left heel.

I also like to have my hands much further back at setup.  OK, maybe not "much" further, but a little further.  My feel is that they are already slightly preset in a "flipped" position to guard against digging in that leading edge.  Sorta like ZJ's putting stroke.

Hmmm, maybe I'll film myself hitting a couple of pitches too. :)

[WUTiger]

1. Chip and run with PW, played off back foot.

2. Cut shot with 56* SW, played from middle.

3. Explosion-type shot with 56* SW.

[mvmac]

Just to add to what Erik and Drew said. Agree you need more "dealing cards" feel and the ball is about a ball too far back.

I also see the weight shifting back a little. This is could make contact a bit inconsistent. Compare these pics

Looks like you're "falling" back a bit, part of the reason why the club head is tipping out. I think with the ball more forward, feeling the club load slightly under plane going back, you won't "need" to fall back. Just something to keep an eye on. And with the underplane feel, it's done more with the 3rd Accumulator than cocking the right wrist (dorsi flexion).

[MS256]

3. Explosion-type shot with 56* SW.

Sounds about like my theory and in that order. Almost every time there are different variables but no need to make something hard out of something easy if it's not necessary.

[boogielicious]

@mvmac and @iacas ,

Can you explain a bit more about the "dealing cards" feel?

[iacas]

@mvmac and @iacas,

Can you explain a bit more about the "dealing cards" feel?

I'm sure it's in one of the videos.

Your right hand feels like it's dealing cards on the backswing. Palm up feeling.

[cipher]

Here in WI the rough is so lush and thick that I have really only found one way to play shots around the green in the rough like this.  Especially the short ones.  I open the face up a bit and feel like I drop the cub head down on the ball and almost "chunk" it out.  Here is how I play the shot.  It is not really pretty, but is the only way I have found to get to the ball to come out soft when you can hardly even see it.  I play it back a bit as well @JetFan1983 .

[mvmac]

@mvmac and @iacas,

Can you explain a bit more about the "dealing cards" feel?

What I'm doing at the beginning of the video, right hand only. I'm also feeling it through the shot, look at how the back of my right hand is facing the ground on the practice feels.

Here in WI the rough is so lush and thick that I have really only found one way to play shots around the green in the rough like this.  Especially the short ones.  I open the face up a bit and feel like I drop the cub head down on the ball and almost "chunk" it out.  Here is how I play the shot.  It is not really pretty, but is the only way I have found to get to the ball to come out soft when you can hardly even see it.  I play it back a bit as well @JetFan1983.

Really like the motion of the pivot through the shot. I'd experiment with playing the ball more forward and see how that goes. The thickness of the rough makes it look like you have more "hands forward" but I think you might get even better at these shots if you looked more like this

Than like this. Not saying this can't work, I just think it's easier to "pop" the ball out of those lies if you play it more like a bunker shot.

[cipher]

I will work on that @mvmac ! Thanks.

[colin007]

Yeah, our rough is more like ciphers. The "rough" in JetFan1983 and mvmac videos is hardly what I would call problematic rough. It's when the rough is deep yet the ball sits way down and the ball is resting practically on the dirt between blades of grass.

[MS256]

I was out in the yard one day last year practicing short game shots and it had been raining so I hadn't mowed the yard in a while. Just messing around and trying different things I tried severely closing my stance but leaving the club face pointing toward my target (similar to hitting a huge hook). Out of that very thick and tall "rough" I was able to control the ball surprisingly well and caught very little grass between the ball and the clubface. The only thing I did much differently from "normal" with that set up and technique was that I didn't let the clubface rotate and after impact had the feel of the clubface continuing toward the target more than usual. After that day I forgot about doing any further experimenting with it until reading this thread. Maybe tomorrow if I have time (and the way things are going that's not a given) I'll mess around with that some more.

[cipher]

Yeah, our rough is more like ciphers. The "rough" in JetFan1983 and mvmac videos is hardly what I would call problematic rough. It's when the rough is deep yet the ball sits way down and the ball is resting practically on the dirt between blades of grass.

Yeah I tried the sand shot type method this afternoon. I will admit I had trouble getting through the grass. One of the courses I play is every bit as thick as my back yard. I will have to keep working on it. Until then I will play the open face hinge and drop on the course, as I can get up and down a fair amount with it.

[Golfingdad]

I basically had situation #3 today on the course. Pitched it with my 59 to about 6" for a tap in par. ;) Had a couple that were on something more resembling regular fairway grass and I had a hard time being delicate with those. Hit decent pitches, but both went 8-12 feet past the hole.

[JetFan1983]

I basically had situation #3 today on the course. Pitched it with my 59 to about 6" for a tap in par. ;)

Had a couple that were on something more resembling regular fairway grass and I had a hard time being delicate with those. Hit decent pitches, but both went 8-12 feet past the hole.

Hehe, you said you were thinking about posting some pitch shots... Join @cipher and me in the fun!

Nice job on that shot out of that #3 lie!

[Golfingdad]

Hehe, you said you were thinking about posting some pitch shots... Join @cipher and me in the fun! Nice job on that shot out of that #3 lie!

I will! Today, however, I thought it funner to play than practice. ;)