Low pitch shot that checks up and stops HOW?

[vangator]

So no hip slide with a high lofted club hands stay ahead with ball back in stance?

The video on the first page of the "cheese" shot shows the hips I was talking about. Whether it's slide or rotate, you need to clear them for the shot. I've seen this video before. Got tired of the cheesey comments. The great thing about this shot is that it takes a lot of the break out of the hole. You throw the ball to a point on the green and it stops fairly close to that point. Takes some practice to visualize it and pull it off. I was practicing some tonight. I wanted to see how different balls were reacting. I for one do not like pitching a ball from a tight lie using the bounce. I don't have as good a feel for the distance. And for me, that's when fat and skinny want to play through.

[Mr. Desmond]

Exactly.

I would like to ask those that do use this shot:  Can you explain the situations where you find it useful, AND why a normal pitch shot with a bit of roll out wouldn't work in that same situation?

Is it a matter of "when the mood strikes" or the wind is blowing and they want to keep the ball down over 30-50 yards?

Don't know.

But I've experienced more success with very soft, relaxed hands on the lower trajectory, high spinner and high pitch shots, and mostly with a shallow AOA using bounce. I got so caught up in full swing mechanics for several months that I forgot about soft hands, feel, and tempo. Focused yet Relaxed.

[Mr. Desmond]

Good to hear from you again, Dr. Desmond

Keep up the great posts, always a pleasure to here your comments.

Club Rat

Thanks.

Most of this is beyond me ... it takes so much detail. That's why Mike and Erik, and the other pros here are best at this.They live it. I play at it.

But if I can offer any assistance, it's good.

[Crazycanuck44]

My course runs along a river with trees virtually everywhere.. believe me this shot would be awesome to have in my bag.. Of course if you're the type that puts down the pipe every time you don't need this shot.. I'm gonna try it anyway I like to try and work the ball in certain situations, it's get me in trouble a lot but what the heck hitting it straight is boring..

[Mr. Desmond]

My course runs along a river with trees virtually everywhere.. believe me this shot would be awesome to have in my bag.. Of course if you're the type that puts down the pipe every time you don't need this shot.. I'm gonna try it anyway I like to try and work the ball in certain situations, it's get me in trouble a lot but what the heck hitting it straight is boring..

Kuchar's shot was not that low to keep it under trees. I've seen Sergio pull that shot and it was lower (I believe). But still, under trees typically means a lower lofted club and that is more difficult to check up with sufficient spin.

Sergio w LW

If you can stomach the staccato of  M Breed

[saevel25]

Kuchar's shot was not that low to keep it under trees. I've seen Sergio pull that shot and it was lower (I believe). But still, under trees typically means a lower lofted club and that is more difficult to check up with sufficient spin.

Yea, I wouldn't be playing the low launch high spin shot to get out from underneath trees. Most of the time it still goes too high for that. Though, if you have a good lie in the rough, and you need to go under a not too low branch, and over a bunker. You can get a bit of spin on the ball if you catch it really good.

Still, I don't see much use for this type of shot. Maybe if the green had some weird contour or slope. Like if the green sloped away, or if there was a mound or something. You might want to hit before the mound, or use the spin to help take the roll out away. Again, maybe less than 1% of the time.

I don't use this shot much at all. So I am not comfortable with it. If someone used it a lot, I am sure they could get good at distance control.

[David in FL]

Still, I don't see much use for this type of shot. Maybe if the green had some weird contour or slope. Like if the green sloped away, or if there was a mound or something. You might want to hit before the mound, or use the spin to help take the roll out away. Again, maybe less than 1% of the time.

A couple of places where I'll use it.....

From a ways out, where I want/need to fly the ball all the way to the green rather than risk funny bounces and inconsistencies that can come from chipping short of the green and running it up, but where the pin is too close to the near edge of the green to allow for a normal roll-out......think 20 yards from the green with the pin only 20 feet or so on......

As you said, if I want to take a weird contour, slope, or other "obstacle" out of the roll-out equation.

Then, there are just those, like Erik mentioned.....it just "feels" like the right shot.  You don't need to screw those up too often to realize that sometimes, even here, feel ain't real though!

I'm gonna try it anyway I like to try and work the ball in certain situations, it's get me in trouble a lot but what the heck hitting it straight is boring..

Scoring better isn't boring though......

[Crazycanuck44]

Hardest ball to hit is a dead straight one..

[iacas]

Hardest ball to hit is a dead straight one..

I don't know if that's really on the topic here… :D

[Steve Hutch]

This is easy. Even I did it to the amazement of my buddies.

1. Use a brand new lob wedge 58 or 60.

2. Use a brand new tour level ball

3. Study and practice the "hinge and hold method" on the Phil Mickelson DVD.

4. Clip the ball hard and crisp

5. Only try from 30 yards out (tough on short shorts)

[shortstop20]

You don't need the ball back in your stance nor do you need to hit down more to hit this shot. Ball in the middle or even forward of middle is best because it allows for a shallow angle of attack. I hit those shots with my LW, one hop and stop and barely take a divot and I'm consistent with it because I never bury the club in the ground. You also need to hit it a fraction thin to keep the launch low and the spin high. Hitting down excessively is what causes the inconsistency on the spin.

[Golfingdad]

You don't need the ball back in your stance nor do you need to hit down more to hit this shot. Ball in the middle or even forward of middle is best because it allows for a shallow angle of attack. I hit those shots with my LW, one hop and stop and barely take a divot and I'm consistent with it because I never bury the club in the ground. You also need to hit it a fraction thin to keep the launch low and the spin high. Hitting down excessively is what causes the inconsistency on the spin.

You're able to hit it LOW with a lob wedge with the ball forward in your stance???

[shortstop20]

You're able to hit it LOW with a lob wedge with the ball forward in your stance???

Yes. Like I said, you have to hit it a fraction thin to engage the vertical gear effect which will actually make the ball come off with more spin than a solid strike.....and since its hit thin, it comes out lower. I use this method for 40-70 yard pitches with my LW.

[iacas]

You're able to hit it LOW with a lob wedge with the ball forward in your stance???

Within a small margin, the closer you get to 45° spin loft, the more spin you get and the closer the ball will launch to the path.

So if you can have the handle forward 15° on your lob wedge, with 0 AoA, that's pretty close. Hitting it a little thin lowers the launch angle and increases the spin too. The trick is to have the handle forward while having a shallow AoA.

Or just hit it with a lower lofted club, and the handle doesn't have to be so far forward.

And within reason means you can do it with 50° spin loft, which is preferred over 40 - those all too often run out. If you're playing this shot, you'd prefer for "the mistake" to be a higher, softer shot than a lower, firmer one.

[Crazycanuck44]

Great advice and discussion. I haven't had a chance to try this it's been raining a lot here and when does let up I'm on the course.

[vangator]

Yes. Like I said, you have to hit it a fraction thin to engage the vertical gear effect which will actually make the ball come off with more spin than a solid strike.....and since its hit thin, it comes out lower. I use this method for 40-70 yard pitches with my LW.

That sounds like a pretty risky shot.

[WUTiger]

Against my better judgment, I tried this shot twice yesterday. I put one 5 feet from the pin, the other 20 feet.

Main reason I tried it: I was in some very gnarly first-cut rough, and wanted to make sure I got through the ball OK. Earlier out of a similar lie, I had chunked the ball about 20 feet with my normal pitch shot tempo.

[Mr. Desmond]

That sounds like a pretty risky shot.

Soft hands... soft hands ... arms