How to Tackle the 40-60 Yard Approach Shot

[Phil McGleno]

Ok, ok...I am not going to do a quote/reply.  That piece of this thread is getting longer and longer. So, for those of you intent on "beating me up" on my statement about laying up to a yardage I like...let me see if I have this correct. Let's say I am on a  par 5 and I am 275 out before my 2nd shot.  So, you are saying I should pull out the 3 wood and bomb it as far as I can, leaving myself less than a full club in cause at 69 years old I cannot hit 3 wood 275...do I have that correct? In my case, I am going to hit something that leaves me say 85 to 100 yards out.  But, y'all think I would be better to just bang it as far as I can on every shot where I cannot reach the green...again...is that correct?

If it is safe to hit your 3W then yes. You are falling prey to one of the old adages that are wrong. You are costing yourself strokes. Have an open mind. The only thing that stands to benefit are your scores and enjoyment of golf.

[vangator]

In a scramble, I will always choose the closer ball unless conditions or obstacles dictate a further ball is better. On TV, you'll hear that pros laid up to 100 yards to hit a full W or something. That is only if they have to clear trouble. If there's no trouble between you and the ball, closer is typically always better.

[Golfingdad]

Have an open mind. The only thing that stands to benefit are your scores and enjoyment of golf.

QFT.

[Pretzel]

Back onto the topic at hand, how to tackle a 40-60 yard approach shot, here's how I do it depending on a couple different possible scenarios.

1 - Fairway between me and the green, no weird mounds or anything that requires me to fly the ball to the green

For this shot I will simply take out my 52* wedge and hit a fairly long pitch shot that will bounce a couple times and roll on up to the pin. No need to complicate things here when it can be as simple as that.

2 - Something requires me to fly the ball to the green (rough in front, hazard, mound, etc.), but the pin isn't tucked tightly to the front.

This is another shot that ends up being somewhat simple, in that I just take what feels like a 1/4 to a 1/2 swing with my 60*(1/4 swing flies 40 yards, 1/2 flies 60) and do nothing too fancy here. Most courses don't have firm/fast enough greens to make this kind of shot bounce and/or roll off the back and it's simple without high risk.

3 - Something requires me to fly the ball to the green and the pin is tucked tightly to the front.

There are two ways I can play this. The safe way, which I would use in 98% of cases, is to just use my strategy for situation two and aim for the center of the green in terms of distance. This way I know I'm still putting for my next shot, and it won't be a super long putt in most scenarios. The risky way, which I would only do if it was a "must-make" situation of some kind, is to open of the face of my 60* a little bit and take a fuller swing. Lying the toe open to about the 3 o'clock position allows me to hit it 40 yards with a 3/4 swing and 60 yards with a full swing. This is much riskier because it requires more precision in contact when compared to a regular shot or a pitch shot. I have only played this shot three times in the all the tournaments I've played, and it's worked only two of the three times (one of which was actually pretty lucky, caught it a tad fat but overswung). Just play this shot like you would the shot in situation two unless it's to win a club championship on the 18th or something. and even then playing it like situation two might be better depending on the specifics of the situation.

The biggest thing that you must remember is that the #1 goal of a shot from this range is to ensure your next stroke is taken on the green with the flatstick. Don't get caught up in trying to hit it super close to the pin and end up missing the green entirely (especially if the pin is close to the back/front/left/right edge).

[mvmac]

Oh Man...how could I have missed it...no wonder...you are trying to SELL me something.

So, you are trying to SELL me something.

@iacas is just trying to help @RickK . There are several threads on this site that debunk the "lay up to a comfortable yardage" myth, you can read them FOR FREE.

[boogielicious]

Ok, ok...I am not going to do a quote/reply.  That piece of this thread is getting longer and longer.

So, for those of you intent on "beating me up" on my statement about laying up to a yardage I like...let me see if I have this correct.

Let's say I am on a  par 5 and I am 275 out before my 2nd shot.  So, you are saying I should pull out the 3 wood and bomb it as far as I can, leaving myself less than a full club in cause at 69 years old I cannot hit 3 wood 275...do I have that correct?

In my case, I am going to hit something that leaves me say 85 to 100 yards out.  But, y'all think I would be better to just bang it as far as I can on every shot where I cannot reach the green...again...is that correct?

.

@RickK ,

I played the layup method on Par 5s until last year.  Then I switched to getting as close as safely possible after much discussion on this forum.  This means taking out the fairway wood and avoiding bunkers or other hazards, but getting as close as possible.  I really makes a difference.  Now I will have short pitches or 1/2 and 3/4 shots to the pin.  I get much, much closer to the pin.

For your example above, I would assume that it is 250 to the front edge.  I would hit my 3 wood from a good lie (210) leaving me a 65 yard shot instead of hitting my 4 iron or 3H to 100.

I am not a long hitter and I think this is even more important for us.  The 1/2 and 3/4 shots are easier too, and more accurate.  It is the same set up and down swing speed as a full shot. You just take the backswing back less.  You will surprise yourself at how these are safer, more accurate shots.  You get lots of spin too and the ball will check up nicely.

"Try it, you'll like it", as they always say.

[Patch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by colin007

Here's the thing @RickK, if I gave you ten shots from 50yds and another ten shots from 100yds, from identical fairway lies, you'd be lying closer on average from the 50yd shot. You're just simply not more accurate from farther away. But this is veering off topic.

Back on topic, use a pitch and get it close.

Hmmmm...maybe but maybe not. I will stick with my comfort zone

Playing in one's "comfort zone" is always a good thing when compared to playing in one's "uncomfortable zone". I know when I have a long hole that I can't reach in regulation, my stock shot to the pin is 100 yards.  I look at the hole backwards and figure what clubs I need to use to get close to that 100 yard shot to the pin.  What ever works for the individual is my thinking.

[Lihu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RickK

Quote:

Originally Posted by colin007

Here's the thing @RickK, if I gave you ten shots from 50yds and another ten shots from 100yds, from identical fairway lies, you'd be lying closer on average from the 50yd shot. You're just simply not more accurate from farther away. But this is veering off topic.

Back on topic, use a pitch and get it close.

Hmmmm...maybe but maybe not. I will stick with my comfort zone

Playing in one's "comfort zone" is always a good thing when compared to playing in one's "uncomfortable zone". I know when I have a long hole that I can't reach in regulation, my stock shot to the pin is 100 yards.  I look at the hole backwards and figure what clubs I need to use to get close to that 100 yard shot to the pin.  What ever works for the individual is my thinking.

I agree, and it seems like ones comfort zone is dependent upon skill.

People who try to control the distance of the ball will favor the shorter distances, and those that hit a club with a full swing to some approximate yardage will be more comfortable doing that.

[Crim]

LW every time. I've tried the iron bump and run, practiced it and practiced it, can't get the feel. I've found that under pressure and with some practice I can pitch a LW near the pin frequently from that distance. Anything past 60 yards and it's basically the same thing with my SW. Just a nice short swing pitch.

[Jakester23]

I agree, and it seems like ones comfort zone is dependent upon skill. People who try to control the distance of the ball will favor the shorter distances, and those that hit a club with a full swing to some approximate yardage will be more comfortable doing that.

Maybe I'm odd but I don't think it's easier to hit a full sw than it is to hit a 3/4 or 1/2 shot. I try to avoid hitting my sw and lw full swing. I'm much more comfortable hitting a l/2 swing gw than a full lw. They both are about the same distance for me.

[Lihu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lihu

I agree, and it seems like ones comfort zone is dependent upon skill.

People who try to control the distance of the ball will favor the shorter distances, and those that hit a club with a full swing to some approximate yardage will be more comfortable doing that.

Maybe I'm odd but I don't think it's easier to hit a full sw than it is to hit a 3/4 or 1/2 shot. I try to avoid hitting my sw and lw full swing. I'm much more comfortable hitting a l/2 swing gw than a full lw. They both are about the same distance for me.

That's probably because you have the skill to hit specific distances.

Notice I didn't say by handicap?

[iacas]

Playing in one's "comfort zone" is always a good thing when compared to playing in one's "uncomfortable zone". I know when I have a long hole that I can't reach in regulation, my stock shot to the pin is 100 yards.  I look at the hole backwards and figure what clubs I need to use to get close to that 100 yard shot to the pin.  What ever works for the individual is my thinking.

Take five minutes and figure out how to make a 50-yard shot a comfortable zone.

As others have said, I'd wager you're probably STILL better from 50 yards than you are from 100 even if you're a little uncomfortable from 50.

That's probably because you have the skill to hit specific distances.

@Lihu , c'mon man. Players are more likely to hit the ball closer to the hole when they're closer to the hole to start, especially given roughly equal lies.

[TimS65]

Let's face it - not everybody is the same. I know from my own experience as a high handicapper that half swing shots can be a pain to learn. Its difficult to keep the pace through the ball and therefore end up hitting the ball way too short. Not everybody has either the time or inclination to learn every shot in the book!!!

[Ernest Jones]

Let's face it - not everybody is the same. I know from my own experience as a high handicapper that half swing shots can be a pain to learn. Its difficult to keep the pace through the ball and therefore end up hitting the ball way too short. Not everybody has either the time or inclination to learn every shot in the book!!!

I wouldn't call learning how to hit the ball 80 yards and in "learning every shot in the book". You will never be able to score well if you don't have a couple of shots for that zone. You can't always rely on laying up to that perfect 100y distance even if it was a good strategy, which it isn't. I mean really, if you're 225 from the pin please tell me you're not hitting PW to get to 100 yards???

[iacas]

Let's face it - not everybody is the same. I know from my own experience as a high handicapper that half swing shots can be a pain to learn. Its difficult to keep the pace through the ball and therefore end up hitting the ball way too short. Not everybody has either the time or inclination to learn every shot in the book!!!

Last thing I'll say on this. We tested plenty of sucky golfers. They scored better from closer to the green.

I think there's a weird sort of bias going on here.

From 100 yards, ask a 90s golfer and he'll tell you that he is disappointed if he's not within 15 feet or something, even though that's better than PGA Tour average . We see it all the time here and in real life. Never mind that, realistically, that guy is missing the green 50% of the time. Seriously…

Often these golfers get to 50 yards and their expectations rise so much, like "boy I'm gonna stick this one tight" and so when they leave themselves even a 25-footer or a chip from just in front of the green, they're incredibly disappointed . Never mind the fact that they hit the green almost twice as often and their proximity is much closer. Their beliefs are screwed up because their expectations are screwed up.

In Lowest Score Wins one of the charts in the #DeadCenter chapter shows the average score from 130, 110, 90, 70, and 50 yards for various levels of handicap. We charted these.

For 19+ handicappers from 110 yards, they averaged 18.9% GIR and a score of 4.01 aiming at a flag in the left center of an average sized green. From 50 yards they averaged 40.9% GIR (116% improvement, or more than 2x more GIR) and their score averaged 3.45 - a drop of 0.56.

Now, it seems to me you have be awfully terrible from 50 yards to ever justify laying back to 100 yards. You're quite literally costing yourself about half a stroke EVERY TIME.

These golfers, btw, were just the first 70+ golfers we could find. They weren't our students, they weren't given any directions or technique or training, etc. There's (a hell of a lot) more in the book, but this deserved mention here.

---

Hopefully my last post in this thread.

This thread is about HOW TO HIT THE 40-60 yard shot, not "the weird lengths to which many will justify avoiding the shot to the detriment of their scores." :)

[Jakester23]

That's probably because you have the skill to hit specific distances. Notice I didn't say by handicap? :-)

Erik is 100% right. I learned how to hit 3/4 & 1/2 shots in one range session. I just take the club back to 3/4 (or what feels like 3/4 to me) then make a smooth swing to a 3/4 follow through. I do the same thing for 1/2 shots. Honestly you'll be surprised how many times you get a good strike.

[Dave2512]

Curious, to avoid the 40-60 yd distance (presumably on par 5's unless something goes wrong on a par 4) ... do you layup for a comfortable full wedge distance which would involve a lot longer approach shot; or do you muscle up and hit one of your longest clubs to try to get much closer to the green than that ?

If I am there it is because I hit it as far as I could given the margin for error. I never try to avoid a shot of that distance even if it means I end up in a bunker near the green. I certainly wouldn't favor a bunker over a better lie from the same distance but I'd rather be bunkered near the green than further out. Perception colors the results from that distance because you expect to get it close. A longer shot is still harder to control and dispersion will be greater. I only hit GIR 6-8 times a round most of those are par 5's because I am closer to the green. IMO people aren't as accurate as they think they are from their "comfortable" distance. I have hit all my clubs using FlightScope and there is no money club. Not surprisingly the longer and less lofted the clubs get the wider the average shot pattern. I don't struggle with short shots flying off-line like I do with longer clubs it's the distance that is tough to control. But it's still tighter than a longer club would be. It's that perception thing. If I hit the green from 150 I feel lucky because one of the few really good shots I hit that day. If I don't stick it next to the hole from 40 and it rolls by leaving me a 50 foot putt I feel like a dork. But reality is that is probably a common stat for someone playing the way I do. Some of it is luck and not landing it on the perfect spot on the green and the contours working against me.

[Fourputt]

Actually, there is a lot of logic to this too.  It should be easier to make solid contact with a shorter swing, because with a shorter distance for the club to travel, there should be less likelihood of some swing quirk changing the swing path.  If you are making more consistent contact, then you should have more consistent results - more consistent distance and less dispersal.  Since the ball is traveling a shorter distance, there should be less overall directional variance - i.e. you will land the ball closer to the intended line, more often.  All of that should result in better shots, on average.

I choose to use one club most of the time for this type of shot, only changing when it is really necessary.  Doing that also seems to help me in being more consistent.  Unlike most, I use my 54° and 56° the least.  I'm more likely to use my 51° GW or 47° PW more than anything else.  I'm simply more comfortable with them.  I like the feel of them in my hands and that gives me confidence.  I've never really been very consistent with high arcing shots (which is part of why I don't carry a LW), so I only use that sort of shot when I really have no choice.  I can do it, I just don't like it.