How to Tackle the 40-60 Yard Approach Shot

[golfbarefoot]

For me it depends on quite a few factors like....my lie...pin placement on the green... even relative to the undulation etc. ...how soft greens are, trying to control my spin.  Decisions about how high and soft with full shot or 3/4 fwd press & pinch etc.

All that aside.. my go to shot in a vanilla scenario..at this distance for the most accuracy is to just throw a dart at it....a 3/4 low punch draw that checks up quickly with a 60 wedge with a slight forward press and I pinch my Prov1..

[graham57]

Guys I play with have been advising me to bump and run (I use my pitching wedge) wherever possible, as that's the easiest shot when you have the opportunity to play it. I have been following their advice but am not happy with my distance control: after a spell of hitting it too hard, I have become too conservative and tend to leave it short. I almost never have a mishit, and am rarely off line, but precise distance is the problem for me. At any rate, I leave myself with a good putt opportunity only about 20% of the time.

Against that, I can often put a high pitch pretty close to the pin, from anything between 30 and 80 yards, using all 3 wedges (gap, sand and lob). I chose my wedges to have different degrees of bounce, and the state of the ground affects which particular wedge I use. I am only able to get the ball to run back once in a blue moon, but with any of these high shots, foward roll will not be more than 3-10'. This golf season, I have decided to practice these high approach shots and make them my first choice in the circumstances described, as I will occasionally thin a high pitch shot and send it flying over the green, and I need to minimise that risk.

[Jakester23]

Guys I play with have been advising me to bump and run (I use my pitching wedge) wherever possible, as that's the easiest shot when you have the opportunity to play it. I have been following their advice but am not happy with my distance control: after a spell of hitting it too hard, I have become too conservative and tend to leave it short. I almost never have a mishit, and am rarely off line, but precise distance is the problem for me. At any rate, I leave myself with a good putt opportunity only about 20% of the time.

Against that, I can often put a high pitch pretty close to the pin, from anything between 30 and 80 yards, using all 3 wedges (gap, sand and lob). I chose my wedges to have different degrees of bounce, and the state of the ground affects which particular wedge I use. I am only able to get the ball to run back once in a blue moon, but with any of these high shots, foward roll will not be more than 3-10'. This golf season, I have decided to practice these high approach shots and make them my first choice in the circumstances described, as I will occasionally thin a high pitch shot and send it flying over the green, and I need to minimise that risk.

Check out this thread http://thesandtrap.com/t/39411/quickie-pitching-video-golf-pitch-shot-technique

[Dave2512]

If the shot sets up for a bump I will always bump it. Problem we have here is elevated greens, mounds and narrow fairways approaching the green are a popular design. If I miss a green I usually have to get it up in the air. Probably already mentioned it if I am 40-60 out it's a par 5. I use my laser a lot around the greens, 40 from the front with the hole cut back could still be a 60 yard shot. If I choke down to the steel with my 58 I get about 70 yards full swing. I just vary the swing a bit. But usually I am further back to avoid bunkers on par 5's. If we had nice bunkers and the idiots raked them I'd be fine but more often than not full of footprints.

[golfbarefoot]

Guys I play with have been advising me to bump and run (I use my pitching wedge) wherever possible, as that's the easiest shot when you have the opportunity to play it. I have been following their advice but am not happy with my distance control: after a spell of hitting it too hard, I have become too conservative and tend to leave it short. I almost never have a mishit, and am rarely off line, but precise distance is the problem for me. At any rate, I leave myself with a good putt opportunity only about 20% of the time. Against that, I can often put a high pitch pretty close to the pin, from anything between 30 and 80 yards, using all 3 wedges (gap, sand and lob). I chose my wedges to have different degrees of bounce, and the state of the ground affects which particular wedge I use. I am only able to get the ball to run back once in a blue moon, but with any of these high shots, foward roll will not be more than 3-10'. This golf season, I have decided to practice these high approach shots and make them my first choice in the circumstances described, as I will occasionally thin a high pitch shot and send it flying over the green, and I need to minimise that risk.

Bump and run from 40-60 yards out like this thread is asking? Um, your guys are wrong... Bump and run is primarily for closer to green side but with plenty of green to let it roll to the pin..just like the shot says "little bump with club let it run all the way to hole.... but from 40-60 yards out...?? No a bump and run is the wrong shot here...from around half a football field....

[mvmac]

Guys I play with have been advising me to bump and run (I use my pitching wedge) wherever possible, as that's the easiest shot when you have the opportunity to play it. I have been following their advice but am not happy with my distance control: after a spell of hitting it too hard, I have become too conservative and tend to leave it short. I almost never have a mishit, and am rarely off line, but precise distance is the problem for me.

Yeah, hitting bump and run shots from 40-60 yards is not going to work out in terms of distance control, unless we're talking about a links course.

as I will occasionally thin a high pitch shot and send it flying over the green, and I need to minimise that risk.

That's just spending a little time on the technique, check out the thread @Jakester23 posted.

[graham57]

I think maybe I confused the issue  by using the term "bump and run" - you are right, this is really only for short shots round the green. However, up to around 60 yrads out I am still faced with the decision whether to play a lower trajectory shot with a pitching wedge, which will stay in the air for around 50-60% of the time and run the rest (I am assuming there are no bunkers or any other obstacles in between, that the green is not elevated, and so on), or hit a high shot with a more lofted wedge which will land directly on the green and only rund a short distance. This is the basic difference in shot approach I meant. Hope that makes it clearer what meant.

[golfbarefoot]

ok.......

"at this distance for the most accuracy is to just throw a dart at it....a 3/4 low punch draw that checks up quickly with a 60 wedge"

[billchao]

Yeah, hitting bump and run shots from 40-60 yards is not going to work out in terms of distance control, unless we're talking about a links course.

Why wouldn't a standard pitch shot be good on a links course? I've never played one, so I'm curious. [quote name="graham57" url="/t/78796/how-to-tackle-the-40-60-yard-approach-shot/60#post_1093383"]However, up to around 60 yrads out I am still faced with the decision whether to play a lower trajectory shot with a pitching wedge, which will stay in the air for around 50-60% of the time and run the rest (I am assuming there are no bunkers or any other obstacles in between, that the green is not elevated, and so on), or hit a high shot with a more lofted wedge which will land directly on the green and only rund a short distance. This is the basic difference in shot approach I meant. Hope that makes it clearer what meant. [/quote]That would depend on this: [CONTENTEMBED=/t/77861/how-to-hit-partial-wedge-shots-learn-your-tweener-yardages layout=inline]​[/CONTENTEMBED] I get pretty good spin on my wedge shots so I just go for the flag (or whatever landing area I pick) and it won't release too much.

[golfbarefoot]

graham57:

bump and run....   notice how close he is, not 40-60 yards out.

[onkey]

Why wouldn't a standard pitch shot be good on a links course? I've never played one, so I'm curious.

As an American who spent 7 years playing golf in the UK, I will take a crack at this.  Due to the ground and the fast fairway grass conditions in the UK, it can be much easier to play the bump and run than try to land you pitch in exactly the right place on a rolling, undulating green (i.e. somewhere relatively flat).  The fairways are so hard and fast that while the ball is still bouncing, it will run out like a firm green and can be an easier read.  The greens are just as firm and from that distance it can be quite difficult to get enough spin from that distance to control the roll out.

I would limit this to the UK.  I've never played anywhere in the States with similar playing conditions and wouldn't consider playing the same way from this distance--even if they are a U.S. "links" course.  But these conditions may exist here as well.

[Torres9]

This is good

[billchao]

As an American who spent 7 years playing golf in the UK, I will take a crack at this.  Due to the ground and the fast fairway grass conditions in the UK, it can be much easier to play the bump and run than try to land you pitch in exactly the right place on a rolling, undulating green (i.e. somewhere relatively flat).  The fairways are so hard and fast that while the ball is still bouncing, it will run out like a firm green and can be an easier read.  The greens are just as firm and from that distance it can be quite difficult to get enough spin from that distance to control the roll out. I would limit this to the UK.  I've never played anywhere in the States with similar playing conditions and wouldn't consider playing the same way from this distance--even if they are a U.S. "links" course.  But these conditions may exist here as well.

Interesting. Thanks for the insight.

[graham57]

onkey may have hit the nail on the head: as most of my golf has also been played in the UK or Germany, I'm talking basically about similar conditions. I have played some in the US and Canada, some of it in quite dry courses (in Florida), where the fairways were very firm and the ball would run for ages, but that may not be typical. Softer fairways with less roll would make it much better to go straight for the green with a high shot. I play a few rounds in Thailand every year: next time I will consciously look into this with regards to fairways there. Thanks for the great contribution!

[graham57]

Just an afterthought: my homecourse here in Germany allows play most of the winter, but to temporary winter greens. We have not so cold, but very wet winters here, and the ground gets waterlogged and heavy. On my first round this winter, my "normal" approach shots with a pitching wedge would land short and hardly roll at all, so I switched to the high wedge to the green, which has been working much better. After onkey 's insight into fairway conditions leading up to the green, I will still try out both approaches this spring/summer, to see which works out better for me, but I understand much better now what parameters to look out for.

[inthehole]

....a 3/4 low punch draw that checks up quickly with a 60 wedge

sideline question ... I've seen pro's do this on TV and have absolutely no idea how they do it ... how the bloody hell can you hit a 60 lob wedge LOW ?!?    Every time I hit the lob wedge, even with excessive forward shaft lean to deloft it (I assure you I'm not flipping when I try to execute this shot), it comes out sky high ??    Sorry to seem pissy, but I have tried and have no earthly idea how to execute this seemingly advanced shot ... thx

[mvmac]

Why wouldn't a standard pitch shot be good on a links course? I've never played one, so I'm curious.

The lies can be super tight and the ground is very hard. There are just some shots that are better to play along the ground because even a 60 yard shot can get a hard bounce and run off the green. I've only played "true" links golf when I was in Scotland and Ireland last summer. I hit a variety of shots from 40-80 yards. I hit long pitches, bump and runs, there were even a couple times where I putted it from 40 yards out. Just depends on the shot, if there is trouble over the green, what the wind is doing, how severe the bumps/ridges on the green are.

[Fourputt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by billchao

Why wouldn't a standard pitch shot be good on a links course? I've never played one, so I'm curious.

As an American who spent 7 years playing golf in the UK, I will take a crack at this.  Due to the ground and the fast fairway grass conditions in the UK, it can be much easier to play the bump and run than try to land you pitch in exactly the right place on a rolling, undulating green (i.e. somewhere relatively flat).  The fairways are so hard and fast that while the ball is still bouncing, it will run out like a firm green and can be an easier read.  The greens are just as firm and from that distance it can be quite difficult to get enough spin from that distance to control the roll out.

I would limit this to the UK.  I've never played anywhere in the States with similar playing conditions and wouldn't consider playing the same way from this distance--even if they are a U.S. "links" course.  But these conditions may exist here as well.

Ever play winter golf?  Believe me, links courses ain't got nothing on a course with frozen fairways and greens.  I've played when hitting any sort of a high trajectory shot is sort of like trying to hit on to a concrete slab with about 1/8" of padding.  I've played a 5I or 6I chip from 100 yards more times than I can count.