30-50 yards?

[zero]

This has been frustrating me. What to do with a normal, average 30-50 yard shot with a good lie? 56 degree wedge, 3/4 swing? 50 degree 1/2 swing? PW 1/2 swing? Rigid wrist pitch? Regular swing? I got this dang TM ATV 56 degree wedge for this purpose and I'm not having much success. Can't get the lag, divot in front, etc etc. If I go back to my gap wedge 50 degree I'm ok but I'm trying to progress here, not go back. From 100+ yards I'm golden but these shorter shots are killing me. Thanks.

[Shindig]

Do you know your half and quarter swing distances with your wedges? If not, step one is finding those out. Then you'll know what to do from 30-50 yards. For me, 30 yards is a quarter gap wedge; 35 is a half sand. 40 is a quarter pitching wedge. 45 is half gap. 50 is half pitching. These will change as my form becomes better, I hope. But use your distances, not mine.

[boogielicious]

Check these threads out @zero [CONTENTEMBED=/t/77861/how-to-hit-partial-wedge-shots-learn-your-tweener-yardages layout=inline]​[/CONTENTEMBED] [CONTENTEMBED=/t/82268/how-to-flight-your-wedges-and-short-irons layout=inline]​[/CONTENTEMBED]

[ChrisWev]

What I've been doing (an how I think when setting up):

Open stance to target, narrow stance,  ball forward, weight slightly forward, shaft slightly forward, grip down to the end of the grip, DON'T MOVE HEAD and keep weight in the same place and be "pro active" with the swing. If I try to hit it soft there's too much variation and anything can happen.

There's hinge and hold, clockface, mirroring swing on the take away and follow through, accelerating to the ball, using gravity to the ball and a million other different ways. Practice a couple of the techniques (you will probably already have one) on 50 yard shots and see which is the most accurate.

Funnily enough - for my PW:

Back swing to 7:30/ 25% with a bit of hinge = 30 yards carry +/- 3y yards

Back swing to 9 O'Clock/ 50% with about 90 deg of hinge = 50 yards carry +/- 5 yards

For me it's the gripping down that's the key, there's so much more control. The longer shots tend to hold the greens better as if they are struck with more pace they spin more (if using a decent ball).

Obviously you can do this with almost any club and with some practice you can reduce the variation right down (I don't practice this enough to be honest).

[zero]

Thanks guys. Lots to go on there. Plenty of work to be done and now I have an idea of how to go about it.

[DrvFrShow]

Weight forward. Ball slightly back of center. Slightly open stance. Lob Wedge. 9 - 3 swing. Trust your swing. Nice high soft shot.

[zero]

Disaster with the short wedge practice today. My body doesn't understand the partial swing...

[ChrisWev]

  DrvFrShow said:

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrvFrShow

Weight forward. Ball slightly back of center. Slightly open stance. Lob Wedge. 9 - 3 swing. Trust your swing. Nice high soft shot.

Obviously this is personal preference (I used to sit the ball back too), but I changed based on some advice form a few people, certainly of the younger generation.

Do you not find back of centre is a bit old school and robs you of loft (on every club) and can be difficult when it's wet (and in the rough for me)? You're making your lob wedge into a 45-55 degree or something by doing that.

I know I wrote earlier (can't edit it) about "ball forward" but, that's just what I'm thinking, I mean on the line of my heel, which seeing as I point my left foot out 45 degrees on a narrow stance is actually middle or slightly forward of middle.

I find this much easier, consistent, get more loft and the bad shots are nowhere near as bad.

  zero said:

Disaster with the short wedge practice today. My body doesn't understand the partial swing...

You will, then it will become your best friend. You might be finding it hard if your stance isn't open as if you don't it (apparently) doesn't give you time to get your hips into a good impact position, it's like being already set in the correct place with the stance open.

[dchoye]

This is tough shot To far for regular chip or lob shot for me. Plus not as frequent practiced as I'm generally closer to the green. It's a feel thing , pitching I generally use SW for this distance. Also I have another way. I hood the wedge and hit a lower shot I call knockdown. From this distance I can use a LW

[Elmer]

  zero said:

This has been frustrating me. What to do with a normal, average 30-50 yard shot with a good lie? 56 degree wedge, 3/4 swing? 50 degree 1/2 swing? PW 1/2 swing? Rigid wrist pitch? Regular swing? I got this dang TM ATV 56 degree wedge for this purpose and I'm not having much success. Can't get the lag, divot in front, etc etc. If I go back to my gap wedge 50 degree I'm ok but I'm trying to progress here, not go back. From 100+ yards I'm golden but these shorter shots are killing me. Thanks.

These shots tend to kill my game as I have no finesse.

But it Depends on what I am hitting into. If the green slopes up or the pin is in front or in back.

Do I want the ball to run a bit or stop.

If I am looking for the ball to stop short and not roll it is a 1/2  60 degree

If I am looking for a little more run 1/2 56

If I am looking for it to roll 1/2 to 1/4 50 Degree

than again I am a bit of a noob, but it works for me!

[zero]

  DrvFrShow said:

Weight forward. Ball slightly back of center. Slightly open stance. Lob Wedge. 9 - 3 swing. Trust your swing. Nice high soft shot.

I'm sorry but I don't exactly know what you all mean by "open" stance. Can you explain foot placement?

[airguard]

Dave Pelz's Short Game Bible. read it twice, it really does help.

Read the reviews to get an idea of what's in the book.

I have taken up cross handed for short chipping, works very well for me.

[ChrisWev]

Open your feet so they point left of target shorter the swing the more open, I go up to about 30-45 degrees.

By point I mean the line from your toes on your right foot to the toes on your left.

ie if your swinging a full hit your toes will be in a line parallel to target or pointing at target, depends who you are.

This is open:

[zero]

  ChrisWev said:

Open your feet so they point left of target shorter the swing the more open, I go up to about 30-45 degrees.

By point I mean the line from your toes on your right foot to the toes on your left.

ie if your swinging a full hit your toes will be in a line parallel to target or pointing at target, depends who you are.

This is open:

G​ot it, practiced this today and it went well. Was getting within a few yards of the pin 7/10 times. Had to drill first on a mat of course as was getting close to digging to china, but then moved to grass and got into the groove. Stance open, ball a little back of center was working.

[WUTiger]

As others have said, test out the yardage different swing lengths with different wedges. Do these tests with the balls you play on-course. Range balls don't go quite as far, and will mess up your distance estimates.

Develop yourself a matrix. Hit five or six shots per cell, and mark the average ball distance.

	1/4	1/2	3/4
LW			xxx
SW
GW
PW

Some players then make a sticker for each wedge shaft showing the different distances (a Dave Pelz idea). I usually laminate the matrix and fasten it to the side of my bag.

Other notes:

• If you hit a full wedge with an iron swing rather than a finesse wedge swing, the full swing shot won't fit well with partials.
• Many players only use a LW for half swings or less.

[zero]

  WUTiger said:

As others have said, test out the yardage different swing lengths with different wedges. Do these tests with the balls you play on-course. Range balls don't go quite as far, and will mess up your distance estimates.

Develop yourself a matrix. Hit five or six shots per cell, and mark the average ball distance.

1/4

1/2

3/4

LW

xxx

SW

GW

PW

Some players then make a sticker for each wedge shaft showing the different distances (a Dave Pelz idea). I usually laminate the matrix and fasten it to the side of my bag.

Other notes:

If you hit a full wedge with an iron swing rather than a finesse wedge swing, the full swing shot won't fit well with partials.

Many players only use a LW for half swings or less.

Nice! Will do that, thank you. BTW, I only have PW, GW, and 56 degree SW. LW is just out of my league for now.

[Elmer]

  WUTiger said:

As others have said, test out the yardage different swing lengths with different wedges. Do these tests with the balls you play on-course. Range balls don't go quite as far, and will mess up your distance estimates.

Develop yourself a matrix. Hit five or six shots per cell, and mark the average ball distance.

1/4

1/2

3/4

LW

xxx

SW

GW

PW

Some players then make a sticker for each wedge shaft showing the different distances (a Dave Pelz idea). I usually laminate the matrix and fasten it to the side of my bag.

Other notes:

If you hit a full wedge with an iron swing rather than a finesse wedge swing, the full swing shot won't fit well with partials.

Many players only use a LW for half swings or less.

That is an awesome Idea.

I used to write it on my glove but had 2 problems:

1-it would wear off

2-I would forget to check it

[sawedoffdriver]

I stick to one club (for now). The lob is it for me from 99yards in. Good advice so far affirmation of what I'm doing and I'm dropping .4 hc a round. Broke 80 7of last/8 rounds after a year ago breaking it first time. I play way open though and do a lot of lean w shaft. Also grip low to steel almost. My trouble is 3-30 yards from green. I'm closer to pin from 30-75. Ugggggggg