Hitting soft chips

[HerveyBayGolfer]

Hi everyone, I'm just wondering how to hit a chip that stops dead. I am pretty good at bump and runs/normal chipping but I stuggle to hit a chip that stops dead or spins. Theres alot of info out there thats contradicting so I would appreciate it if someone helped me out on how to play the shot. Thanks

[WUTiger]

I want to make sure we're using the same definitions.

To me, a chip shot is one that flies low over immediate trouble or bad spots short of the green, lands on the green and gets up to half its distance from roll.

A pitch shot, on the other hand, comes in fairly high. This includes:

• pitch and run - if you're going uphill and need the loft to land the ball on the green, and you play for run-out. 
• pitch and stop - comes in high and checks up once it hits. I rarely back up a 1/4 wedge shot, but normally I can limit its release to just a few feet if I hit it right.

Some factors determining spin (there's more than these) are the ball, clubhead speed, and wedge shaft. If you play a distance ball (low spin), you won't get as much spin as you will with a ProV1. Also, if you have 98 MPH driver clubhead speed, you'll likely get more spin than me with 85 MPH. Wedge shafts now range from low spin to high spin - check out KBS site for examples of each.

These are older, traditional definitions. @iacas and @mvmac use somewhat different terms. Check out their video clips for good demonstrations.

[HerveyBayGolfer]

The pitch and stop is the one I struggle with. An example is I need to pitch the ball over a bunker and quickly stop it before it goes off the green, I generally chip it over the bunker and the ball rolls off the green.  I also use a 56 degree LW.

[Patch]

Sounds to me you want a flop shot. (lob shot?) That's what I do when I need to fly the ball over trouble and have it drop straight down and stop close to dead when it lands. Try opening the club face on your wedges to get an idea of this shot. 

[HerveyBayGolfer]

All I want is a shot I can hit high (from 10-30m out) and the ball hit the green and stop/spin. Its not a flop shot. Its just a shot that hits the green and checks up. 

[mvmac]

Good place to start.

 

[vangator]

I've used 3 different techniques.

The first option is to use my 60* and hit a descending blow and nip the ball.  It's a partial swing with forward lean and some wrists to generate some clubhead speed.  It flies low and one hop and stop.

The second is also with my 60* and I open my stance, open my blade and slide that puppy underneath the ball.  Usually has a bit of cut spin.  This shot uses the bounce and takes a bit of practice.

The third option is take my 68* and use either the first or second technique depending on how high it needs to go.  That puppy goes up quick and lands like a butterfly.  I use that for short shots over bunkers where I need to stop them within a few feet.  I like it because I can be aggressive with this shot which usually means more consistency for me.  The 2nd technique, which could be used, requires more touch, which takes practice, which I don't do as much as I'd like.

All these require a urethane ball for me.  Syrlyn balls won't cut it.

[Gator Hazard]

21 minutes ago, vangator said:

I've used 3 different techniques.

The first option is to use my 60* and hit a descending blow and nip the ball.  It's a partial swing with forward lean and some wrists to generate some clubhead speed.  It flies low and one hop and stop.

The second is also with my 60* and I open my stance, open my blade and slide that puppy underneath the ball.  Usually has a bit of cut spin.  This shot uses the bounce and takes a bit of practice.

The third option is take my 68* and use either the first or second technique depending on how high it needs to go.  That puppy goes up quick and lands like a butterfly.  I use that for short shots over bunkers where I need to stop them within a few feet.  I like it because I can be aggressive with this shot which usually means more consistency for me.  The 2nd technique, which could be used, requires more touch, which takes practice, which I don't do as much as I'd like.

All these require a urethane ball for me.  Syrlyn balls won't cut it.

I use a 60* lob wedge and flop it in those instances, I have actually gotten quite good at that shot.  What I need to work on is having it go a little further as a few times I came up short of what I wanted.  The crazy thing is that whenever I do this shot I always am afraid that I am going to launch the heck out of it.  

 

OT:

Sunday short par 4 about 340 yards from the whites and open except some trees.  I played driver because what the heck and put it out about 230-240 yards into the fairway.  Wind was gusty and I went with PW, carried the green and it had severe slope back to the pin downhill.  The ball was sitting up nice in some fluffy grass on other side of this hill and I felt really, really good about my chances of flopping it from that distance.  I wound up cutting right under the ball and took a very shallow divot where the ball went right back to where it was originally, sans any grass.  I made double bogey instead of saving par.

Edited November 17, 2015 by Gator Hazard

[vangator]

7 hours ago, Gator Hazard said:

I use a 60* lob wedge and flop it in those instances, I have actually gotten quite good at that shot.  What I need to work on is having it go a little further as a few times I came up short of what I wanted.  The crazy thing is that whenever I do this shot I always am afraid that I am going to launch the heck out of it.  

 

OT:

Sunday short par 4 about 340 yards from the whites and open except some trees.  I played driver because what the heck and put it out about 230-240 yards into the fairway.  Wind was gusty and I went with PW, carried the green and it had severe slope back to the pin downhill.  The ball was sitting up nice in some fluffy grass on other side of this hill and I felt really, really good about my chances of flopping it from that distance.  I wound up cutting right under the ball and took a very shallow divot where the ball went right back to where it was originally, sans any grass.  I made double bogey instead of saving par.

I know that shot!  I have been working quite a bit on pitching using the bounce.  I prefer using the leading edge of the wedge as my first option though.  I'm pretty precise, so I don't mishit them.

[mvmac]

3 minutes ago, vangator said:

I prefer using the leading edge of the wedge as my first option though

I'm sure you've heard this a few times on the site but using the bounce gives you a heck of a lot more room for error than engaging the leading edge. Wedges can tend to "stick" in the ground with the leading edge while the bounce allows the club to "glide".

[RFKFREAK]

55 minutes ago, mvmac said:

I'm sure you've heard this a few times on the site but using the bounce gives you a heck of a lot more room for error than engaging the leading edge. Wedges can tend to "stick" in the ground with the leading edge while the bounce allows the club to "glide".

Seeing as how I almost never practice my short game, I'm not sure I'd know how to use the bounce as you advocate rather than the leading edge.  If there's a video, I either missed it or am not sure which one you're talking about. 

[vangator]

7 hours ago, mvmac said:

I'm sure you've heard this a few times on the site but using the bounce gives you a heck of a lot more room for error than engaging the leading edge. Wedges can tend to "stick" in the ground with the leading edge while the bounce allows the club to "glide".

I have heard it a few times and have watched many videos on it.  I need to keep working on it because I want all the margin of error I can get.  On tight lies is where I have issues.  Right now my distance control is not as good as I'd like.  Soft conditions cause problems.  Occasional fat or sculled shots creep in which destroys confidence.  Other than that, no problems.   On non-tight lies and in the rough, I don't have issues.

[mvmac]

6 hours ago, vangator said:

I have heard it a few times and have watched many videos on it.  I need to keep working on it because I want all the margin of error I can get.  On tight lies is where I have issues.  

Yeah then it's mostly a mechanics issue. You still benefit from bounce on a tight lie. One thing to really watch is how @iacas keeps his speed up and keeps pivoting through the shot. No stalling with the body.

 

[vangator]

I hadn't seen that video.  I see he has the ball a little more forward than me and I'm not sure I emphasize the shallow AoA.  Looking forward to trying this.  I've always felt this was a hole in my game.  Thanks.

[mvmac]

3 hours ago, vangator said:

I see he has the ball a little more forward than me

Yeah, ball should be forward of center for most pitches.

[dchoye]

On ‎16‎/‎11‎/‎2015‎ ‎10‎:‎10‎:‎54‎, HerveyBayGolfer said:

All I want is a shot I can hit high (from 10-30m out) and the ball hit the green and stop/spin. Its not a flop shot. Its just a shot that hits the green and checks up. 

Isn't that a flop shot ?or ?lob shot . Shot that you want to hit high, hits the green and stops/spins.

Doesn't sound like a chip to me.

Edited November 20, 2015 by dchoye

[vangator]

On ‎11‎/‎16‎/‎2015‎ ‎11‎:‎10‎:‎54‎, HerveyBayGolfer said:

All I want is a shot I can hit high (from 10-30m out) and the ball hit the green and stop/spin. Its not a flop shot. Its just a shot that hits the green and checks up. 

That's the first technique I described above.  It doesn't go that high.  Maybe 20 feet high or so.  The nice thing about this shot is the ability to hit it at the target because the face stays square longer.  A lofted pitch doesn't square up as easily.  Not that you can't.  It's just easier to get it offline by a degree or so.

Back in the days of deeper, square grooves the ball used to dance.  My new wedges don't have the best grooves, but the ball still stops.