Can get there in one, two or three but can't score well

[boogielicious]

35 minutes ago, 9wood said:

You can go into a putting stance with your 7 iron. Just bring the ball in closer to your feet like you do with your putter, then choke down on your 7 iron grip and use a putting swing motion. It works very nicely. Watch pro golfer Jim Furyk show you what I mean

 

The thread below also discussed this method.

 

[ppine]

Pelz talks a lot about the full swing and 9:00 being easy to execute for most players.  That means that the shots within 30 yards of the flag with the 7:30 swing, chipping and pitching are the tough shots for most amateurs.  Adrenaline messes up the strong muscles in the hands, forearms and shoulders. He suggests the "dead hands" swing with no coiling of the hips and shoulders as the swing to master for best results in close.  I have been practicing this style of swing around the yard and it is something new.  The grass has started to green up and the proof will be in the playing.

[iacas]

On March 5, 2016 at 8:49 PM, David in FL said:

As many here know, I'm also a huge advocate of chippers.  A lot of golfers would lower their scores if they'd just let their egos go...

Yeah, I agree. Chippers are great for people who have given up on actually improving…

[Dave325]

3 minutes ago, iacas said:

Yeah, I agree. Chippers are great for people who have given up on actually improving…

Ok, but if I really want to improve and get better.... where does chipping have its place in the game?  Just looking for some clarification. I want to do this the right way, with no shortcuts. I mean, off the fringe... I put if I can.... if not, then chip it. I'll pitch at further out. Should this approach be different?

[Lihu]

31 minutes ago, Dave325 said:

Ok, but if I really want to improve and get better.... where does chipping have its place in the game?  Just looking for some clarification. I want to do this the right way, with no shortcuts. I mean, off the fringe... I put if I can.... if not, then chip it. I'll pitch at further out. Should this approach be different?

I've been having moderate success with using a putter just off the green, but once I get to 4 feet of rough it becomes really difficult to predict how much roll you get. So, I end up 3 putting.

Just recently, one of my playing partners said that "I don't seem to care" once I'm near the green, and he's right. I'd like to think that other golfers suffer from the same affliction of becoming too complacent when they get near the green, and end up making mistakes. Short game is not that hard but you really need to focus.

[David in FL]

2 hours ago, iacas said:

Yeah, I agree. Chippers are great for people who have given up on actually improving…

I use a hybrid instead of a 3-iron these days.  I putt with a putter because I find it easier to use on the green than manipulating a different club, though I could certainly do so.

For everyone?  Of course not, but I just don't think that using a specialty club that might improve results and score is "giving up on improving".

[iacas]

39 minutes ago, David in FL said:

I use a hybrid instead of a 3-iron these days.  I putt with a putter because I find it easier to use on the green than manipulating a different club, though I could certainly do so.

For everyone?  Of course not, but I just don't think that using a specialty club that might improve results and score is "giving up on improving".

I do. Hybrids and putters have their place. Chippers are not used nearly often enough (or shouldn't be) to earn a valuable "1 out of 14" spot in the bag.

But that's not really on topic too much.

[Howling Coyote]

On March 4, 2016 at 4:34 PM, cooke119 said:

I get close on par threes is one, two on fours, three on pars five but can't seem to score well. Either its a bad chip or three putt. What they hell can I do? I've taken chipping lessons, have nice clubs but can't score well, I'm tired of shooting in the high nineties all because of my short game. Any thoughts would be welcome.

I feel your pain.

In order to par everything must work.  You can still save with 1 bad short (provided its not too bad), but once you make 2 bad shots forget it.  I usually 3-putt after hitting the green in regulation-or I land in a bunker and it takes 2 shots to get out.  The issue with GIR isn't just about distance, its about accuracy too and I am just not that accurate.  If I get close to the green, I usually can pitch it onto the green and get close to the flag.  But a 1-putt is rare for me.

The only shot I feel really confident with is my short pitching.  Within 30 yards I feel good.  Within 15 I am very confident.

The thing about these shots is that you can practice them at home.  I try and land balls into a trash can at 11 and 16 yards.  Sometime I put a rope up and fly the ball over the rope into the trash can.  Mostly I miss the trash can, but usually am close.  Flying over the rope is easy.

Short Chips.  First never chip unless the 1/3 to 2/3 ratio applies.  That means you must have half the distance (or less) of rough/intermediate to cross as compared to green.  Example 10 feet of rough/intermediate to 20 feet of green.  I find that chip's slow down very quickly when traveling over rough.  Practice chipping using different length's of irons.

I have this shot I call the micro-pitch.  Often I prefer this over chipping or pitching.  It is a hybrid between a pitch and chip.  I use it whenever I have chipping like conditions, that exceed the 1/3-2/3 rule.  Setup is similar to a chip, except you are going to sway the hips and only use the lower body to hit the ball.  It become micro when the upper right arm never separates from the chest (on the back swing).  The backswing is about 2 feet and the shot is a very low-lofted shot that flies over most of (if not all) the rough.  I have a high probability of success with this shot.

[boogielicious]

23 hours ago, Dave325 said:

Ok, but if I really want to improve and get better.... where does chipping have its place in the game?  Just looking for some clarification. I want to do this the right way, with no shortcuts. I mean, off the fringe... I put if I can.... if not, then chip it. I'll pitch at further out. Should this approach be different?

If you're close enough to the green without rough to go through, use Chipping with a Putting method. It works wonders and you don't need a special club. I really only use pitching and the method below around the greens. I find that the other chipping methods put too much spin on the ball and it checks up when I don't want it too.

 

[vangator]

I use a 9 iron for most chips.  I get the most consistent release.  That uses the 1/3 to 2/3 ratio.  If I have more fringe to clear, I'll go up to a PW or SW or LW.  Each of those clubs for me puts a little more inconsistency with ball release over the 9 iron. 

However, that inconsistency is better than landing the ball in the rough or fringe.  You must land the chip on the green if at all possible.  For longer chips (harder swing), I'll drop down to an 8 iron or 7 iron to not over spin the ball.

[9wood]

[Lihu]

15 minutes ago, 9wood said:

Nice!

I don't think I can even check up from that landing location with my 60. My only real option is to attempt to chip onto the fringe and hope it rolls just right somewhere close to the pin.

[vangator]

That's where my 68* FW comes in.

[Lihu]

4 hours ago, vangator said:

That's where my 68* FW comes in.

How do you do it without your partners seeing that?

[vangator]

3 hours ago, Lihu said:

How do you do it without your partners seeing that?

You dirty old man.

[Lihu]

1 hour ago, vangator said:

You dirty old man.

I don't want to know what you thought I thought.

I thought FW was "foot wedge", sorry. . . 

[vangator]

5 hours ago, Lihu said:

I don't want to know what you thought I thought.

I thought FW was "foot wedge", sorry. . . 

I was thinking "Flop Wedge", but maybe a "Foot Wedge" would be better!  I like your thinking better than mine.

I played with some buddies years ago when I landed in a deep greenside bunker.  They were on the green and the bunker was so deep they couldn't see me, so I grad a handful of sand and the ball and tossed it up on the green.  They yelled "Great shot!".  I climbed out of the bunker just busting a gut.  I told them of course.  It was still a "pretty good shot".