Chipping within 80 yards

[Josh90]

So the other day I was at the course and I have always hard a hard time from 100 yards and in with my sand and lob wedge. So I thought I would try a different approach and it worked out quite well and was curious if this is something I should continue to do and try to improve on it. From about 100 to 40 yards in I've always tried to take a 1/2  to full swing with my wedges to get it on the green and it normally doesn't work out very well. So yesterday I took my basic chip shot from around the greens where I open my stance and have 75% of my weight on my front foot to pitch it on the greens from close range and tried it from farther back. Now the ball flight was significantly lower ( only 15 maybe 20 feet off the ground) but it was a lot more consistent than with my sand and lob wedges. The only change to my shot I made was that I would use a 7, 8, or 9 iron to make my normal chip shot. Just curious if this is something I should pursue and keep doing or should I try to go back to the more traditional close shots where the ball goes very high in the air?  

[boogielicious]

  On 2/25/2017 at 12:25 PM, Josh90 said:

So the other day I was at the course and I have always hard a hard time from 100 yards and in with my sand and lob wedge. So I thought I would try a different approach and it worked out quite well and was curious if this is something I should continue to do and try to improve on it. From about 100 to 40 yards in I've always tried to take a 1/2  to full swing with my wedges to get it on the green and it normally doesn't work out very well. So yesterday I took my basic chip shot from around the greens where I open my stance and have 75% of my weight on my front foot to pitch it on the greens from close range and tried it from farther back. Now the ball flight was significantly lower ( only 15 maybe 20 feet off the ground) but it was a lot more consistent than with my sand and lob wedges. The only change to my shot I made was that I would use a 7, 8, or 9 iron to make my normal chip shot. Just curious if this is something I should pursue and keep doing or should I try to go back to the more traditional close shots where the ball goes very high in the air?  

Expand  

For the 1/2 swings, you may easing up on your swing instead of going full speed with a shorter backswing. That is the key to partial shots, don't slow the downswing down. The chips can certainly work, but there are other times you want the partial shot.

 

[mistermuhl]

I've found that 40 yards in or so I can do a standard pitch shot with my lob. I haven't messed around with a lower loft pitch shot but if it works it works. 

[Josh90]

  On 2/25/2017 at 1:21 PM, boogielicious said:

For the 1/2 swings, you may easing up on your swing instead of going full speed with a shorter backswing. That is the key to partial shots, don't slow the downswing down. The chips can certainly work, but there are other times you want the partial shot.

 

Expand  

This thread is actually what gave me the idea to try these shots. I'm sure I need to practice more but with the shots I was taking the other day it was more of a take the arms back in the backswing and then swing the with the body and let the weight of the club do the work. I didn't really try to swing hard at all. Now I understand if I have to fly a bunker or water that's totally different. 

I by no means have a good short game yet but I can tell I've come along way since I started golfing last year. Everytime I was inside 50 yards last year I would always try a super high flop shot that worked decent but sometime I would skull it across the green. But now I'm starting to realize you can use so many different clubs and different shots to get the same results and these shots are normally a lot more consistent then a flop shot. 

[Patch]

From 40-100 yards out, I do something very similar, only I refer to them as a punch shot. Not a chip. It's an abbreviated swing, with the proper distance club for me. Not too much wrist cock taking place. It's one of my "go to" shots when I have a clear path to the green. I have even used my 7-5 woods from longer distances for this type of approach shot. 

A few years ago, I was playing, and after 3 or 4 holes, I knew my game was in the tank for that day. I was looking at a much larger score than my normal. I finished up the round with this shot, and actually salvaged a good score. 

I say everyone  should have this type of shot in their bag. It's pretty easy to learn, and offers a lot of control once learned. A golfer still needs to fly the ball over hazards, so that shot is still a requirement. However, as long as the golfer has a clear roll to the green, the chip/punch shot is a good shot to have. 

[Josh90]

  On 2/25/2017 at 2:23 PM, Patch said:

From 40-100 yards out, I do something very similar, only I refer to them as a punch shot. Not a chip. It's an abbreviated swing, with the proper distance club for me. Not too much wrist cock taking place. It's one of my "go to" shots when I have a clear path to the green. I have even used my 7-5 woods from longer distances for this type of approach shot. 

A few years ago, I was playing, and after 3 or 4 holes, I knew my game was in the tank for that day. I was looking at a much larger score than my normal. I finished up the round with this shot, and actually salvaged a good score. 

I say everyone  should have this type of shot in their bag. It's pretty easy to learn, and offers a lot of control once learned. A golfer still needs to fly the ball over hazards, so that shot is still a requirement. However, as long as the golfer has a clear roll to the green, the chip/punch shot is a good shot to have. 

Expand  

I like how you worded that because that's exactly how it feels. Basically a shorter swing and I try not to hinge my wrists at all. Just straight back and through to the target. I have to work to get my distances down but 90% of the time it went pretty much straight to the target. It took a lot of guess work out of my swing

[Golfingdad]

  On 2/25/2017 at 12:25 PM, Josh90 said:

So the other day I was at the course and I have always hard a hard time from 100 yards and in with my sand and lob wedge. So I thought I would try a different approach and it worked out quite well and was curious if this is something I should continue to do and try to improve on it. From about 100 to 40 yards in I've always tried to take a 1/2  to full swing with my wedges to get it on the green and it normally doesn't work out very well. So yesterday I took my basic chip shot from around the greens where I open my stance and have 75% of my weight on my front foot to pitch it on the greens from close range and tried it from farther back. Now the ball flight was significantly lower ( only 15 maybe 20 feet off the ground) but it was a lot more consistent than with my sand and lob wedges. The only change to my shot I made was that I would use a 7, 8, or 9 iron to make my normal chip shot. Just curious if this is something I should pursue and keep doing or should I try to go back to the more traditional close shots where the ball goes very high in the air?  

Expand  

I say both - it would be valuable to have this shot in your arsenal, but at the same time, if you can get better with the more standard partial wedge shots, you'll be better off in the long run.

But this shot is great to have whenever you have a need to keep it low - if you have overhanging trees, or it's really windy, etc.

[saevel25]

I don't chip the ball often. I've done this type of shot with the pitching motion before. You can hit a pretty accurate shot by clubbing up and pitching the ball. It is a good shot to have on greens that have severe slope from back to front. I find it helpful on downhill shots as well. 

A good way to practice these type of shots is to just play a round with a 7 iron only. Just a fun alternative to playing a normal round of golf. 

[WUTiger]

From 40 to 80 yards, I often use the punch and run instead of a wedge if I'm hitting into a quartering headwind, or a stiff crosswind. I get better line and decent distance when I do this.

Key to the shot: make sure you pull/turn through smoothly with the left side. Don't quit.

[colin007]

  On 2/25/2017 at 2:12 PM, Josh90 said:

 it was more of a take the arms back in the backswing and then swing the with the body and let the weight of the club do the work. I didn't really try to swing hard at all. 

Expand  

I would clarify just to say that this is not really at all what "flighting" a wedge is.

[Josh90]

  On 2/25/2017 at 7:43 PM, colin007 said:

I would clarify just to say that this is not really at all what "flighting" a wedge is.

Expand  

When I said that earlier I didn't mean I was trying to flight my wedges I meant it just gave me an idea to try something different because nothing else was working too well.  

[RH31]

  On 2/25/2017 at 8:49 PM, Josh90 said:

When I said that earlier I didn't mean I was trying to flight my wedges I meant it just gave me an idea to try something different because nothing else was working too well.  

Expand  

Hey if it works, why not use it?

That said, in the long run, you'll need to be able to hit  standard wedge shots(1/4,1/2, 3/4, full) just to stop the ball on some greens. The lower, less spinning shots may not check up enough.

Wedge play takes some time to learn but offers huge advantages.

When practicing, focus on solid contact and forget about how high the ball goes. Find a ball position(start at center) that works for you and stick with that for awhile. Favor your left side a little at address and keep it there throughout the swing. Find a backswing length that produces the most solid contact and that will be your full wedge, doesn't matter how far it is, consistency is key. Then just shorten that swing for shorter shots. You might have to move the ball position and open your stance a little for shorter shots.

Good Luck!

[Lihu]

  On 2/25/2017 at 12:25 PM, Josh90 said:

So the other day I was at the course and I have always hard a hard time from 100 yards and in with my sand and lob wedge. So I thought I would try a different approach and it worked out quite well and was curious if this is something I should continue to do and try to improve on it. From about 100 to 40 yards in I've always tried to take a 1/2  to full swing with my wedges to get it on the green and it normally doesn't work out very well. So yesterday I took my basic chip shot from around the greens where I open my stance and have 75% of my weight on my front foot to pitch it on the greens from close range and tried it from farther back. Now the ball flight was significantly lower ( only 15 maybe 20 feet off the ground) but it was a lot more consistent than with my sand and lob wedges. The only change to my shot I made was that I would use a 7, 8, or 9 iron to make my normal chip shot. Just curious if this is something I should pursue and keep doing or should I try to go back to the more traditional close shots where the ball goes very high in the air?  

Expand  

It's a great idea to bump and run from inside 100. I've also been struggling with distance control around the greens with traditional and flop shots so I'll probably go back to bump and run inside 100 yards.

One of the instructors at my course casually told me once that from 100 yards and in you should be using less than 20% effort on your swings. While casually watching me hit, he recommended that I practice PW at 100 yards with an abbreviated half swing. Shaft goes from parallel to parallel, and it should feel like a pendulum with something that feels like 20% effort.

For the next several rounds, I'll start doing this again. There was a lot of promise yesterday evening when I needed a 15 yard shot under a tree and roll another 50 feet after I overshot the green. I bumped a LW and rolled about 5 feet from the pin. Going to try this out starting with a round with my daughter this late afternoon.

[CarlSpackler]

Ah. The old bump and run. This worked well up north, but down here, the bermuda grass tends to grab the ball keeping it from rolling well. I am finding that I have to go vertical for most shots that are not very close to the green. Even putting when there is more than 5' off the green is not a very good option now.

[Lihu]

  On 2/27/2017 at 4:31 PM, CarlSpackler said:

Ah. The old bump and run. This worked well up north, but down here, the bermuda grass tends to grab the ball keeping it from rolling well. I am finding that I have to go vertical for most shots that are not very close to the green.

Expand  

We have Bermuda fringe and approaches, and on really wet days it really grabs. So, the strategy is to hit the side of a hill, bump or something on the way up to or on the green with the bump and run. The run is after a "controlled" bounce. In fact, one of the reasons the traditional chips doesn't work 100% reliably is because of the Bermuda grass grabbing the club when you need to basically "scrape" the ground to use the "bounce" of the club.

We also have pretty tall Fescue rough around backs of the greens now that it's raining a lot. The ball is basically sunk into the rough. The easiest thing is to come down a little bit with a high lofted club and "bump" it out. There's a lower likelihood of getting the club to bounce correctly with that tall rough.

I think what @Golfingdad stated was spot on. You want both of these shots in your repertoire, but for the most of my shots "bump and run" is going to be more reliable and reserve the traditional and flop shots for having to go over stuff like bunkers and stuff. I feel like I have a better chance with "bump and run" for the majority of my shots versus the possibility of thinning shots with a high chip or pitch.

 

  Quote

Even putting when there is more than 5' off the green is not a very good option now.

Expand  

Putting on that type of grass is totally unreliable, that's kind of why "bumping" over 5 feet is a decent option. Choose a club that is 12-(distance ratio on to off green) and use a standard putting stroke for that distance.

[sirhacksalot]

I have practice @iacas's quickie pitching video with 7 iron to lob wedge and was really impressed with the results, control and consistency.  Its not a flop or a chip with the lower irons but a nice flight with good roll out.  I just cant seem to remember that i practiced this before when i am playing and seem to always try to carry something to the green and a good shot is high and hot is off the back and a bad shot is high and short.

[Lihu]

  On 2/27/2017 at 5:26 PM, sirhacksalot said:

I have practice @iacas's quickie pitching video with 7 iron to lob wedge and was really impressed with the results, control and consistency.  Its not a flop or a chip with the lower irons but a nice flight with good roll out.  I just cant seem to remember that i practiced this before when i am playing and seem to always try to carry something to the green and a good shot is high and hot is off the back and a bad shot is high and short.

Expand  

Yeah, it definitely takes time to get "comfortable" doing things you learn at practice out onto the course. That's why many golf metrics are on the course, and not at practice or something like that. The one way around that is to play every day. Even a little bit daily, like 6 to 9 holes helps.

[sirhacksalot]

  On 2/27/2017 at 5:42 PM, Lihu said:

Yeah, it definitely takes time to get "comfortable" doing things you learn at practice out onto the course. That's why many golf metrics are on the course, and not at practice or something like that. The one way around that is to play every day. Even a little bit daily, like 6 to 9 holes helps.

Expand  

Once time changes i hope to play a few holes a day if possible.  The comfortable thing is there, i am comfortable doing it, 9/10 times will have a better or equal result as going high, or low.  I even got rid of Game golf because i convinced myself practicing that i would be using 8 and 9 irons from 80 - 100 yards out if not having to carry anything.  But I go to play and i just forget. and don't remember until after the round or i see something on here like today and it just baffles me.  Some of my best shots of a round are punch shots under limbs that have just enough to get to the green and release on.  I have tried to convince myself to play that way but then i forget.