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Short Game Technique


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Today I had my fifth lesson since I started playing. Had 3 back around May, one last week and one today. The focus of today's lesson was short game since I feel that is the weakest part of my game. Started out hitting shots from 40 yards and in over a bunker which went well then did some bunker work which was a huge help.

 

 

For the last part my instructor took me over to the putting green and had me hit some chip shots. He recommended a technique for me when I'm in the rough around the green (within 3-5 yards or so) or even in the fringe. Depending on the amount of rough I need to clear or the amount of room I have to allow the ball to run out to the pin would determine whether I used a 9 or PW. Typically I use my 54 or 58 for these types of shots so this was new to me. He had me grip down so that my bottom hand was just on the steel below the grip and stand very close to the ball so that the shaft was almost straight up and down. This lifted the heel up out of the grass and left the toe down in the grass. He then had me use a putting stroke to chip and run the ball with the toe of the club. I was astonished at how easy it was to do especially in the thick, wet grass. It eliminated any of my occasional duffs or skulls from these spots around the green. Obviously it's best suited for when you have some green to work with and you're not too far off the green.

 

The reason I bring this up is to see what you guys think about it. Has anyone here used this method or tried it? The reason I ask is that today was the first time I've ever heard of it.

Driver -  :taylormade-small: M1 9.5* w/ Aldila Rogue Silver 70X

Fairway -   :taylormade-small: M1 5W 19* w/ Aldila Rogue Silver 70X

Hybrids -   :ping-small: G25 4H 23*

Irons -  :mizuno-small: JPX 850 Forged 4-PW w/ Nippon N.S. Pro 1150S

Wedges - :mizuno-small: S5 50*07, 54*12, 58*12 w/ Nippon N.S. Pro 1150S

Putter - Oddyssey Metal-X #7 w/ SuperStroke Pistol GT 2.0

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Jbil.

 

This is a great technique.  I did this today on several holes. Actually, I hit just 2 GIR today do I did it a lot.  :blush:

 

I actually use multiple clubs around the green, 6 iron to 60* wedge depending on how much fly to roll i want.  When the ground is wet, I will even use a hybrid or a fairway metal, oh and don't forget, you can putt from off the green also.

:ping-small:G430LST 10.5° on     T P T    POWER 18 Hi Driver 

:ping-small:G430MAX 3w  on     T P T    POWER 18 Hi Fairway 

:ping-small:G425 3H on     T P T    POWER 18 Hi Hybrid 

:taylormade-small:P790 Black 4-A 
on :kbs: TGI 80S
 

:mizuno-small: ES21 54-8° & 58-12° on :kbs: Hi Rev

:L.A.B.:DF2.1 on :accra: White

:titelist-small: ProV1  

:918457628_PrecisionPro: Precision Pro  NX7 Pro

All Iron grips are BestGrips Micro-Perforated Mid

Driver, 3w, 3H are JumboMax JMX UltraLite XS 

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Yes, this is a very good technique, and I have used it for a quite awhile. Chipping was very difficult for me when I started playing, but this helps a lot. I don't use clubs longer than a 9 to chip with. Two reasons: 1) most of the greens where I usually play are not very big so the shorter clubs work just fine; and 2) the SCORs are just so soft and easy to play, I just don't want to play anything else. This shot is a reason that I bought the 42 last week. My longer irons are Ping i20s and the ball comes off the club face much hotter than the SCORs; more difficult to judge how hard to hit it. When I went to AZ last month, I played on lot bigger greens so I tried a 7 and 8. I find I do much better using the longest SCOR and judging the fly vs roll. It's more of a pitch shot than a chip, and it takes practice. But it works for me. Others can use all irons and even hybrids in their bag, but it doesn't suit me. Find what works for you and practice. This past year I spent much more time practicing around the greens than I did on the range. Best way to improve your score!

 

You are on the right track jbil.

We don’t stop playing the game because we get old; we get old because we stop playing the game.”

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Thanks guys. I appreciate the information. Good stuff to think about and mess around with.

Driver -  :taylormade-small: M1 9.5* w/ Aldila Rogue Silver 70X

Fairway -   :taylormade-small: M1 5W 19* w/ Aldila Rogue Silver 70X

Hybrids -   :ping-small: G25 4H 23*

Irons -  :mizuno-small: JPX 850 Forged 4-PW w/ Nippon N.S. Pro 1150S

Wedges - :mizuno-small: S5 50*07, 54*12, 58*12 w/ Nippon N.S. Pro 1150S

Putter - Oddyssey Metal-X #7 w/ SuperStroke Pistol GT 2.0

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For me, the real difference between a chip and a pitch is the part of the used to generate the power of the swing.  A chip is an upper body only, very quiet lower body, like a putt.  This is as Raymond Floyd calls it, "putting with loft."  On a pitch I control the distance with the body turn and length of arm movement coinciding with the body turn.

 

When I am playing my best, which is not lately, I find that I try to maintain the same body turn tempo on all swings and only vary the distance I turn based on where the club head is stopped on my backswing.  I have certain places to stop the head for 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, Full, and Smash I have to kill this or lose the hole. (Which rarely works out for the best. This is what most people consider the full swing.) 

 

I did hit the 8 iron the Smash swing today. I was 160 from the green with trees in my line and need the 8 iron to get above them.  I really hit this ball well, and a 1/4" higher I believe I would have made the green, but it hit the very top leaf and came up 40 yards short and left of the green. 

 

Then on that hole, while others were engaged in trying to figure out how to get out of the weeds, I stood looking at my 40 yard pitch, lamenting that the past two/three weeks, this shot, which used to be one of my favorites, has eluded me.  I realized that I have become to upper body oriented on my pitching, and thus lost some of my distance control.  I had become too handsy trying to make up for my lack of body turn.  So, two practice swings later, a perfect pitch that hopped and dropped into the hole for a birdie. 

 

After celebrating and while waiting for the others to putt out on the hole, I thought about this thread.  About how the body powers the pitch and the shoulders power the chip.  On the 9th hole, I had another opportunity.  I was 3 feet off the green, with 90+ feet to the hole.  I took a 7 iron and read it like a putt.  I would love to write that it was my second birdie in a row, but it lipped out and I had about 3 feet left for par.  Still an awesome chip, but I really need the birdie. 

 

I hit mostly partial shots into the green, inside 150 yards.  From 120 I have two main options. a "full' pitching wedge, which honestly, may go 115-125 or even 130 or a 3/4 7 iron which will go, 120.  I can hit this shot where it is low and running or where it one hops and stops.  A 1/2 7 iron will go, 100 with the same choices.  This is the same for any club.  I have practiced 1/4, 1/2, 3/4 shots with all my clubs, including driver. 

 

Much has been written on the forum about the Scor wedges, and how they are more accurate than "regular" wedges and irons.  I have only hit the Scor wedges once, so I can not speak for them, but I carry 6-W in blades.  I do this mainly because on partial shots, there is nothing more reliable than a blade iron.  The CB and the hot face GI irons, to me, were not as reliable on distance.  The ball came off the face too hot for my tastes.  Also, I did not hit more greens with them on the full shots.  Also, I will admit that 5 iron and above, there was a difference on the full shots, so I went with a 5 iron CB and hybrids and FM's from there. 

:ping-small:G430LST 10.5° on     T P T    POWER 18 Hi Driver 

:ping-small:G430MAX 3w  on     T P T    POWER 18 Hi Fairway 

:ping-small:G425 3H on     T P T    POWER 18 Hi Hybrid 

:taylormade-small:P790 Black 4-A 
on :kbs: TGI 80S
 

:mizuno-small: ES21 54-8° & 58-12° on :kbs: Hi Rev

:L.A.B.:DF2.1 on :accra: White

:titelist-small: ProV1  

:918457628_PrecisionPro: Precision Pro  NX7 Pro

All Iron grips are BestGrips Micro-Perforated Mid

Driver, 3w, 3H are JumboMax JMX UltraLite XS 

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RR,

Very nice chip shots! Well done!

 

I agree with everything here, especially the hot faces of the CB and GI irons. I have that problem with any club less lofted than the SCORs. I love the feel of forged clubs but I don't hit the mid/longer irons that well to play blades. I do have an older set of Macgregor forged irons that I am going to shaft with graphite this winter. I got the specs from SCOR for the UST ProForce 95 to match closely to to SCOR Genius 9 graphite shaft. Hope they work!

 

I did post that since the Pings have the hot face, chipping with a club longer than a 9 iron is difficult to control the distance. When I use a SCOR, it really is more like a chip that you described, rather than a pitch. I referred to it as sort of a pitch, only because I fly it higher than I would for the normal chip shot. The motion is the same as a chip, upper body with quiet lower body, but with the added loft of the SCOR compared to a 7 iron, I just carry it further. It does take some practice to judge the fly vs roll. I would say that it is somewhat less accurate than chipping with a longer club, if all clubs had the same face. But better for me with two different types of clubs. It's always preferred to get the ball on the green as soon as possible and rolling like a putt, unless the irons are so different.

 

I have found that sometimes flying the ball further onto the green is better than the normal chip if the green has a lot of slope that can be avoided by the higher chip. I tried to think about at what yardage I would use a pitch shot instead of a chip, and there is no set distance. For me, it just depends on distance, location of the pin, how much green to work with, what's between me and the green, and what the undulations in the green look like. Today I chipped with my 58 SCOR from about 25 yards to a back pin to tap-in. The pro liked it! So did I. :)

We don’t stop playing the game because we get old; we get old because we stop playing the game.”

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Nice job there Rick. I definitely see why you would use blades for your shorter irons. My ball striking definitely isn't at a point yet where that's a viable option for me which is why I think I'm enjoying the SCORs so much. I think I'd feel confident replacing up to my 9 iron with them. The 45* PW replacement was shipped out this morning. I'm excited to try these techniques using the SCORs instead of my G25s. I've definitely seen the effects that a hotter face can have on chips and pitches.

 

I'm going to try to commit to the idea of using lower lofted clubs around the green where situations allow it (Kenny made a good point about carrying further to take out some slope) although I don't think I'll be going lower than my 8 iron.

Driver -  :taylormade-small: M1 9.5* w/ Aldila Rogue Silver 70X

Fairway -   :taylormade-small: M1 5W 19* w/ Aldila Rogue Silver 70X

Hybrids -   :ping-small: G25 4H 23*

Irons -  :mizuno-small: JPX 850 Forged 4-PW w/ Nippon N.S. Pro 1150S

Wedges - :mizuno-small: S5 50*07, 54*12, 58*12 w/ Nippon N.S. Pro 1150S

Putter - Oddyssey Metal-X #7 w/ SuperStroke Pistol GT 2.0

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