Wedge play

[numberonecoog]

Yeah, and if you have 110 you can hit 85% so that is 110/.85 move the decimal, two places, do forget to carry the one, so 8 will go into 11.......  Dude, no wonder you can hit a wedge shot, you too freaking confused doing the math!

 

So try this!

 

The Dave Pelz Clock Method.

 

You have 4 wedges counting your pitching wedge. You need to learn three additional shots, assuming you already know the full shot distance.

• 1/4 shot - club head knee high in the back swing and the through swing.
• 1/2 shot - club head waist high back and thru.
• 3/4 shot - club head ear high back and thru

Now grab several balls, game balls not necessarily range ball, and go out and hit say 10  of each of these shots with this smooth swing, not a violent swing, with each of these 4 clubs.

 

Hit 10 1/4 shots with the 58 and measure how far they went. Same with the 54, and the others.

Then hit 1/2 and 3/4.

 

Now for important part. You have a general idea that a 1/4 58* goes 24 and a 1/2 is 39 and a 3/4 goes 70. These numbers are not as important as consistency.

 

An aside about the swing.

I mentioned that this is not a violent swing, but a smooth swing. Imagine you are out early on a crisp Autumn morning and there is a mushroom sitting on the lovely green grass. You want to calmly walk over setup with the middle of your stance and chop the stem of the mushroom just below the head. You do not want to turn it into mushroom goo on your clubface. Just take the clubhead back to what ever point and the accelerate through to the same point on the other side.

 

Now that we have our distances, we find a green somewhere and we walk off 40 yards or what ever yardage, and we practice hitting at the flag. We now determine our true roll and carry for that shot. For me, if I chop the stem off the mushroom, the ball hops and stops with no roll. I can move it back in my stance and it will carry and roll a bit more. I can choke down to the end of the grip and take 5 yards off the distance.

 

PLEASE NOTE, I am not talking about hitting harder or softer, just varying the set up a little.

 

Now, WRITE THIS DISTANCE DOWN ON A CARD AND KEEP IN YOUR BAG.

 

When you get to this situation on the course and you find yourself 80 yards from the hole. And you look at your card and see that a 50* wedge 3/4 shot goes 85 yards and you know that choking down to the steel takes 5 yards off, then you grab that club and make three practice swings choking down on the 50 and a 3/4 swing and chop the stem off the mushroom. Then make that shot and grab your putter for the tap in.

 

Knowing what to do in that situation removes the anxiety and a lot of the costly mishits.

I love this in theory. My problem is in practice it doesnt work for me. I can never depend on the distances. plus I want ot work on my trajectories. If I hit it low my carry is shorter and distance will be off. Same with if I want ot hit it higher. The short game is where I want to work on my creativity. It also requires the most creativity. Thats why I cant use it

[RoverRick]

I love this in theory. My problem is in practice it doesnt work for me. I can never depend on the distances. plus I want ot work on my trajectories. If I hit it low my carry is shorter and distance will be off. Same with if I want ot hit it higher. The short game is where I want to work on my creativity. It also requires the most creativity. Thats why I cant use it

 

You can still use this method and vary your trajectory and use your imagination. This just gives you a reliable method of controlling distance.

[Kenny B]

Wow that's interesting my teacher wants everything the same from driver to pitch shot.

 

Sent from my VS870 4G using MyGolfSpy mobile app

For my swing the pitch shot is just a short, mini version of the full swing, except my stance is open about 10*.  Ball is in about the same position, and that is not back.  Hands are certainly leading, weight over flexed lead knee.

[RoverRick]

Is your swing any different on your wedge shots? Do you have a different thought/feeling or take a different style when setting up? I was trained to use a completely different approach to my wedges and find that my 100 yards and in game is the strongest part for me.

 

Yes, I actually have several different swings, but I definitely have a lot less wrist action and quieter lower body with a wedge swing and even a more "rounded" (at least in my mind) swing.

 

I know that my tendency with this partial swing is to not turn enough with the shoulder going back, and therefore pulling the ball left going through. So I "think" more rounded.

 

In a full swing, I will keep the face pointed at the ball longer in the back swing (toe pointed at 45* halfway back) and try to keep the wrists set as late in the swing as possible and clear my hips out of the way, and try to violently strike the ball. I often even start the swing with the wrist break, and this gets me to turning tighter rather than swaying.

 

In the pitch swing, it is more like fanning the club open and where toe is pointed up half way back and as I stated early on, this is not violent, but a steady acceleration.

[Kor.A.Door]

i think I have a good idea of the main issues with the wedges, so I hate I keep adding stuff, but I really like the commentary here in this thread here is a ton of great information from many good players, and good minds for the game, this is turning out to be one of my favorite threads to read and take in loads of useful information. Thanks for all the input guys, this is really good.

[revkev]

@ Kenny that describes mine to a tee except that I try to stay square - it's just a mini version of the full swing and ball position doesn't change, the stance narrows a bit because of the shorter club.  My teacher would be one that would sacrifice some distance for a negative AoA if it kept the swing consistent throughout the bag - as he's said that it is a non-factor for me because I'm always going to drop the club into the slot a bit and have that positive AoA with the driver.

[Kenny B]

@ Kenny that describes mine to a tee except that I try to stay square - it's just a mini version of the full swing and ball position doesn't change, the stance narrows a bit because of the shorter club.  My teacher would be one that would sacrifice some distance for a negative AoA if it kept the swing consistent throughout the bag - as he's said that it is a non-factor for me because I'm always going to drop the club into the slot a bit and have that positive AoA with the driver.

I think I failed to mention that my shoulders are square to the target line for all shots; it's just my feet that are slightly open to the target.  This is a partial shot only, not full shots.

[Kor.A.Door]

My wedge play the last few rounds has been much better, after I realized through discussing here that my wedge yardages were all mixed up in my mind, I have made some adjustments to the actual yardages in my head, and as a result I am actually hitting greens with them aside from the occasional push. I still have a gapping hole in that part of my bag. My 50* on standard shots goes 120yds, if I step on it, I can get it to 125-127, but that comes with some severe mishits, so I do t want to do that, so my PW(45*) goes 135yds, that's a big yardage gap right in the scoring zone, I would like to have something that I can take a full swing with that would fit in that yardage, but I will have to retool the bottom part of the bag, which I think I may do. I'm looking into a wedge fitting in the next couple weeks to see if he can help with some recommendations on filling the gap. Ideally I would like to have a gap wedge that would be around 127, and a sand wedge that would go about 118, and a lob wedge that I could use to about 100, but that's just an ideal yardage I think for me, I'm hoping a good fitting will give me some better knowledge of what will work best for me and what I am trying to accomplish with the short clubs.

[cksurfdude]

Yeah, great thread, really interesting! The short game / approach shots prob my fav part of golf.

(Well... maybe the 19th Hole is but....)

 

So my main takeaway here - repeated by a lot of good players - is PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE in order to develop GOOD TECHNIQUE.

 

"Feel" is the inherent and proper execution of good technique.

 

RoverRick's post about the Pelz method is brilliant. Please especially note, for example, "1/4 shot" is 1/4 TURN and *not* 1/4 'effort' (of 100%).

 

So one example shot in your new short game arsenal is sand wedge knee-high-back to knee-high-front and by practicing you will learn it will go 90+% of the time right about N number of yards (total = n1 carry + n2 roll).

 

Second brilliant point is about TEMPO - the mushroom analogy - try to think of a metronome sitting on the ground in front of you, smoothly ticking off:

O-N-E (briefest pause) T-W-O

 

So with weight forward and hands forward O-N-E turn the chest back and then T-W-O turn the chest forward thru the ball and towards the target.

 

(I also like to open my lower body stance slightly, shoulders still square, stand a bit closer to the ball and so a bit more upright. and weaken my grip slightly. As mentioned by others, ball more forward or more back can influence trajectory.)

 

Third brilliant point is distance CONTROL - and consistency - not outright distance.

 

I'm going to get to work on my own shot reference chart to determine wedge 1 @ 3/4 = D1, wedge 1 @ 1/2 = D2, etc. etc. etc.

 

There will be combo's that result in the same - or very approximately the same - total distance but have different individual carry + rollout, so the feel part of the game is applying the proper short game combo to best fit the situation ... to give yourself the highest chance of success.

 

Yes a pro can hit a sand wedge 100 or 125 or whatever BUT they can hit that same distance and with a ridiculously tiny dispersion literally 99 balls out of 100 (and that's why they're pros!!!).

 

Thx all!!!

[BIG STU]

Yeah, and if you have 110 you can hit 85% so that is 110/.85 move the decimal, two places, do forget to carry the one, so 8 will go into 11.......  Dude, no wonder you can hit a wedge shot, you too freaking confused doing the math!

 

So try this!

 

The Dave Pelz Clock Method.

 

You have 4 wedges counting your pitching wedge. You need to learn three additional shots, assuming you already know the full shot distance.

• 1/4 shot - club head knee high in the back swing and the through swing.
• 1/2 shot - club head waist high back and thru.
• 3/4 shot - club head ear high back and thru

Now grab several balls, game balls not necessarily range ball, and go out and hit say 10  of each of these shots with this smooth swing, not a violent swing, with each of these 4 clubs.

 

Hit 10 1/4 shots with the 58 and measure how far they went. Same with the 54, and the others.

Then hit 1/2 and 3/4.

 

Now for important part. You have a general idea that a 1/4 58* goes 24 and a 1/2 is 39 and a 3/4 goes 70. These numbers are not as important as consistency.

 

An aside about the swing.

I mentioned that this is not a violent swing, but a smooth swing. Imagine you are out early on a crisp Autumn morning and there is a mushroom sitting on the lovely green grass. You want to calmly walk over setup with the middle of your stance and chop the stem of the mushroom just below the head. You do not want to turn it into mushroom goo on your clubface. Just take the clubhead back to what ever point and the accelerate through to the same point on the other side.

 

Now that we have our distances, we find a green somewhere and we walk off 40 yards or what ever yardage, and we practice hitting at the flag. We now determine our true roll and carry for that shot. For me, if I chop the stem off the mushroom, the ball hops and stops with no roll. I can move it back in my stance and it will carry and roll a bit more. I can choke down to the end of the grip and take 5 yards off the distance.

 

PLEASE NOTE, I am not talking about hitting harder or softer, just varying the set up a little.

 

Now, WRITE THIS DISTANCE DOWN ON A CARD AND KEEP IN YOUR BAG.

 

When you get to this situation on the course and you find yourself 80 yards from the hole. And you look at your card and see that a 50* wedge 3/4 shot goes 85 yards and you know that choking down to the steel takes 5 yards off, then you grab that club and make three practice swings choking down on the 50 and a 3/4 swing and chop the stem off the mushroom. Then make that shot and grab your putter for the tap in.

 

Knowing what to do in that situation removes the anxiety and a lot of the costly mishits.

Wow that surprises me that coming from you there Rick I figured you used instinct with the wedges like you do with the putter. Of course my whole game is on instinct. On the wedges I figure what type shot I want to hit and then let my eyes tell my body how far back to pull it

[RoverRick]

. I still have a gapping hole in that part of my bag. My 50* on standard shots goes 120yds, if I step on it, I can get it to 125-127, but that comes with some severe mishits, so I do t want to do that, so my PW(45*) goes 135yds, that's a big yardage gap right in the scoring zone, I would like to have something that I can take a full swing with that would fit in that yardage, 

 

You can only have 14 clubs, unless you get a trailer to pull behind your cart you are still going to be between yardages.

 

Keep in mind you can choke down to the steel and take off 5-8 yards.(or choke down less and take off less) This effectively shortens the club and less distance. Also, you can open your stance and take off 5 yards. This shortens your backswing. And you can open your stance and choke down on the club and take off 10-13 yards.

 

But you say

 

Full PW = 135

Full GW = 120

Full SW = 118

Full LW = 100

 

I would venture a wager that those "ideal numbers" are more "occasional" than "always". Maybe not the PW and the GW if they are part of a set, and at those number 45&50 I would think they were. But the SW and LW are even less frequently.

 

So I propose this.

 

Full PW = 132-135

Choke down PW = 125-130

3/4 8 iron = 122-125

Full GW = 117-120

3/4 9 iron = 112-115

Choke down 3/4 9 iron = 105-110

1/2 8 iron = 103-105

3/4 PW = 98-100

Choke down 3/4 PW = 90-95

3/4 SW = 84-86

Choke down 3/4 SW = 78-80

3/4 LW = 72-75

Choke down 3/4 = 68-70

1/2 PW= 70

1/2 GW= 60

1/2 SW = 50

1/2 LW = 40

 

and so on......

 

Notice Full SW and LW are missing from this group. If you can not hit a club a consistent distance 80% of the time, I say don't do it. That is 16 different distances with 6 clubs and I could have listed more.

[RoverRick]

Wow that surprises me that coming from you there Rick I figured you used instinct with the wedges like you do with the putter. Of course my whole game is on instinct. On the wedges I figure what type shot I want to hit and then let my eyes tell my body how far back to pull it

 

Shhh! You caught me. I do not use this method. But that does not make it less valid. 

 

I did use this method. For many years I carried 4 or even 5 wedges and kept a list and did not hesitate to look it up, but not necessarily do this any more.

 

Actually, I got the Mizuno JPX EZ Forged today and I have no idea what any distances are, so I loaded up the Scor Wedges again.

 

In addition to the sets P and G I will have a 53 and 59. I will hit the 53 when I want the ball to roll after it lands or when there is more than 80 yards and the 59 when there is 75 and less or I do not want any roll out.

 

I quite literally will get the distance, let's say 67 yards, and I will grab the 59 and make a couple of practice swings that I think will go 67 yards and stop. I do  not recommend this method to anyone.

 

But I can do this because I know that if I need to go 40 yards with the 59 I only take it back to just below waste high, and if I need to go 50 yards I need to go above waste high and below elbow high. It is much easier to use different clubs, but after several years of doing it, I feel  confident.

 

Another aside, because it is raining today, and I think tomorrow will be open to walkers only, I am hoping to go out with just the JPX irons and a 56* wedge and a putter.

 

I will need to work out the new distances with new irons.

[Kenny B]

You can only have 14 clubs, unless you get a trailer to pull behind your cart you are still going to be between yardages.

 

Keep in mind you can choke down to the steel and take off 5-8 yards.(or choke down less and take off less) This effectively shortens the club and less distance. Also, you can open your stance and take off 5 yards. This shortens your backswing. And you can open your stance and choke down on the club and take off 10-13 yards.

 

But you say

 

Full PW = 135

Full GW = 120

Full SW = 118

Full LW = 100

 

I would venture a wager that those "ideal numbers" are more "occasional" than "always". Maybe not the PW and the GW if they are part of a set, and at those number 45&50 I would think they were. But the SW and LW are even less frequently.

 

So I propose this.

 

Full PW = 132-135

Choke down PW = 125-130

3/4 8 iron = 122-125

Full GW = 117-120

3/4 9 iron = 112-115

Choke down 3/4 9 iron = 105-110

1/2 8 iron = 103-105

3/4 PW = 98-100

Choke down 3/4 PW = 90-95

3/4 SW = 84-86

Choke down 3/4 SW = 78-80

3/4 LW = 72-75

Choke down 3/4 = 68-70

1/2 PW= 70

1/2 GW= 60

1/2 SW = 50

1/2 LW = 40

 

and so on......

 

Notice Full SW and LW are missing from this group. If you can not hit a club a consistent distance 80% of the time, I say don't do it. That is 16 different distances with 6 clubs and I could have listed more.

You just described my wedge play... well, except for the distance for each club.  A lot less. lol

[RoverRick]

You just described my wedge play... well, except for the distance for each club.  A lot less. lol

 

I did not hit my PW and GW that far either, but then I did not have a 45 and 50 wedge set, Until today, and I haven't hit them yet. But I plan on it tomorrow.

[Kor.A.Door]

I rarely take full swings with the 54, and 58, it has to be the perfect condition for that. The 50 is an SM5. Rick, that makes sense with the yardages and use of the clubs, I've always taken off yardage for wedges, but I really haven't thought of doing it with 9,8 iron, at least not in the shorter areas, like a 3/4 8 iron, or a 3/4 9 iron, I've done that when I get into trouble and have to play a lower shot or something, but I really haven't thought much of doing that from the fairway, it's not that I can't hit those shots, I just didn't ever give it much thought.

[cksurfdude]

I rarely take full swings with the 54, and 58, it has to be the perfect condition for that. The 50 is an SM5. Rick, that makes sense with the yardages and use of the clubs, I've always taken off yardage for wedges, but I really haven't thought of doing it with 9,8 iron, at least not in the shorter areas, like a 3/4 8 iron, or a 3/4 9 iron, I've done that when I get into trouble and have to play a lower shot or something, but I really haven't thought much of doing that from the fairway, it's not that I can't hit those shots, I just didn't ever give it much thought.

Aha! Did we just see the proverbial light bulb click on..? Go git 'em!

[RoverRick]

I rarely take full swings with the 54, and 58, it has to be the perfect condition for that. The 50 is an SM5. Rick, that makes sense with the yardages and use of the clubs, I've always taken off yardage for wedges, but I really haven't thought of doing it with 9,8 iron, at least not in the shorter areas, like a 3/4 8 iron, or a 3/4 9 iron, I've done that when I get into trouble and have to play a lower shot or something, but I really haven't thought much of doing that from the fairway, it's not that I can't hit those shots, I just didn't ever give it much thought.

 

Don't for get you can do the same with the 1/2 shot.

You may find the 1/2 7 goes 100 and the 1/2 8 goes 90 etc.

The same for the 1/4.

 

i came up way short today on a par 3 and had 45 yards up hill and 25 yards of green. Used the 1/4 9 but played it back to lower the trajectory and let it run if it wanted. The ball got within 3 feet from the pin...... before it rolled back down the slope and left me with a 15 'er.

 

But practice these with all your clubs and it will give you many weapons on the course.

[Kenny B]

I had a bad third shot on our par 5 #9 and it end up 65 yards from green center on a steep downhill/sidehill lie with a narrow opening to the green and water right.  I thought about hitting my 50* SCOR but I would have had to take a bigger swing and I just wasn't stable enough to do that.  I took an easy 1/2 swing 8i and hit it low so it ran onto the front of the green to a back pin.  Made par.  Wedges aren't always the play from short yardage.

[RoverRick]

I could list them all day but hole 1, 157 to the center of the green. Huge tree directly in front of me. Too close to go over and the trunk was totally blocking the green. Played a "hooded, 1/2 swing 5 iron, back in my stance, feet and body lined up 40 yards right. Club face aimed at flag. And hard turn"

 

The ball shot out never more than 10' high starts right, passed the tree and turned left. Bounced and rolled to the front center edge of the green.

 

The government spends millions getting missiles

to track like that.

 

But I combined distance control, trajectory, and ball movement all in one shot and turned a bogie into a chance for birdie.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy mobile app

[cksurfdude]

But I combined distance control, trajectory, and ball movement all in one shot and turned a bogie into a chance for birdie.

 

Nice!!!!! I aspire to be able to play shots like that!

[RoverRick]

I unfortunately get lots of practice on this type of shot.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy mobile app

[~^~]

Years ago i was great with my wedges, mostly because i lived in a place where i could walk out my front door and practice 80-100 yard shots. There was a big vacant lot next to my apartment. For the last few years, however, my wedges sucked, too high too far left. Now, i am hitting them so great again, I can't wait to hit them again. How did it turn around?

1. I upgraded from Cleveland to Vokey SM5. I thought Cleveland made great wedges, but they now feel clunky, whereas the Titleist are heavier and solid and stable.

2. I slowed my swing down for good contact and lower trajectory and better control, and

3. Most importantly, in conjunction with a slower swing, i allow my body to move and be athletic, not still, or trying to meet all the perfect position s for a perfect swing. Being athletic in my motion frees up any restrictions and gives me confidence. I think about swinging around my body, not back and through, and I remember that my iron swing should be the same for all irons, 4 iron through wedges. Just stand closer/farther from the ball.

[Kor.A.Door]

Aha! Did we just see the proverbial light bulb click on..? Go git 'em!

I'm so glad o started this thread, it has to be one of my favorites, I'm generally a good wedge player, but there is something missing, and yes, the lightbulb did go off, that makes a least 3 times in this thread that has happened, so many good players here, that are strong at different parts of the game, and willing to share their knowledge.

[Kor.A.Door]

Years ago i was great with my wedges, mostly because i lived in a place where i could walk out my front door and practice 80-100 yard shots. There was a big vacant lot next to my apartment. For the last few years, however, my wedges sucked, too high too far left. Now, i am hitting them so great again, I can't wait to hit them again. How did it turn around?

1. I upgraded from Cleveland to Vokey SM5. I thought Cleveland made great wedges, but they now feel clunky, whereas the Titleist are heavier and solid and stable.

2. I slowed my swing down for good contact and lower trajectory and better control, and

3. Most importantly, in conjunction with a slower swing, i allow my body to move and be athletic, not still, or trying to meet all the perfect position s for a perfect swing. Being athletic in my motion frees up any restrictions and gives me confidence. I think about swinging around my body, not back and through, and I remember that my iron swing should be the same for all irons, 4 iron through wedges. Just stand closer/farther from the ball.

That's funny that you switched from Cleveland to Titelist, I had Cleveland, switched to SM5's, don't like them, and I am going to likely look into switching back to Cleveland,

[revkev]

I rarely take full swings with the 54, and 58, it has to be the perfect condition for that. The 50 is an SM5. Rick, that makes sense with the yardages and use of the clubs, I've always taken off yardage for wedges, but I really haven't thought of doing it with 9,8 iron, at least not in the shorter areas, like a 3/4 8 iron, or a 3/4 9 iron, I've done that when I get into trouble and have to play a lower shot or something, but I really haven't thought much of doing that from the fairway, it's not that I can't hit those shots, I just didn't ever give it much thought.

I wish I could remember who posted that David Toms video and where. I do much better take a bit off of everything in the bag except driver but I can and d take something off of that too. I'm far more accurate hitting a driver into a breeze 210 than I am hitting 3 wood. Less spin, less curve, just tee it low, hit it low and run it out straight to the target.

 

The last time I hit a full wedge was about 2 months ago. GW, back pin, lots of wind behind 126. I think it's still going. It looked great until I had to write the 6 on the scorecard. I should have hit the easy punch PW. .

 

How are the wedges going for you Kor a Dor? Any improvement since starting this thread?

[Kenny B]

Generally I am a low wedge player.  I feel that I can control less than full shots better with a lower trajectory.  I can get into trouble going high, so I only do it when I have to for some reason; like going over a bunker to a tight pin.  If I have a little green to work with, that shot will be medium height.  

 

I started hitting lower shots because on my old course, there were a couple of holes where approach shots had to come in low under branches, but stop rather quickly to stay on the smallish greens.  That's not really an issue at my new course, but I still play those shots.  However, the greens at my new course are much firmer, and it's difficult to get the ball stopped where I want.  So... lately I have been spending quite a bit of time on the practice green hitting high flops.  Based on my results, I need more practice.  I can hit them, but distance control is horrible.  I will be spending a high percentage of my practice time on the pitching green for awhile.

[cksurfdude]

Somewhat related, and FYI, there's a thread about the DST Compressor trainer. Based on some of the comments and reviews there I went and splurged on the Wedge.

 

(there's also an 8i trainer sold separately)

 

My short game was ok and thru a lot of practice has been improving, but with this trainer I think I will develop more consistency and better shot control.

 

It also seems to be useful as a warmup tool; eg. it forces you to rotate your body to make good contact.

[~^~]

That's funny that you switched from Cleveland to Titelist, I had Cleveland, switched to SM5's, don't like them, and I am going to likely look into switching back to Cleveland,

The SM5s feel much heavier and more stable to me. I have a good sense of where the clubhead is through out the swing, so now i have no trouble making full swings with my 60*, goes 80 yards, 56* goes 90, or my 50* goes 105. To contrast, less than a year ago i bought the f2 brand, shank-proof wedge with a recessed hosel. Guess what? I shanked it. A lot. I'm sure it was my swing, but the weight of the SM5 made me slow down, stay aware of the clubhead, start making good contact. Just goes to show, club hoes can get to the end of the tunnel!

[Kor.A.Door]

I've been hitting the wedges much better as of late, I have also been employing a similar strategy with the other scoring irons(8,9,PW) as well, and I am actually hitting them farther, which doesn't make sense, I must be hitting the center of the face, yesterday I had 128 into the wind on 17, I took PW, choked down a bit, and flushed it, a bit left of the flag, thought it was right there, it flew past the flag, and I had an uphill 50 footer that was the fastest putt I had all day, and I blew it 15 feet past. As for the wedges, I have been hitting them really well, I still think I'm a little bit off with them, but I can at least control them better, a smooth swing with the 50* will go 118-120, 54* goes 108-110, and the 58* will go 80-85, for those gaps I just use the longer one and take a shorter easier swing, it's been working well, and my scores have shown that, the last 3 rounds 76,79,78, and they all could have been much better, but I lose focus and get into my head and start thinking, then after losing it for about 3-4 holes I get back to just playing one shot at a time, and finish the round better, but having a stretch of holes of bogeys or doubles can really ruin the round.

[revkev]

I've been hitting the wedges much better as of late, I have also been employing a similar strategy with the other scoring irons(8,9,PW) as well, and I am actually hitting them farther, which doesn't make sense, I must be hitting the center of the face, yesterday I had 128 into the wind on 17, I took PW, choked down a bit, and flushed it, a bit left of the flag, thought it was right there, it flew past the flag, and I had an uphill 50 footer that was the fastest putt I had all day, and I blew it 15 feet past. As for the wedges, I have been hitting them really well, I still think I'm a little bit off with them, but I can at least control them better, a smooth swing with the 50* will go 118-120, 54* goes 108-110, and the 58* will go 80-85, for those gaps I just use the longer one and take a shorter easier swing, it's been working well, and my scores have shown that, the last 3 rounds 76,79,78, and they all could have been much better, but I lose focus and get into my head and start thinking, then after losing it for about 3-4 holes I get back to just playing one shot at a time, and finish the round better, but having a stretch of holes of bogeys or doubles can really ruin the round.

It's a weird Sunday for me as I had to take a personal day and miss church (my wife is in Georgia helping our daughter in law with the grandkids while our son is rehabbing at another site after surgery). Penny and I went to church last night. At any rate long explanation to get around to another thread that Kor A Dor started about a year ago and a recent comment by JBL about Brittany Lincicome having a plus 2 handicap playing the tips at our club.

 

First, great work Kor and kerplunk it up!

 

Second, to you and JBL scores are always relative to course rating and slope. The tips at Bayou are nearly 75. All she has to do is average 73 from the tips on her 10 best scores out of 20 and she's going to be between a plus 2 and plus 3. She's 4 under after 3 rounds on a somewhat easier course in a tour event this week, she's playing spot on her handicap. The course is shorter but has more rough, lots more, but we have that kind of rough in the summer/fall.

 

At any rate that gets to Kor's thread wondering how guys with a similar handicap than his could shoot even. It seems to me that your course is around 71.8/138 from the tips. That's similar to Bayou from the set of tees that I play from - we probably both average somewhere between 77-78 on our ten best scores. But if you move us to an easier course the scores drop. I recently played a course with an average type of course rating 69.3/122 and shot 72. That would have been the equivalent of 74/75 at my course from my tees or yours from yours.

 

It's all relative

 

Sorry for the little thread jack but I'm weird when you give my time to think and I didn't wat to waste time here on how ridiculous it is to ke NC play in the basketball tournament when it's going to have to vacate 100's of wins and at least one if not two other championships once the current investigation is completed. You have to live the NCAA.