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Short Game Questions

• W000T 104 Posts

  Tue, Jan 4 2011 1:17 AM

  I'm having a hard time judging the yardage to hit pitch shots and chip shots with my new clubs.  My old techniques with starter wedges will cause my new clubs to leave it short.  I now use 3 z-satin wedges, 54degree, 60degree, and 64degree.  How would you figure out how hard to hit pitch and chip shots with various conditions in elevation, green speed, lie, and green slope?

• SgtDoodles 3,112 Posts

  Tue, Jan 4 2011 3:43 AM

  Experience will solve all my friend. I've used the same wedges for as long as I can remember. The chip and pitch shots have more height and less roll so you can play the chip from up to 3 yards off the green. The pitch shot goes about 3/4 distance until it starts to roll. I hope this helps.

  Doodles

• WGTicon 12,511 Posts

  Tue, Jan 4 2011 10:33 AM

  W000T:

  I'm having a hard time judging the yardage to hit pitch shots and chip shots with my new clubs.  My old techniques with starter wedges will cause my new clubs to leave it short.  I now use 3 z-satin wedges, 54degree, 60degree, and 64degree.  How would you figure out how hard to hit pitch and chip shots with various conditions in elevation, green speed, lie, and green slope?

  Remember that old wedges, required hit and run, where you run 5 yards short and run close. The z-satin wedges with bs, can stop on the dot, so you must flies it to, past the hole and spin it back.

  Practice is everything:)

• CharlemagneRH 1,054 Posts

  Tue, Jan 4 2011 12:12 PM

  WGTicon:

  Remember that old wedges, required hit and run, where you run 5 yards short and run close. The z-satin wedges with bs, can stop on the dot, so you must flies it to, past the hole and spin it back.

  Practice is everything:)

  Behavior of the ball largely depends on the type of swing and the length of the shot, but I would definitely agree that the new wedges are an improvement due to the reduction in roll, as the shot will become more predictable.  This is the pretty obvious reason why (on top of never hanging up on the rough) I say that pitching is far superior to chipping.

  The fact that most people can stick a 45-yard shot within 3 yards almost every single time, but can only stick a 20-yard shot within 3 yards 50% of the time is a great example why minimizing roll is ideal.

• mohuyu 891 Posts

  Tue, Jan 4 2011 12:56 PM

  CharlemagneRH:

  but can only stick a 20-yard shot within 3 yards 50% of the time is a great example why minimizing roll is ideal.

  I doubt that is the case, only in severe circumstances can you end up outside 3 yards with a well hit chip, pitch or even flop.

• CharlemagneRH 1,054 Posts

  Tue, Jan 4 2011 2:17 PM

  mohuyu:

  CharlemagneRH:

  but can only stick a 20-yard shot within 3 yards 50% of the time is a great example why minimizing roll is ideal.

  I doubt that is the case, only in severe circumstances can you end up outside 3 yards with a well hit chip, pitch or even flop.

  KIA #2 is a great example, as is KIA #7.

  There are probably other examples that I'm forgetting, but it also has to be kept in mind that, on the vast majority of holes, such scenarios never arise.  For example, on KIA #1 (60-120 yrd approach), you should never have a 20-yard pitch/chip.  The same goes for KIA #3 (60-120 yrd approach), #4 (should never have a 40-55 -yard approach unless you drive into the rough), #5 (par 3), #6 (120-180 yard), #8 (par 3), and #9 (120-170 yrd).  If such choices were available more often, then I could cite literally dozens of examples where a 40-55 -yard shot was preferable to an 18-22 -yard pitch.

  Other courses do offer some more examples -- basically where the green is treacherous and therefore roll becomes unpredictable -- such as STA #18:  if you hit the upslope with a 18-20 -yard pitch, you're going to roll back down, but if you have a 45-50 -yard approach, it's cake.