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Approach shots

• Partsman41953 341 Posts

  Sat, Jan 2 2010 7:19 AM

  Hi everyone, 

  Any suggestions on hitting closer approach shots, especially 100 yards and closer. It seems like I have a difficult time gauging how hard to swing at it and my approach shots are either short or 20 feet past the hole. 

  This would really help my game. 

   

  Thanks, 

  Glenn

• JoelWhite 101 Posts

  Sat, Jan 2 2010 7:39 AM

  In lieu of a driving range, go to the practice mode of whatever course you prefer and chip, punch and flop to your hearts content. You'll learn the meter spot for the different yardages of each club, and hone your skills for stopping the meter in the sweet spot.

• YankeeJim 25,827 Posts

  Sat, Jan 2 2010 7:50 AM

  Glenn-Something that might help you map your wedges....Watch the golfer as you move from the full swing position down. The club actually moves in increments. Doing what Joel suggested will let you figure out how much one of those increments affects the yardage.

  For instance, my 98 yd wedge will go about  92 yds (wind not counted) if I take a full swing and back off 1 movement (increment.) You can do this for any club you want to figure out your best guess.

  Also, your punch/pitch options for each club lower the yardage of the club and introduce a roll after landing. This way you can run up to the hole on a lot of greens where the pin is set way back. Partial swings with ball spin are really effective. Both courses play well this way.

  Keep in mind your starter clubs aren't going to perform like the more accurate ones but learning what you can do with what you have is definitely the right way to do it. GL

   

  YJ

   

• PugsAce 1,825 Posts

  Sat, Jan 2 2010 9:00 AM

  Visualize a spot at half of the meter. Record the yardage for that club at that spot (each of it's full/pitch/chip/punch/flop "full-stroke yardage" divided by two). Then find a spot at half of that upper half of the meter and keep doing the same as far as you'd like to take it.

  For example: My 60W full stroke is 75yds. Half would be 37.5yds. Half of the meter's upper half would be the same as 3/4 of a full swing: 56.25yds. Half of the remaining 1/4 of the upper meter would be equal to 7/8 of a full swing: 65.6yds.

  Write down your findings(yardages/increment) in a small notebook or on index cards. It's great to have them handy when you need them. Leave room for notes about different lie %'s, windage, elevation, green speed effects, etc...

  This can all be done preliminarily, then applied when you actually are there practicing. There, you look at the handy-dandy charts you made for the club - visualize the corresponding spot on the swing meter for the yardage you need - and take the power bar back to that point

   [------|----------------------------------] bingo!

  Might as well disregard the lower-half of the meter... hitting an approach shot at less than 50% most often doesn't work. You're better off going to the next shorter club and working from there.

  Good Luck,

  -PugsAce

• YankeeJim 25,827 Posts

  Sat, Jan 2 2010 10:12 AM

  Pug-Is this pretty consistent across the clubs? 

   

  YJ

   

  p.s., I don't have a bingo but I do hear a ding once every 5 shots, or so.   :)

• PugsAce 1,825 Posts

  Sat, Jan 2 2010 10:40 AM

  YankeeJim:

  Pug-Is this pretty consistent across the clubs? 

   

  YJ

   

  p.s., I don't have a bingo but I do hear a ding once every 5 shots, or so.   :)

  Yes. At least I've found it to be consistent with the starter clubs, Satin Wedges, and my purchased Pro G10 set.

  Equal segments, or as close as I can get to them. This certainly isn't a revelation, is it?

  I'm sure others have used this "technique" to figure yardages, no?

  I take the given yardage, then ; add/subtract ~1yd for every 3mph in wind (depending on direction) ; add/subtract differing yardages for elevation (depending on the hole) ; then I figure the %lie of that "added-up" yardage, and add it to get the final total yardage.

  I then consult my notes (if necessary), and take the power meter back to where that corresponding yardage would be. Of course, ts and bs come into play, as well, for "carry" or "run", but that would be too hard to explain here.

  I'm sure I'm not giving-up any "secrets" here, or am I?.... lol... it's almost how I setup/visualize my shots when I'm on a real course... is it flawed, you think?

  I've found that it works for me, but I'm glad the %'s are easy ones to work with (even though they are in ranges, i.e. 25-30%)... 'cause my mind isn't as sharp with the numbers as it once was... lol

  No bingo shot? lol! Please DO realize that all this DOES depend on hitting that "ding line"! Miss it, and my figured distances are out the window. 

  :^)

  Here's further "evidence"... lol... of this working around the green with the chip shot. Both of these holed chips were at the same hole (BPB #3) , in successive games, but from different areas around the green...