mantis0014:
With all the figures of Elevation on the greens relating to Approach shots and which club or how far you should hit it..... Would these figures change with different types of equipment? as in different sets.
eg, R11's vs Starter Clubs. This is just a example... No disrespect to anybody.
-Roger
Hi Roger,
to handle correctly elevation, you need high trajectory club (and good balls help also).
For example I remember when I played with rapture and starter ball (I used starter balls up to legend tier). Bethpage #15 (and also #5) was a nightmare with rapture (and any club with similar trajectory). You cannot really attack the pin with them on this hole (well I would need to try again now since my game has improved, but I think I would reach the same conclusion).
So yes, tricks/formula to handle elevation, distance/wind have to be fine tune depending on the clubs and balls you use. Spin used is also a factor.
There are many factors that influence an approach shot (I give below few examples as they come to my mind).
Even between R11 and Burner (two very similar set of irons) there are slight differences especially on long iron (from 3i to 5i). For example on congressional #3, with long iron, the ball was always rolling quite long with the burner (and you needed to know the slope on the green), while it rolls much less with the R11. So with R11 (full backspin), you need to set a bit more power than with Burner on this hole.
The difference in distance between full backspin shots or a no spin shots is significant with R11/Burner combined with Callaways/Nike. It can be between 5 and 10 yds depending on the club and wind condition (not counting bad bounce which can make or not the ball rolling long). But when you know how to use spin to control distance, it's usefull.
For example, if you have a 200yds approach shot, you can either force your 195yds iron with no spin (or just a tad) or choke your 210yds iron with full backspin. Depending on the hole (green) and the wind condition, one shot will be better than the other. But that's tricky, and anyone is still doing mistake when choosing the right shot. That's why this game is not just about setting the right power and dinging the shot.
Using spin from rough can also have a dramatic impact on the shot.
The interaction between spin and the topography of the landing area is also crucial. For example take an approach shot with a cleveland wedge and a callaways ball (cleveland wedges are very hard to master). If the ball land on a uphill part of the green, there is more chance to see the ball rolling back quite significantly. Even with full top spin you sometime see the ball rolling back. It rolls back much less (or not at all) when landing on a downhill part of the green.
So there are a lot of knowledge to gain in this game. But of course, even with all the knowledge, if you have problem to stop correctly the meter, it can ruin a round. For example, Jake (Jakestanfill) who has clearly a lot knowledge had (and perhaps still have) a hard time recently with the meter and this had a significant impact on his game.
Regards