Zapping Short Game Shots

[echico]

I'll laser pitches, not all the time but enough to say I do it. The key is I do it when the others are hitting their shots or walking to mark a ball on the green or other times where I can't hit. I get the yardage and pick the wedge then hit. Easily in the 40 sec when I get to my ball. I get some eye rolls for lasering sometimes but it stops because I play fast enough that you hardly notice after a while.

That 40-70 yd shot could be my 54 or 58 depending on what is in front of me so the yardage is the last variable.

 

[OldandStiff]

but knowing your 35 yrds instead of say 27 means little when we consider the slope of the greens. The 27 yrdr may take a stronger pitch or chip than a 35 yrdr. if the shorter play is an uphil greens vs the longer being downhill.

Even more of a reason I like to know the exact distance. So I can calculate exactly how far I want to fly it. I'm fairly blind in my left and my depth perception sucks. I'll mark the exact spot I want to land it, get a yardage, and then try to feel that distance. I practice with my eyes closed a fair amount. Seeing it (with my eyes) only gets in the way of my feel for it sometimes.

 

[Et Tu Brute?]

I get some eye rolls for lasering sometimes but it stops because I play fast enough that you hardly notice after a while.

We used to have this member at our club, played with my usual group, who apparently considered himself a philosopher, swing coach, caddie and all around font of golf wisdom. One time he saw me walking forward a few paces to peek at a hole location tucked behind a bunker, before hitting a 30-yard pitch shot over the bunker. He was like, "What the hell are you looking at, you're just going to hit it in the bunker anyway".

Like most people I usually tuned him out but that was the one time I stopped and calmly suggested he shut the "F" up and let me play my game. I hit the shot over the bunker but it bounced 20 feet past the hole. Honest to goodness he said, "See, that's what I meant".

Nobody, but nobody, was the least bit disappointed when he moved out of town a couple years later.

 

[olperfesser]

If I'm inside the 100, I'll still laser the pin. If I am away from home and inside 50, I'm using the lens to check out where the pin is and the lay of the green. Whether to roll the ball at the pin or to stop it short. On my home course, I know what to do, so don't need the rangefinder.

 

[Molten]

I’ll make the argument that shooting the shorter shots makes me a faster player. I have a lot of stock partial shots that I work on during LM practice and knowing which swing and with which club removes a lot of the decision process. It only takes a second to shoot it

 

[radiman]

No offense to anyone here but using a laser inside 100 yds would get a few eye rolls with the groups I play with, it's a bit much, that's why a GPS is nice, just a quick glance and give or take a few yards for the hole location is all it takes.

Know your wedge distances and how they roll, practice them visually at the range, see the target and hit the target, that's the way to learn the short ones IMO. And that way if your laser craps out during a round you won't be lost.

I don't know how long it take you to laser a shot, especially that close when you don't have to brace yourself for sway. But, we're talking a matter of seconds. Also, if you know your yardage distances, let's say every 15 yards or so, wouldn't you want to know exactly how far away you are to execute the right shot?

 

[obedt]

I rarely shoot distance to the pin on short shots. I think knowing the exact yardage works against me, in that I have an additional piece of info that I can't really use. I don't have a precise calculation of what kind of swing produces a 60 yard shot for example. I just see the pin, and intuitively figure out the approximate amount to choke up, loft to add, length of backswing, length of follow through, etc.

Don't have a number in mind, but more try and visualize the shot to play.

 

[SHIFTY]

I will laser closer shots that have the pin right on the edge of the green when I need an exact yardage for my landing zone. Otherwise I estimate the distance in my head.

 

[MrDC]

I don't know how long it take you to laser a shot, especially that close when you don't have to brace yourself for sway. But, we're talking a matter of seconds. Also, if you know your yardage distances, let's say every 15 yards or so, wouldn't you want to know exactly how far away you are to execute the right shot?

I agree it's not a slow play concern, it's quick, it's just a bit over the top accuracy needed for a short wedge IMO, I'll get a yardage in to about 50 yds, after that it's just feel.

 

[radiman]

I agree it's not a slow play concern, it's quick, it's just a bit over the top accuracy needed for a short wedge IMO, I'll get a yardage in to about 50 yds, after that it's just feel.

I am real similar to that honestly. Unless I am just not sure, I will typically just go with how I feel the shot will play out vs getting a yardage.

 

[V14_Heels]

I'm confused as a whole. How is a GPS app on the phone faster than zapping? I have Arccos, and I zap everything. It hangs at my hip on a carbiner and takes me 10 seconds to pop it out and zap. My phone takes much longer...I have to get it out, unlock it, open the app sometimes, and then it takes a second to update.

 

[Et Tu Brute?]

I'm confused as a whole. How is a GPS app on the phone faster than zapping? I have Arccos, and I zap everything. It hangs at my hip on a carbiner and takes me 10 seconds to pop it out and zap. My phone takes much longer...I have to get it out, unlock it, open the app sometimes, and then it takes a second to update.

Agree. Anything that's "on the phone" is slow just because you have to get the phone out, unlock it and do some swiping and tapping.

 

[rollin]

I'm confused as a whole. How is a GPS app on the phone faster than zapping? I have Arccos, and I zap everything. It hangs at my hip on a carbiner and takes me 10 seconds to pop it out and zap. My phone takes much longer...I have to get it out, unlock it, open the app sometimes, and then it takes a second to update.

gps watch takes less than a second. You just glance at your wrist

 

[rollin]

what did all you folks do before lasers? please dont tell me you paced it off.

 

[WMac19]

I laser whenever I want to be sure regardless how close or far I may be from the hole. If I want to know, I let myself know. I play fast so pace isn't an issue (some friends call me Rush if that's any indication).

Shortest lasered today was 44 yards on a 3rd shot approach into our par 5 17th. I hit my 64° LW to 4' or so and joked to myself that I was off, only hitting it 42.5 yards.

 

[V14_Heels]

gps watch takes less than a second. You just glance at your wrist

That's fair. I don't have a watch though, but again i feel like having the exact distance to pin has DRASTICALLY increased my pitching game. I spent about 3 hours out the range and marked off 10 yard gaps...shot all 3 of my wedges at 1/4, 1/2 and 3/4 to really dial in those distances, and having that exact distance is huge imo.

 

[DataDude]

Today I lasered on from 50 and I holed it out for eagle LOL!! Also finished our round in 3:20 so there is that.

 

[rollin]

Today I lasered on from 50 and I holed it out for eagle LOL!! Also finished our round in 3:20 so there is that.

You should have just stayed home

 

[DataDude]

You should have just stayed home

Haha!! If I can't get an eagle without a zapper I don't deserve one!!

 

[darthweasel]

what did all you folks do before lasers? please dont tell me you paced it off.

an option for improvement we should reject? not with you at all on this one. I am going to use every legal tool that allows me to improve my game if it works for me. If it doesn't work for me I will not use it but for the most part (my rant on the $%^ single line on the ball people take forever with to be worse) will not say a lot to or about those who do use it. Whether it is a different ball or an app or sensors in the club or a laser or a yardage book or whatever that tool is, if I can use it in a reasonable mount of time, am keeping pace with the group in front of me...I want the most modern tools available.

 

[Et Tu Brute?]

I have owned a laser for just about as long as there have been lasers to own and it's because a) I want to know how far I'm trying to hit it b) I can not eyeball distances worth a damn and c) no, I'm not going to walk 60 yards up to the green to pace off a partial wedge shot. Having a laser completely solves my needs in three seconds flat.

 

[darthweasel]

I was waiting for the "feel" players to come rolling in with their condescension and was not surprised it did not take long. If anything the surprise was it taking more than one post. Good for you being so superior to everyone else and making sure they know it, was it great being the cool kid bully in school too?

Feel is something that requires a ton of practice to develop and the person with little to no time to practice who shows up with just time to play is not going to perform well going by feel. Much better to have a mechanical process with numbers they can count on relatively often...I would say the Pelz 4 wedges/4 swing distances/4 distances hit routine is going to suit them much better than some mystical "feel" that requires a lot more time to perfect. And if a person is doing that, yes, shooting the flag makes a ton of sense.

If I know my 1/4 swing 60 degree is 25 yards, my 1/4 swing sw 30 yards, 1/4 swing 50 degree 35 and my 1/4 swing PW is 40 yards...yeah, shooting the flag matters, especially if I am a terrible judge of distances. Furthermore, if I am a terrible judge of distances, going by feel is about the worst thing a person can do.

Hilariously, this year for no apparent reason I switched from the Pelz method to a feel method and, once I stopped shooting the flag, I have found myself in more bunkers/hazards that I used to routinely clear than ever before. On average I am a bit further from the pin. I made the switch because I went back to practicing instead of playing at every opportunity and thought the feel method would work with practice. Unfortunately for me, I have conclusively demonstrated that estimating distances is not my strong suit. I have played with some feel players who were great at it, some feel players who sucked at it. I have played with shoot the flag/be precise people who were great and those who sucked at it. I have no skin in the game which way they go other than enjoying watching a playing partner have a good round.

Upshot is, I am not going to get upset at the person for whom feel works and I am not going to get upset at the person for whom shooting the flag works. But man, the attitudes and condescension of some of the people? Happy to not be part of your foursome. I would much rather enjoy a round with people who are good with the others in the group doing what works for them.

 

[Hamfist]

I was waiting for the "feel" players to come rolling in with their condescension and was not surprised it did not take long. If anything the surprise was it taking more than one post. Good for you being so superior to everyone else and making sure they know it, was it great being the cool kid bully in school too?

Feel is something that requires a ton of practice to develop and the person with little to no time to practice who shows up with just time to play is not going to perform well going by feel. Much better to have a mechanical process with numbers they can count on relatively often...I would say the Pelz 4 wedges/4 swing distances/4 distances hit routine is going to suit them much better than some mystical "feel" that requires a lot more time to perfect. And if a person is doing that, yes, shooting the flag makes a ton of sense.

If I know my 1/4 swing 60 degree is 25 yards, my 1/4 swing sw 30 yards, 1/4 swing 50 degree 35 and my 1/4 swing PW is 40 yards...yeah, shooting the flag matters, especially if I am a terrible judge of distances. Furthermore, if I am a terrible judge of distances, going by feel is about the worst thing a person can do.

Hilariously, this year for no apparent reason I switched from the Pelz method to a feel method and, once I stopped shooting the flag, I have found myself in more bunkers/hazards that I used to routinely clear than ever before. On average I am a bit further from the pin. I made the switch because I went back to practicing instead of playing at every opportunity and thought the feel method would work with practice. Unfortunately for me, I have conclusively demonstrated that estimating distances is not my strong suit. I have played with some feel players who were great at it, some feel players who sucked at it. I have played with shoot the flag/be precise people who were great and those who sucked at it. I have no skin in the game which way they go other than enjoying watching a playing partner have a good round.

Upshot is, I am not going to get upset at the person for whom feel works and I am not going to get upset at the person for whom shooting the flag works. But man, the attitudes and condescension of some of the people? Happy to not be part of your foursome. I would much rather enjoy a round with people who are good with the others in the group doing what works for them.

I rarely "feel" that skull coming.

 

[OGputtnfool]

but knowing your 35 yrds instead of say 27 means little when we consider the slope of the greens. The 27 yrdr may take a stronger pitch or chip than a 35 yrdr. if the shorter play is an uphil greens vs the longer being downhill.

This... is the main reason I walk off many of my short game shots and almost all of my lag putts. I usually walk off to the spot where I want a putt to break or a pitch to land. I'm not good enough to hit that spot every time, but I hit it (or very near) enough to make it worth it to me.

 

[OGputtnfool]

what did all you folks do before lasers? please dont tell me you paced it off.

I paced off to/from many, many sprinkler heads when I first started.