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Walking up to see the pitch/chip

wadesworld

wadesworld

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Lately I've noticed that I pitch or chip better when I walk up onto the green and visualize where I want the ball to land and how it will flow to the cup. Essentially, I'm visualizing it as a putt after it lands. I do a much better job of getting it close.

I had a situation in my last round where I had to pitch over a bunker to a short-sided pin and I duffed the pitch. I'm pretty convinced that had I walked up onto the green and looked at where I wanted my ball to land rather than thinking "just get it over the bunker" (it was a blind shot) I would have had a better chance at executing the shot because I would have had a better and more specific target in my mind.

In theory, one should be able to accomplish the same thing while standing over the ball (except on a blind shot), but I still feel I execute better if I walk up onto the green and visualize it from there. I think perhaps it's a combination of visualizing the roll as a putt, feeling the slope with my feet, and picking a more specific spot than I can see from 30 feet away.

Does anyone else feel the same?

I'm sensitive about doing it because it can negatively affect pace of play. I do it while others are hitting, or if I'm going to be first, I hustle to my ball so I won't hold up the proceedings. But I find when I don't do it, I often don't hit as good a shot.

Thoughts?
 
I do this Wade. I personally think its a big help in letting the "mind's eye" make a connection to how far the pitch/chip needs to fly.
 
If the green is not in my line of sight, I take a quick look then hit.
 
I'll do it if blind, or I'm short sided and trying to figure out just how much room I have, but if I can see the green I see no advantage in it.
 
I don't, but that's because I'm trying to keep pace of play up and play quickly.
 
I think this is a good idea if your playing a competitive game. I do this a lot when I'm wanting to score better. If not, then I try to make a good educated decision as to not hold up my playing partners or groups behind me.
 
chipping around the green when you cant see your landing spot its pretty dumb not to look at it. ill take any advantage I can get. I like to stand by my landing spot and try to read the green as well. if im chipping its because I missed the green and im definitely try to either hole it or get it to 6 inches
 
Especially helpful for flags that appear close to the edge of a green, and then when you walk up to the green you see that there is at least 5 yards more landing room than you anticipated. It can make the difference between a flop shot and a normal pitch, which may not make a difference though if you are skilled at both.
 
Nothing wrong with doing this imo and actually is probably not done often enough. Having a better and closer look may change everything from the club selection to the speed you want etc... Nothing worse to me than achieving a very good touchy pitch or chip but having it miss by a lot only because we simply didn't bother to realize better what we were starring at. Its like a waste of a good hit imo.

It can be like taking a medium or long putt and didn't bother looking from the side and the other side and only after you are much too short or long or much too left or right do you then realize that the slope was much greater than what it looked like from only the one view.

I know but the pace thing is always on the mind which doesn't help. One of the negatives I guess about the forever pace complaining issue.
 
I will do it (when I know its delicate) with up to 20 yard pitch shots, but any further than that, and I feel like I'm just playing too slow for everyone.

~Rock
 
I try to do this and probably should do for more, especially when I am chipping up a hill or over a bunker. I think it helps to visualize the shot as well as give myself a target area, because while the end result is not always there - I am trying to get the ball as close to the hole as possible. :)

But I am always try to keep pace of play in mind, so I try either get to my ball before others, or do the walk as they are hitting.
 
If time allows for it, I will do it most of the time. It helps me channel my inner Phil.

If time is a little tight, I will usually go up there if I cannot clearly see the landing area/how much green I have to work with.
 
I also do this especially if the green is blind to me. It helps me to 'see' the shot.
 
I run a lot on the golf course. Usually around the green, and while carrying wedges. This is one of those situations where I would almost always jog up to the green and see what the green looks like and where I want to hit it to. I think it's helpful, and occasionally as I trotted back to my ball I reconsidered the shot I was planning to play from when I was standing behind the ball. A bunker that I thought was going to be too big to flop over turned out to be a lot smaller, for example, or discovering that I really needed a ball to check because the pin was much closer than it seemed.
 
I do it if it's not a long hike. When I am attempting a long chip I already know what it looks like anyway.

But when I am already around the green anyway, it just makes sense to go have a look.
 
Agent Jay said:
I think this is a good idea if your playing a competitive game. I do this a lot when I'm wanting to score better. If not, then I try to make a good educated decision as to not hold up my playing partners or groups behind me.
Click to expand...


I'm of this variety. I see no problem in it, especially in competitive rounds. If there's time then i'm gonna check it out, but if not and I'm not competing then I'll roll the dice.
 
I check out the green on almost all of my chips. It really helps, and it only takes 15-20 seconds. I don't think that will hold up play much.
 
I dont cause im lazy and usually dont want to slow things down
 
I look at all blind shots before I hit them. Hard to visualize the shot in my head if I can't see it clearly to start with. Go for it if it works for you.
 
I've always got to look at blind shots....and I'll even walk up a little and take a look at shots that are fairly straight forward. Gives me a little better view of where I want to land the ball and how much room I have to do it. From further back, those looks can be deceiving and really hurt you. I mean, how many times have you walked up after an 'eh' shot and been like "Oh, if I would have come up here and looked, that would have been so much better". Happens to all of us I think.
 
I find my depth perception has degenerated with age, so I like to check when I'm not slowing things up by doing so. I won't go check from 50y, but from 25, why not. Even a "center" pin can mean land it 3 feet on vs 20 feet on depending where it is exactly, and if I haven't played the course I don't know what it even looks like. I'm not saving any time by making an avoidable mistake and hitting again from the other side of the green.
 
I only do this when I'm faced with a tough shot or need to regain my focus. It is a great exercise to use. I'll even go so far as take a few practice swings to mimic back over the shot
 
I walk up and take a look almost anytime I have an approach shot within 40 yards. I don't always get all the way to the green, especially if I am familiar with the course. I find that this can be done while a playing partner is getting ready to hit their shot and it adds very little time. With close chips near the green I actively read the green like a putt and hope to make one every other round or so.
 
I will walk up to check conditions or to get a better feel for what my landing spot and especially if the green runs away from me or where I would land the ball. I do this especially if there is a sprinkler head nearby. If it leaks it may be wet and soft around it.

When I do walk up I really pay attention to what I feel in my feet. The slope, how hard the ground is and does that change as I get closer to the green.
 
If I'm waiting on others, I'll always walk up to look and choose where I want to land the ball. If the entire landing area up to the hole is hidden and I'm inside 40 yards or so I'll always go look. I'm normally a very fast player, but in that situation it's critically important, especially on an unfamiliar course. Otherwise, if I can get a good look within a dozen or so steps of my ball I'll go look, otherwise I'll guesstimate.
 
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