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Question about wedges and grass

asimon2211

asimon2211

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Whenever the ball gets in the rough (which isn't long by the way), I have trouble getting the ball to go the appropriate distance with my pitch shots. I think it's because the grass is interfering in the contact between the club face and the ball which doesn't allow the ball to get any spin and that's why it just seems to hit a wall and fall. Any tips on dealing with this?
 
Are you seeing more distance, less distance or just inconsistent distance?
And are you referring to all of your irons?
 
Always less distance from the rough with most clubs but its especially noticeable on the 60-70 yard pitches where the ball just dies
 
Generally, although not always the case, getting a steeper angle of attack will get more club on the ball and give a bit more consistency in spin. Not saying this will cure what you describe, but it usually helps.
 
It could help because with my wedges because I do try to use the bounce on shots from the rough but perhaps from the rough I should alter my AoA.
 
The rough could be slowing your club speed too.
 
I watched a video from the 2nd page of the swing tip thread here the other day that said you should use bounce on all your chip shots. Tried it out and quickly found that sometimes your club doesn't bottom out as planned and completely ruins the shot. My best advice would be to always use an aggressive swing when grass is involved. Also a heavier wedge head like forged or lead tape would be good. Also may not be applicable for you, but for me I have to remember to swing with both arms. And as mentioned descending blow is always good in grass (try putting all the weight on the front foot while pitching to get a descending blow).
 
asimon2211 said:
Always less distance from the rough with most clubs but its especially noticeable on the 60-70 yard pitches where the ball just dies
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Borss said:
The rough could be slowing your club speed too.
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I am going to go with this possibility, but also suggest that with your 60-70 yard pitches you are not using a full swing and therefore the club could be slowed even more than you realise which in turn exaggerates the loss of distance even more? I know I sometimes suffer when trying to hit a partial shot for an odd distance that I sometimes fail to accelerate through the ball and end up short
 
You sure you're not hitting the ball high on the face?
 
Hawk said:
You sure you're not hitting the ball high on the face?
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That probably is happening. It's a combination of multiple things that I'll try to think about and fix
 
Sometimes if the ball is propped up I have to take less loft as my 56 will slide right under the ball.
 
asimon2211 said:
That probably is happening. It's a combination of multiple things that I'll try to think about and fix
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Dead ball out of tall grass says high on the face to me. Try choking down a bit.
 
Hawk said:
Dead ball out of tall grass says high on the face to me. Try choking down a bit.
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This is a good idea, especially if it's happening a lot. Good tip Hawk.
 
In a similar vein, when i'm hitting my wedges out of the fairway, there's often times it seems like i cut the blade under the turf and hit the ball like 10 yards. Bc the blade angle is so close to horizontal i get nothing on the ball... any tips for this outside of just hitting it better, lol?
 
From what it sounds like to me is a combo of grass slowing the club down and grass between ball and club face. You want to try to make clean contact with the ball so a steeper AoA would be beneficial here. The only time I use the bounce of the club is when I am in the sand or the ball is propped up on some grass.
 
asimon2211 said:
Whenever the ball gets in the rough (which isn't long by the way), I have trouble getting the ball to go the appropriate distance with my pitch shots. I think it's because the grass is interfering in the contact between the club face and the ball which doesn't allow the ball to get any spin and that's why it just seems to hit a wall and fall. Any tips on dealing with this?
Click to expand...

Try to hit the ball before the ground or grass
 
Guys with high swing speeds can get flyers out of the rough when less spin is imparted due to less friction through the grass. Slow swing speeds may not generate enough spin to keep the ball in the air under the same conditions.
 
Ballsohard said:
In a similar vein, when i'm hitting my wedges out of the fairway, there's often times it seems like i cut the blade under the turf and hit the ball like 10 yards. Bc the blade angle is so close to horizontal i get nothing on the ball... any tips for this outside of just hitting it better, lol?
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One of the best tips for this, and general iron contact, is to try to lower the bottom of your swing - basically you don't want the bottom of your swing being where the ball is, but rather about 3-4 inches in front of the ball. Try to aim two inches in front of the ball and you'll see a huge difference. If you have the time and inclination, Bobby Clampett's book 'The Impact Zone' will give you a more detailed understanding, even if it's quite a tough read. I guarantee the idea's a good one though
 
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