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Bouncing balls onto greens.

Paddy1Putt

Paddy1Putt

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I'm tired of trying to hold greens from 160+ out. It seems currently my best course of action is to bounce them before the green and let them release up.

Is this a legit strategy? My last round I decided to go with it and some of my best approaches were just that, hit 5 - 10 yards before the green and let them release up. I am playing a GI iron, so maybe the lack of spin is killing me or just altering my ball. I am using a TP5x to get some more spin. The 8 iron is about 50/50 I get it up in the air and it'll hold but releases out 5 yards or so. The 7 iron if it hits a green it's off the back. It's not a high ball flight but it's not insanely low either. I'm not referring to complete thins or mishits either, it's the behavior even on good solid shots.

Is this the give and take using GI clubs?

Just curious if this is a legit AM style?
 
This will depend on where you play. This would not work where I live. Almost every green is elevated and some very severe. On some courses it will work really well.

As far as GI clubs go.. do you launch the ball high to get a higher peak flight? Something like a Paradym Smoke HL iron set could make a big difference for you with a proper fitting.
 
Paddy1Putt said:
I'm tired of trying to hold greens from 160+ out. It seems currently my best course of action is to bounce them before the green and let them release up.

Is this a legit strategy? My last round I decided to go with it and some of my best approaches were just that, hit 5 - 10 yards before the green and let them release up. I am playing a GI iron, so maybe the lack of spin is killing me or just altering my ball. I am using a TP5x to get some more spin. The 8 iron is about 50/50 I get it up in the air and it'll hold but releases out 5 yards or so. The 7 iron if it hits a green it's off the back. It's not a high ball flight but it's not insanely low either. I'm not referring to complete thins or mishits either, it's the behavior even on good solid shots.

Is this the give and take using GI clubs?

Just curious if this is a legit AM style?
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My first suggestion....would be to play the TP5 not TP5x ball. as it's the higher lauch/higher spin of the two. Talyormade is the outlier in the "x" naming convention.


I play in very had AZ conditions. so yes I just the run up when I can. In the peak of summer, greens get so hard that my low spin nature is impossible for me to hold a green....if I actually hit it.
 
If your ball flight is really that low that you can't regularly hold greens it sounds like a swing issue. Plenty of people hitting the ball high and stopping it quick with modern irons. However, everybody has their own unique fitting issues that can be mitigated with equipment. Maybe one of the HL sets.

Or take your irons and see they could be improved by a fitter with some adjustments.
 
mtbloco said:
My first suggestion....would be to play the TP5 not TP5x ball. as it's the higher lauch/higher spin of the two. Talyormade is the outlier in the "x" naming convention.


I play in very had AZ conditions. so yes I just the run up when I can. In the peak of summer, greens get so hard that my low spin nature is impossible for me to hold a green....if I actually hit it.
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That's funny I didn't even realize that, I thought the x was more spin. Doh.

Heck even my GW which is an Cleveland CBX 50 degree can roll out 10 yards at times. I play in Florida so the greens can be pretty hard. Even with a high launch. It's weird.
 
The original idea was running balls up the green, so yeah nothing wrong with it. Provided you take the correct line to the green.

Should you figure out hot to hold a green, yes. High & "dead" or low & spinny are different ways of doing the same thing. But a full swing 8I is certainly capable of spinning enough to stop. It's more of a swing issue than equipment.
 
Hawk said:
If your ball flight is really that low that you can't regularly hold greens it sounds like a swing issue. Plenty of people hitting the ball high and stopping it quick with modern irons. However, everybody has their own unique fitting issues that can be mitigated with equipment. Maybe one of the HL sets.

Or take your irons and see they could be improved by a fitter with some adjustments.
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This man is smart.
 
When the bunkers are washed out I've bounced thinned shots against the wall of the bunker and had them bounce out!

I was fitted for irons to hit and hold greens with descent angle when I swing a high fade. 6, 7, 8, 9, and AW.
Works even better with expensive Urethane balls.

I put an Mavrik Max 4I back in the bag to roll the ball up inviting greens.
If the course designer allows doing that, why not take the easy approach?
 
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Hawk said:
If your ball flight is really that low that you can't regularly hold greens it sounds like a swing issue. Plenty of people hitting the ball high and stopping it quick with modern irons. However, everybody has their own unique fitting issues that can be mitigated with equipment. Maybe one of the HL sets.

Or take your irons and see they could be improved by a fitter with some adjustments.
Click to expand...

I did recently take them to a fitter, they added length and put different shafts to get more launch. The ball is going higher that's for sure, but doesn't seem to hold. When I hit the ball it's like a howitzer but comes in too hot. Even with my wedges completely different brand it's hit or miss if they hold. Sometimes they hold after 5 yards of release others they go to the back.

These aren't complete mishits either. I chalk those up as not being very good, it's the solid strikes that have me puzzled.

Maybe Mavrik heads are too hot or something... They are super hard and hollow. My buddy I played with last Sat was hitting the 790's and the ball reaction on the greens was much different when he hit into them. I'm not looking to solve world hunger, just trying to figure out if it's an equipment deal or just the limitation of my game. Probably the latter.
 
If the course design and green complex lets you get away with playing the hole successfully that way, go for it. There is no room on a scorecard for narrative, only numbers.

I have to try to play that way right now as all our greens were replaced last year, and since reopening, in October, they are extremely firm such that hitting anywhere but on the immediate front of the green results in the ball going long. Landing short only works some of the time for us as the greens are still being heavily watered in the mornings when we play, so many of the short shots stay short.
 
I get maximum distance by hitting a draw that rolls out. The fade sits.
 
If you play links golf, this is pretty much the only strategy, so yeah, if the design of the course allows it, it’s legit.
 
My home course had hard greens, rain or shine, hot or cold. Spin, descent angle, whatever, mattered not. Plus several were on the smaller side. 10 yards short and let it release up, even up hill.
 
A lot of times it has to do with the course almost as much if not more than your shot arc and/or spin. i think of 2 courses relatively close to each other...Aspen Lakes is in Sisters, OR and even a modestly arch shot can and will hold the green. By contrast Pronghorn Nicklaus in Bend, no matter how high your arc and how much spin, if you land it on the green that ball is going off the back.

They are maybe 15 miles apart. All about the greens more than anything. we learned quick and early...NEVER land on the green at Pronghorn.

You being in Florida, I anticipate the greens likely are more like Pronghorn and landing short to roll up will likely be the better play but like so much else in golf the answer is...it depends...
 
It's hard to answer. So much depends on size of greens and how far we're really talking about. You say 160+ . If you can't hold a green from 165 and you have a average swing speed, as others have said you probably have a swing issue where you are hitting it too low with too low spin. Because with a GI set that is still probably no more than a 6 iron. So that is rare. And i would look into why

From 180-190+ , some greens are designed to be run up on. From 200+ , many greens are set up back to front to be more receptive to balls. There's at least 2 holes on my course (long par 4's) where they are designed for landing short.

But in general, this is not usually how you want to play
 
It all depends on the shot needed & the course conditions. Very few courses in my area am I able to run the ball up, they are just too soggy & wet. Luckily I don't have that problem, as I can hold a green with a 3 - 4 iron :eek: I hit a high ball with no issues
 
Only run it up if that’s the only choice, cause it’s really unpredictable. I never have control when I do it, and I have zero clue where it’s gonna end up. It’s definitely for me a last resort kind of shot
 
There are two other options. I'd intentionally lay up on short Par 3s to learn course management. You could lay up to allow wedges onto the greens.

Move up a tee box! Start closer to the hole so you can use your 8 iron and shorter clubs to hit approach shots.
 
Our greens are mostly very soft in front of them. A bump short may not get onto the green let alone close.
 
Hawk said:
If your ball flight is really that low that you can't regularly hold greens it sounds like a swing issue. Plenty of people hitting the ball high and stopping it quick with modern irons. However, everybody has their own unique fitting issues that can be mitigated with equipment. Maybe one of the HL sets.

Or take your irons and see they could be improved by a fitter with some adjustments.
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This.
No ball change on full swings with an iron is going to impact what is happening. It appears the ball flight is really really low.
 
If greens are very firm, it is not a bad strategy, but from 160 out, that seems a bit far. Given no trouble between me and the pin, I will play a bump and run from 100 yards and in if there is just short grass between myself and the target. Bunkers, mounds, and elevated greens can make this a bad idea.
 
Do what works for you. Run it up there and have a killer short game to pair it up with.
 
As my ability to hit the ball high and far fades away I have found myself relying on the single bounce slightly in front of the green and rolling out on the surface itself.

For the most part I can get around a course this way, but I'm not going to have a lot of birdie opportunities, and can find myself with some ugly putts depending on the contour of the green.

As an example I was quite concerned about Ballyhack last spring as a fair number of the greens there aren't receptive to shots landing short and bouncing on, but thinking back that wasn't a factor in how I scored. There are definitely courses where it would be an issue (I'm looking at you Mr. Nicklaus) but I like to think for the most part it's manageable.

Is this the correct way to play? No. But can it work? Yes.
 
Paddy1Putt said:
I did recently take them to a fitter, they added length and put different shafts to get more launch. The ball is going higher that's for sure, but doesn't seem to hold. When I hit the ball it's like a howitzer but comes in too hot. Even with my wedges completely different brand it's hit or miss if they hold. Sometimes they hold after 5 yards of release others they go to the back.

These aren't complete mishits either. I chalk those up as not being very good, it's the solid strikes that have me puzzled.

Maybe Mavrik heads are too hot or something... They are super hard and hollow. My buddy I played with last Sat was hitting the 790's and the ball reaction on the greens was much different when he hit into them. I'm not looking to solve world hunger, just trying to figure out if it's an equipment deal or just the limitation of my game. Probably the latter.
Click to expand...
Shafts aren't necessarily the answer. Not to say you won't see differences with certain shafts, but they aren't going to add a bunch of stopping power that wasn't at least almost there. You say you see the same thing with your wedges, which is a good indication that it's a swing thing. Again, very likely this isn't something that you're going to solve completely via equipment. You may mitigate it to some extent.

I wouldn't compare yourself in any way to your playing partners.

Instead of having the fitter look at shafts, maybe look instead at how you can optimize your height and descent angle. There's a really good Club Champion video where they dial in Paige Spiranic. Some of that was bending lofts, lie angles, etc.
 
Hawk said:
Shafts aren't necessarily the answer. Not to say you won't see differences with certain shafts, but they aren't going to add a bunch of stopping power that wasn't at least almost there. You say you see the same thing with your wedges, which is a good indication that it's a swing thing. Again, very likely this isn't something that you're going to solve completely via equipment. You may mitigate it to some extent.

I wouldn't compare yourself in any way to your playing partners.

Instead of having the fitter look at shafts, maybe look instead at how you can optimize your height and descent angle. There's a really good Club Champion video where they dial in Paige Spiranic. Some of that was bending lofts, lie angles, etc.
Click to expand...
In this instance you are dead on. The shaft isnt fixing it either. If wedges are not holding either, the descent angle is very low.
If he went to a fitting, that data should be available and he can request it and see what the peak and descent are which will give you your answers.
 
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