Bouncing balls onto greens.

[Daluteh]

My wedges do a good job holding greens - but coming from far out I have had a number of them roll over if I get one of those good drives + good hybrid / 6i.

For me that's a combination of my greens being fairly small and not super receptive and also knowing that my total yardage isn't my carry yardage. My best examples are par 3's that play 150+ I'm not hitting a scoring club onto those so a lot of times I go for total distance knowing that it'll be short and roll / bounce up.

 

[Hawk]

Correct somebody if I'm wrong, but isn't TM the opposite on ball naming? The TP is the spinny ball for them rather than the TP5x, right?

V1x, Chrome Tour X, Srixon XV and Diamond, Bridgestone XS. Those all may be worth looking at too.

 

[Hitsnmisses]

This is a typical method of play here ..
“ bump and run “ as opposed to
“ bomb and gouge “

Our turf / ground is inherently firm , so playing short and letting contours allow the ball to run … can be very effective .

Strategic play depending on where you play your games , rather than one size fits all approach make you a better golfer

 

[BigMac]

Just curious if this is a legit AM style?

It depends on your ball flight, and on the conditions of the greens you play.

I don't hit an overly high ball and our greens are very firm and don't hold shots (you don't even leave ball marks!). Bad combination. Landing it short and bouncing it on is your best choice on our greens because it's almost impossible to get a ball to hop and stop - even for guys who hit higher shots than I do. If you drop balls on the greens all day, you're going to be chipping or putting from off the back of the greens all day.

One day when I was very frustrated with having approach shots run off the back of greens all day, one of our course pros was out running around. I asked him "How the hell do I make a ball stick on these greens?". He replied "Joo hit it chort, and joo ron it up". I said "Yeah, I know that, but how do I get it to stick when I hit it on the green?". He rolled his eyes, stared at me, and said more slowly, "Joo hit it chort...and joo ron it up!".

 

[*Range Rat]

Down here in Texas, playing short of the green & bouncing/running the ball up is often the best play.

 

[CTRosarian]

I've practiced hitting wedges with backspin by pitching the ball from the high side of a tilted chipping green and getting it to stop on the green instead of rolling off the edge. But, you can have too much of a good thing by stopping the ball on the high side of tilted green and leaving yourself with a very difficult downhill putt.

If there is grass between the ball and the club face it is unlikely that you can get consistent spin on the ball.

 

[4hourrule]

Not sure of your Swing speed or how much spin you're getting but even with my half Swing (Back problems) with 8 Iron my Ball stops on its pitch mark. I play Srixon Z xv or my trusty TM project a. Now if I'm hitting 7 I don't have the speed right now for it to check, it'll run to about 10-20 feet.

 

[1860VS]

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.

50* CBX gap rolling out 10 yards with a TP5X? That can only be a couple of things. Slow swing speed, piss poor contact, or a combination thereof.

 

[WLG1952]

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?

I play on very firm greens most of the time, and I've never been able to put enough spin on the ball for a drop, and stop shot.

I either carry the ball to just before the green, let it release on to the green, or I hit a flop shot when closer to the green.

 

[Z1319]

that shot is in my arsenal depending on distance, lie etc...and I use it in every round at least once

 

[Daddio]

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.

The strategy can work OK on certain courses or at least on certain holes but I wanted to weigh in on your Mavrik head question. I did my last iron fitting during their release cycle; 12 models/7 different OEMs. I decided on the Mavriks while still at the studio (I'm old and they went faaaar) but asked my fitter to wait until morning before placing an order. Wanted time to download the report and really compare all the results. When I had the numbers in front of me and actually started to visualize the approaches I would face at the courses I played most I realized I'd struggle holding a lot of those greens with the Mavriks. Called my fitter later that afternoon and ultimately decided to go with the T300/T200 blended set (5i-GW) I'm still gaming. I did add a 4 iron in on that call, a Mavrik, same shaft as my Titleists. That 4 iron replaced an older driving iron and your word "howitzer" is the perfect description.

edit: getting older fast and no longer elevate that 4 iron enough, I've since had to replace it (and the T300 5 iron) with hybrids.

 

[Sean]

I live in the Boston area and we have many old courses, some dating back to the end of the 19th century. For the most part, you can play the ball on the ground. The newer courses though have more forced carries, so running the ball up to the green isn't an option on many holes.

 

[SunnyWalker]

My home course gets firm enough to play the ball short and let it run up and on at various times throughout the year. I prefer it that way. I can play one or two less clubs into most greens so all i have to do is get my landing spot reasonably correct. I could still try and land it on the green most times, but that may be a more difficult shot, depending on the hole.

I play Ping Gmax irons and titlesist prov1 balls. I hit it high enough to stop it too. The conditions(firm) dictate the shots I hit more so than my equipment.

 

[Trmpt98]

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.

Like others have said there are many factors that could be causing this. On our league course most of us take a club less into the green and do the same as you're suggestion. Only because the greens are hard and you can't hold them in the summer, only after a really good rain. Yet if you're playing a softer course you may need the suggestions from those more intune with swings and launched than me.

 

[Paddy1Putt]

The strategy can work OK on certain courses or at least on certain holes but I wanted to weigh in on your Mavrik head question. I did my last iron fitting during their release cycle; 12 models/7 different OEMs. I decided on the Mavriks while still at the studio (I'm old and they went faaaar) but asked my fitter to wait until morning before placing an order. Wanted time to download the report and really compare all the results. When I had the numbers in front of me and actually started to visualize the approaches I would face at the courses I played most I realized I'd struggle holding a lot of those greens with the Mavriks. Called my fitter later that afternoon and ultimately decided to go with the T300/T200 blended set (5i-GW) I'm still gaming. I did add a 4 iron in on that call, a Mavrik, same shaft as my Titleists. That 4 iron replaced an older driving iron and your word "howitzer" is the perfect description.

edit: getting older fast and no longer elevate that 4 iron enough, I've since had to replace it (and the T300 5 iron) with hybrids.

Thanks for the reply. These Mavriks come in HAWT, man. t's wild how far they tumble after impact. There is a par 3 I play ~150 to the center 140 to cover and 165 to the back. With tee I hit my 8 iron (and it goes pretty damn high) and it'll roll off the back of the green sometimes. If it rains it'll hold better, but I am beginning to think the Hot GI's are meant strictly for blasting it out into the air and nothing much more. Even with spin balls or player balls it helps but not at a lot.

Just for a science experiment I am going to look for a single iron and bring it to my fitter to get the same shaft, length, SW, etc... Probably an 8 or 9, something that is supposed to hold greens and see if that works.

 

[JB]

Thanks for the reply. These Mavriks come in HAWT, man. t's wild how far they tumble after impact. There is a par 3 I play ~150 to the center 140 to cover and 165 to the back. With tee I hit my 8 iron (and it goes pretty damn high) and it'll roll off the back of the green sometimes. If it rains it'll hold better, but I am beginning to think the Hot GI's are meant strictly for blasting it out into the air and nothing much more. Even with spin balls or player balls it helps but not at a lot.

These are irons I played for nearly two full seasons and didnt have this issue.
Do you buy chance know your peak height from the fitting?

 

[Paddy1Putt]

These are irons I played for nearly two full seasons and didnt have this issue.
Do you buy chance know your peak height from the fitting?

I meant to get back to you sorry about that. I only have my 7 iron apex, but I have to call up. It's the only iron I had measured while getting fit. Not sure if that will tell you everything you need but I can get that info, it's saved on my profile.

 

[CTRosarian]

If your shot is a draw you will get less spin and the ball will roll more.
If your shot is a fade you will get more spin and the ball will sit.
I get the same carry distance whether hit a draw or fade.
As my consistency is the same either way, hitting a draw with my woods will maximize distance, carry + roll.
Hitting a fade with my irons and wedges will maximize holding the green.
It is hard for most people to hit both, so it is often better to pick just one.

As a stroke survivor that learned to walk again, I know a lot more about how I move my large muscles than most.

 

[InTheRough]

I've run into this. My current set is the Cobra F9s. I don't have an issue with the 7i because it's 29.5 degrees. The newer GI irons are between 26 deg and 27 deg for the 7i. That's my 6i. The 8i in these sets are about like the 7i in my old set. I can't hold a green with the 6i. However, I can with a 26 hybrid because I get a higher launch and better descent angle. My hybrids are Ping. My 26 hybrid carry distance is about 160 - 170. I no longer carry a 6i because I don't need it. If you need to hold greens from 160 you might want to look at a Ping G430 5H - they don't have as upright a lie as some other mfgrs. and the club is workable. You can always choke down on the club for shorter shots. Also it's a great club for chipping from tight lies. But then, I'm a hybrid player. I use it for as many different shots as I do a wedge.