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Chipping.....Do you use your highest loft?

I work best with my 54 for everything inside 60 yds. I hit short pitch shots around the green. I am not comfortable with chip shots. If the ball is where I can putt, I'll use my putter.
 
pattyboy21 said:
We have small, very firm greens. They are surrounded by Bermuda grass and the ball tends to sink right down into it. If we play them down in our Rack (which is rare), I'll have to play a shot almost like a bunker explosion with my most lofted wedge (58-degree). Mostly though, we improve our lies through the green. The problem there is that it's difficult to play a good shot when you perch the ball up in Bermuda. Most of the time, I wind up catching the ball at the top of my 58-degree and the ball doesn't come out well. If I play a lower-lofted club, the ball will hit the green and run like crazy.

It's a real challenge to make pars on our greens when we miss them, especially if we short-side ourselves. I hate Bermuda...
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BTW, love your post. I'm in Houston (play at Hearthstone out 290). With all the rain and sun last month our bermuda is starting to really get out of control!

Monday I was practicing a deep rough chip shot and really struggling. Tried to play it a few different ways and never landed on a method that was consistent. I happened to read your post and the idea of treating it like a bunker shot kinda resonated to me! Open the loft and thump the ground just behind the ball with some good speed. The open face gives you room to put more speed as it will just increase height. So yesterday I went back up to the club to find the thickest nastiest rough to try it out, and it worked like a GEM!

There is so much more to learn about how to play this game beyond just a good swing! Thanks for the post!
 
Et Tu Brute? said:
So for the people says 54/56/58 always, is that the club you use when you're 2-3 feet into the fringe and 15-20 feet from the hole? Or just putt that or something?
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It depends on the grass, grain, etc. I can hit a variety of shots with all those so they work well there, especially the little toe down checker :love:
 
I do most of my chipping with my 58* wedge.
 
I've got a 60* in my bag that I don't even practice with, much less use on the course. All of my chips/pitches are 52* or 56* wedges
 
It all depends for me whether I want a lot of roll or not. Anything around the green depends on how flat the green is and whether I am on level with the green from where I am hitting from. I like to use my 60 for flops and stops as I call it but it’s useless for any amount of roll so I play my pitching wedge usually at that point.
 
50* or a 54* always. 60* I only really use for super high flop/stop quick shots.
 
It depends on the shot. If there is green for the ball to roll before the hole generally you want to get the ball on the ground and rolling. Think if you had to throw a ball to the hole you wouldn’t lob it up in the air and try to get it to land you would throw it underhand and get it to roll out.

There are two different ways to do that. You can use a straighter faced club and chip it without manipulating the clubface. That is what I do. The other way is to play a more lofted club and find a way to shut the clubface down to get it to roll out.

I find the first option to be much easier I only need to know one stroke and I change clubs based on how far the ball needs to roll out once it lands. With the other option you need a bunch of different strokes.

Chipping is different than pitching when you have to cover more green and there is less room for the ball to roll out.
 
Bosco... said:
Maybe I’m old, but it used to be “get the ball running on the green as soon as possible”

So a “50/50” shot would be half of the distance to the pin is green, half is fairway(or rough, or whatever). You figure the %, then decide which club fits.

A “30/70” would be a lower lofted club as opposed to a “70/30” which would be a higher lofted club.

Something like that. I don’t really “measure” in my head anymore, just get a feel of what I want to happen and go.
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Exactly! After all we are talking about "chip" shots, not "pitch" shots.
 
I love my 60 degree wedge, use it on almost every shot 85 yards and in.
 
I’ve got a few rounds in Arccos so far, but my first three 9 hole rounds show short game strokes gained as 0.0, -0.6, -0.1. Those were all using lob wedge only for short game shots. My only 18 hole round in Arccos using the lob wedge exclusively was at a new course and it was -2.7.

I played 18 yesterday exclusively using my 54*/SW and the strokes gained stat shows -0.9. It was worse from 25 and in, but better from 25-50 yards. I need more rounds and a chance to dial in the 54* around the green, but I think it has proven already that I at least need to consider it for every 25 to 75 yard shot. My proximity from the hole 25 and in was almost double the distance average for my 60*, but always because the shots were way too long. I’m hoping that’s something I can dial in with some practice.
 
Ok soooo heres a fun one... prior to my weekend I scoffed at 9 iron/ 7 iron shots around the green... thought I was invincible with the MONEY club 60*... I was accurate and got it close... Started messing around during a round using everything but that.... turned out the bump and runs were good/great in most instances from awkward fringe lies to apron shots. Seems like i added a new weapon to the arsenal... useful especially considering I had an impossible time spelling GIR that round haha
 
Gman79 said:
Ok soooo heres a fun one... prior to my weekend I scoffed at 9 iron/ 7 iron shots around the green... thought I was invincible with the MONEY club 60*... I was accurate and got it close... Started messing around during a round using everything but that.... turned out the bump and runs were good/great in most instances from awkward fringe lies to apron shots. Seems like i added a new weapon to the arsenal... useful especially considering I had an impossible time spelling GIR that round haha
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When I use the 8i form the apron/close fringe....I armlock it. ;)
 
Gman79 said:
Ok not sure how that works!?
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I choke down on the 8i. have a some forward press to it and use a putting stroke with an open stance. The shaft naturally is locked to my lead arm. In fact I was doing that long before i learned what "armlocking" was.
 
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