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30 Yards in Front of Green...whatcha Got?

I almost always use a 56 degree for this distance and usually have decent results (in comparison to the rest of my game that is). Occasionally I will use my 58 degree if I need to get a bit more loft, but that wedge is still new to me and I haven't had as much practice with it as I need.
 
Fat chips are so disheartening to me and happen far too often.
 
At my home course it's tightly mowed and smooth enough where I might use anything from my 4 wood to a gap wedge depending on how far I'm from the green surface.
 
For me it's a 54 and just make a nice smooth confident strike and go from there.

if wedges are your problem, I'd say take a 8 or 7 iron and just make the same stroke as if you were using your putter. should land just short of the green and roll out to the hole.
 
I have been working on using my 60 for this shot. If the lie is good that is what I go with. I have gotten confident that I can put that shot on the green. Now if the lie is not great I take a very cut down swing with my 50 and put it on the green.
 
58 degree with a little forward press to get some extra spin on it and short punchy swing. I usually get up and down over 50 percent of the time from this position.
 
Either 60 or 62, about half swing, using bounce and following through.
I have lots of respect for those chutting - I played with a guy a few weeks ago who put a 40 yd putt to 4".
 
I normally pull my 50° set GW and just play a nice sweeping shot, let the loft get it up and run out a bit when hitting the green. Ive used my 56° as well but normally i dont hit it hard enough and it comes up short.
 
A nice easy 52 wedge. Bump and run with the face a bit closed so the ball will run out or a nice easy partial 60 wedge. With the 60 I am thinking about rotating the club face going back and through so I don't chunk it.
 
cbaker2882 said:
30 yards with nothing in front me of but fairway and green? 54*, feel out the distance and pick a landing spot to hit and roll up to the pin.
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+1. If it is tricky, like a tiered green where I would need to land on a slope, or flag in front without enough room to land on the green: slightly open 58* from middle of the stance. This is a high shot that doesn't roll.
 
Im curious, how miss the green when attempting this shot. I saw tons of answer on what people would use. But is what you're doing, working?
 
Tadashi70 said:
Im curious, how miss the green when attempting this shot. I saw tons of answer on what people would use. But is what you're doing, working?
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I can think of a lot of recent holes from around this distance where I've missed the green. Mostly I end up hitting the ball low on the face and I end up past the green.

I've been practicing the 9i bump and run instead, to keep it on the ground and at least get some where on the green. It seems to be a lot safer of a shot to me so I am hoping to shave strokes from this spot moving forward.
 
60* wedge, hood the face, strengthen the grip, and then just deadhand it onto the green. Will produce a medium flight and should have enough spin to take the edge off and release.
 
As my father, and every pro I've learned from, taught me, get the ball on the ground rolling as quickly as possible. So, I'd hit a little chip and run with anything from a 7-9 iron. Play it like a putter. I just saw a video from Butch Harmon saying it, Jim McLean, and Dave Pelz. Loft is the enemy and brings in too many chances for a bad shot. Bump and run is the highest % shot.
 
Depends on the conditions .

Firm crappy muni turf I like to use the 58 and get the ball up in the air.

Soft conditions on a well maintained course I'll grab the 54 and play a lower shot with a little spin.


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Pkielwa said:
As my father, and every pro I've learned from, taught me, get the ball on the ground rolling as quickly as possible. So, I'd hit a little chip and run with anything from a 7-9 iron. Play it like a putter. I just saw a video from Butch Harmon saying it, Jim McLean, and Dave Pelz. Loft is the enemy and brings in too many chances for a bad shot. Bump and run is the highest % shot.
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This is my preferred method, been doing this for 35-40 years. My misses end up being a lot better than they were trying to loft a wedge up there.
 
Tadashi70 said:
Im curious, how miss the green when attempting this shot. I saw tons of answer on what people would use. But is what you're doing, working?
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I would say most assuredly yes, 100% of the time...heck no. Been at the lowest I've been tracking wise so a few things are coming together every now and then.
 
I'd go with a 8i chip and let it run.
 
i definitely struggle with this shot. it's not a difficult shot because you have a huge margin of error to actually get the ball on the green, but i put a lot of pressure on myself to get this to kick-in range, which i rarely do.

if i'm faced with the layout mikedean describes (nothing in front but fairway then green) and assuming no undulation or slope to worry about, i would hit a pitch with my 56. the bounce should hopefully help the contact, and there should be enough spin. i could play a bump, but you're guessing a lot about how it's going to react through the fringe. i could play a 60 spinner, but that requires a lot of precision. i'll take a couple little practice swings just to feel the length, weight, and bottom of the swing, then i'll set up to the ball and take a long look at the hole so that all i'm doing is thinking about snuggling it up there.
 
From a tight lie I use my 50 deg played slightly forward with an open stance to the target. If it is out of the rough or sitting on a fluffy lie it is my 60 deg played of the middle of my trail foot with the face delofted. I play an accelerated putting type stroke for each that usually results in low trajectory with moderate spin, ie. a hop and a skip shuts down the roll. If I don't have green to work with and am short sided it would be a 60deg laid wide open for a lob.
 
3 years ago I found myself unable to get the ball on the green inside 30 yards 90% of the time. I was reduced to flinching and twitching over any of those shots and often taking 4 or 5 shots to get up and down from just 20 feet off of the green. I hit thousands of chips and pitches trying to find a solution. It was late last year that I noticed my club was slightly toe up at address on my chips and pitches. So I simply stood taller, which raised my hands until the grooves were parallel with the ground and boom! My game inside 100 yards has improved dramatically. Toe up at setup is acceptable on full swings. But it is death on chips and pitches. I think that many people who struggle with fat chips and pitches are only hitting them fat due to the heel of the club catching the ground first because it's lower than the rest of the club. If you are struggling inside 30 yards. I would check that first.
 
BradMorris said:
3 years ago I found myself unable to get the ball on the green inside 30 yards 90% of the time. I was reduced to flinching and twitching over any of those shots and often taking 4 or 5 shots to get up and down from just 20 feet off of the green. I hit thousands of chips and pitches trying to find a solution. It was late last year that I noticed my club was slightly toe up at address on my chips and pitches. So I simply stood taller, which raised my hands until the grooves were parallel with the ground and boom! My game inside 100 yards has improved dramatically. Toe up at setup is acceptable on full swings. But it is death on chips and pitches. I think that many people who struggle with fat chips and pitches are only hitting them fat due to the heel of the club catching the ground first because it's lower than the rest of the club. If you are struggling inside 30 yards. I would check that first.
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you're onto something here. i too noticed this with my chips and pitches earlier this year, made a conscious effort to come in to impact heel up, and saw amazing improvement. i haven't been good about sticking with that image and practicing it, so thanks for the reminder!
 
Tadashi70 said:
Im curious, how miss the green when attempting this shot. I saw tons of answer on what people would use. But is what you're doing, working?
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Short answer: yes.

Long answer: I'd say it's rare for me to miss the green from there. I'm not happy with myself if that shot isn't really close TBH. Will I miss occasionally? Sure, I can still chunk that shot if I don't concentrate on it. But it's rare for me now a days.
 
cbaker2882 said:
Short answer: yes.

Long answer: I'd say it's rare for me to miss the green from there. I'm not happy with myself if that shot isn't really close TBH. Will I miss occasionally? Sure, I can still chunk that shot if I don't concentrate on it. But it's rare for me now a days.
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How often do you hit this shot close? What is close? And how often do you have this shot a round?
 
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30 Yards in Front of Green...whatcha Got?

Tadashi70 said:
How often do you hit this shot close? What is close? And how often do you have this **** a round?
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~30 yards? Not that often, maybe once every round or couple rounds. Usually if I miss the green it's right off so it's more of a chip that I will need. It usually comes from either hitting a tee shot fat on a par 3, or having to hit out of danger/trees and not being able to reach the green with the shot. Close to me though is within 5-10 feet. I'm trying to save par with this shot so I try to make sure I have the shortest putt possible. There aren't too many times I'm hitting this shot that fat, I'd say once out of every 10-15 attempts.
 
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