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

mikedean441

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A shot I continue to have (that I hate) thanks to crappy iron play is a 25-30 yard shot from the fairway to the pin. Most times there is nothing in front of me but the rest of the fairway and then the green. Below are some of the routes I have taken recently.

1. 60* partial swing, shank from the tight lie
2. 60* partial swing, huge decel chunk city
3. 53* attempt a partial swing, but end up "jabbing" at the ball and it is thinned across the green
4. Eff it, Im using my putter.


My short game time (and range time in general) has been non existent this year which is partly to blame. Ive been fortunate to golf with many a thper this year and I see this shot handled lots of different ways, so Im curious to know whats your SHOT here?
 
Depending on how far onto the green the pin is, I normally like to take my 50* wedge and play a little skipper off my back foot that bounces once or twice on the fairway and then rolls onto the green. I have similar results to yours when I try to play it through the air.
 
I've started using my PW more for this shot, and running it up onto the green if there's nothing there and I'm going over fairway. If there's junk in the way, or a big piece of rough, I'll go to the 56.
 
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.
 
I've decided the 60* is too tricky for those shots, especially if it's uphill. I've started to use the 54* for those shots. Now if it's going to run away from me, I'll use the 58* and try to land it just on the green.
 
Depending on how much green there is to work with, I'd just play a pitch shot with one of my wedges. I just open up my stance a little bit, play the ball towards the middle/back of my stance, keep my weight towards my front foot, and then take a nice easy swing (length of swing depends on club).
 
Freddie posted a video of Wardy from a Morgan Cup and ive been trying to duplicate that and its helped me out. Open the stance, open the face of the wedge, take a half swing and hit through the ball. Its been a nice change of approach for me
 
A shot I continue to have (that I hate) thanks to crappy iron play is a 25-30 yard shot from the fairway to the pin. Most times there is nothing in front of me but the rest of the fairway and then the green. Below are some of the routes I have taken recently.

1. 60* partial swing, shank from the tight lie
2. 60* partial swing, huge decel chunk city
3. 53* attempt a partial swing, but end up "jabbing" at the ball and it is thinned across the green
4. Eff it, Im using my putter.


My short game time (and range time in general) has been non existent this year which is partly to blame. Ive been fortunate to golf with many a thper this year and I see this shot handled lots of different ways, so Im curious to know whats your SHOT here?

I find this shot to be all feel for me. If the green is below the ball, just bump it with a 9i with a chip or putting motion and run it down there if it is firm enough. Usually though, It's the 58* choked down with a half-ish swing; this way I don't worry about swinging too much and avoid the decel. I've seen the hybrid/3 wood putt work from that distance for some pretty well too.
 
If there is green to work with, then I will choke down on my 54 and hit a low spinner

If the pin is in the front or there is a bunker/rough to go over I will hit the 60. If the lie is tight I will try to clip it with some spin. If it is a normal lie, then I will open the face throw one up there nice and soft.
 
I wish the low spinner was in my arsenal, Ive seen some great shots with it this year alone
 
Depending on the setup of the green I go with one of the following

50 - open just a touch to activate the bounce, and hit a lower shot that I want to hit and run on.
54 - same setup as above, but hit it higher.
58 - Only if I need to go over a bunker
 
Yeah, this has always been a bugger for me too. I don't carry the 60 degree for the reasons you state above, and any wedge swing where I have to take something off usually ends up ugly. If there is nothing in front of me, my shot of choice will be low, skip and run shot with, say, an 8 iron. I've had much better success with that, at least, getting it on the green. (Purely a confidence thing for me, I think.
 
56 low/mid flight (depending on where the pin is) and get it rolling as quick as possible once to the green, never a full swing high ball. I guess if there is nothing in front of the green I've also put the ball in back of the stance and did a hooded pull putt stroke with the wedge to get it rolling before the green. So many options.
 
Mike, is it the bounce of your wedges that are causing you the issues? Try a chutt stroke with a 9 or 8 iron and roll it vs fly it?
 
I'm going to look at the shot and say "What's the lowest lofted club with which I can play this shot?" and choose that. For something of that distance, it's rare that I'd be choosing something less-lofted than a PW. Often the PW will be the choice.

Then when I'm smart, I focus on where my club is bottoming out, and make sure I'm setup to hit ball first. I put all my focus on my desired landing spot and let it fly.

When I'm stupid, I pay no attention to my setup, focus on the ball instead of the target and chunk it.
 
Depending on the setup of the green I go with one of the following

50 - open just a touch to activate the bounce, and hit a lower shot that I want to hit and run on.
54 - same setup as above, but hit it higher.
58 - Only if I need to go over a bunker

Im similar to this, except with nothing in front of me, I use the 50 or 54 (depending on elevation) and actually close it down some rather than open it.
 
Mike, is it the bounce of your wedges that are causing you the issues? Try a chutt stroke with a 9 or 8 iron and roll it vs fly it?

nah its probably lack of talent
 
For me it depends on the greens and how receptive or not receptive they are. If I can do a hop and stop shot without it rolling 15ft by I am going to use my 60 hit a partial and try that. If they are rolling and I can't stop it at all, I'm using my Gap or Pitching wedge to get it up and let it roll.
 
Im similar to this, except with nothing in front of me, I use the 50 or 54 (depending on elevation) and actually close it down some rather than open it.

I've been having a problem with using that setup and digging that leading edge in to the ground.
 
If there is green to work with, I'll hit a low punch shot with the 60º, usually get the old one big bounce and stop dead. If there isn't room for the big bounce, I'll use the 60º still and hit a soft, high shot that shouldn't move forward at all.
 
MD, I think the easiest shot here IMO especially if all there is, is fairway in front of you...is to take like a 8/9 iron or something like that and just kind of chip it at the green and let it run. It should take hitting it fat way out of the equation and you also shouldn't thin it as much. Or you could actually just chop at it a little and it should check and roll.

That's the funny thing about short game though, the shot your describing has so many different ways to play it. just gotta find that one that's comfortable and gives you the confidence to pull it off.
 
Stockton's Unconscious Scoring does a great job of simplifying this shot. There is a low shot and high shot - each has it's own technique - and you simply commit to the shot prior to even pulling a club from the bag (80% of the time it will be the low shot). I think simplifying and committing to a shot is key on these partial shots. Would definitely recommend giving the book a read. It really changed my game for the better as previously I would try to improvise every time I was face with this shot rather than making it a "standard shot". Now it is no different than a full shot for me.
 
I play a 60 degree with 7 degrees of bounce and find it very effective on these types of shots. Especially with a bunch of junk or elevated greens (like almost all of our greens at our course).
 
Stockton's Unconscious Scoring does a great job of simplifying this shot. There is a low shot and high shot - each has it's own technique - and you simply commit to the shot prior to even pulling a club from the bag (80% of the time it will be the low shot). I think simplifying and committing to a shot is key on these partial shots. Would definitely recommend giving the book a read. It really changed my game for the better as previously I would try to improvise every time I was face with this shot rather than making it a "standard shot". Now it is no different than a full shot for me.

yeah I tend to not get cute and typicaly dont get the ball up in the air much so its always been the low shot. I just find it tough for me on tight fairways....rough has seen much better results.
 
1. 60* partial swing, but a shaft forward/weight forward type swing for a chip.

Works 90% of the time for me. Usually if I chunk it it is because I took my eye off the ball way too early
 
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