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100 yards and in...How do you practice and play it?

Jman

Jman

Here for the Conversation
Albatross 2024 Club
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SOFTCAPPED
So, JB's post pretty much lit a fire under my ass.

As I discussed in #TheGrandaddy thread earlier today when I answered the questions I posed to #TeamRedemption, one of my real weaknesses is 100 and in, particularly that 50-75 yard range.

What I ask you THP, is how do you practice those shots? What's your go to shot/club there? Why?

And I absolutely KNOW that someone will want to say "My shot is to avoid those numbers" or whatever, and while I get and respect that, that isn't what I'd like this topic to be if possible!
 
Depends. I can play a full 58* if I need it to come in high and soft or i will notch about 20% off a 54* if I have room to wiggle for the 100 yarder. Otherwise I make the 58* work on all the other shots minus a bump and run which I would get the AW out for.
 
Depends on the course conditions, but from 75-50 yards I try the following. If it's dry, I choke down on my PW or GW, half to three quarter backswing, deloft and try to get it to roll up onto the green. If conditions are wetter, I try to do similar, but try for a bit more hang time. It's not sexy, and doesn't work very well when I'm lifting up on my downswing ... but if it's clicking, I can achieve good results with it.
 
I practice with the flags on the range. There are usually two to three within 125 yds on any given day. This helps me maintain my distance control.

FOR ME my yardage breaks down like this:

110-90= AW(50*) the only wedge I full swing

90-60=52*

60-in it's my 54*

I don't full swing my wedges. I get in all sorts of trouble when I do that. I know my 3/4 or half swing and what it produces with each wedge & I don't ever veer from that.

Around the greens I'll use anything from an 9i to my 54*. I leave my 58* for green side bunkers or the occasional short sided chip.
 
i open the stance a little, open the face of my 56*, shorten the back swing and make sure i make an aggressive move through the ball. that usually keeps me on target and generates enough spin to stop the ball when needed. and fwiw, the MD3 56* S and W grinds are both fantastic for this shot. I dont necessarily have a technique thats different for different yardages, i usually just go by feel
 
I can take a full swing with my 60° from 100y but it isn't my favorite. It opens up a lot of room for trouble. A bladed 60° wedge goes really far!

My preferred shot from 90-110 is my 56° slightly closed. I use body points to control distance. For example, I'll take my backswing to shoulder height and follow through to shoulder height. That gets me the 110y shot. Hip to hip is roughly 85-90y.

I go to the range and hit an entire bucket with just one wedge. Pick a flag or spot that is at your target distance and start learning your own landmarks on your body.
 
100 yds is usually my aw and inside 100 will vary between pw, aw and SW, depending on the yardage.

To practice I will hit balls on the range to a target flag that's about 90-100 yds from the hitting area or to the 100 yd sign. I will hit the different clubs to that point. There are two flags that are 57 and 50 yds away, give or take a few yds and I will hit aw and SW shots to those flags using different swing lengths and ball position
 
It all depends on what it looks like. When I am able to I would rather run them up. Flying all the way to the pin/green doesn't work so well for me, so I tend to stay away from that unless there is a bunker or water or some other obstacle that makes me not run it up.
 
Smallville said:
It all depends on what it looks like. When I am able to I would rather run them up. Flying all the way to the pin/green doesn't work so well for me, so I tend to stay away from that unless there is a bunker or water or some other obstacle that makes me not run it up.
Click to expand...

I am the absolute opposite. I don't like to run them up. I'm not comfortable for some reason and will scull one more often than not versus using the wedge to get the ball in the air and have it check up.
 
Find a chipping green, get 50-75 yds from it, and bang away until you're sticking them on the green. Once you can do that, try it from different lies. Try to flight the ball differently. Try to stick it with different clubs.

The only way to get good at those manufactured less-than-full-swing shots is to just put in the time to practice them.
 
I hit a ton of balls at the range at the 50 yard and 100 yard greens. Often they are at in-between yardages based on where the hitting areas are that day.

-Trying to hit the same distance with 3 different clubs, but with different shots. High, medium and low.
-Trying to hit the same club 3 different distances (far, short, just right)

From the range, I then go to the pitching/chipping greens and shoot to each pin with different shot types as well. Some days a certain type of shot will be working great, others not so much, but I try and do the different shots no matter what. Eventually the difficult shot gets easier.
 
All shots are choked down. I anticipate these pitch shots to fly most of the way there and roll out about 10 yards. These shots are for shots where there is no trouble in front in case it fly to expected spot
120 Yards - 7i w/ 50% back swing
110 Yards - 8i w/ 60% back swing
100 Yards - 8i w/ 50% back swing
90 Yards - 8i w/ 40% back swing
80 Yards - 9i w/ 50% back swing
70 Yards - PW w/ 50% back swing
60 Yards - PW w/ 40% back swing
50 Yards - 50* with 50% back swing

These shots are all based on feel. Most of the time even if I'm longer or shorter by a bit, it won't make too much difference since there's no trouble in front.

When there is trouble in front...

110-120 Yards - 50* w/ full swing
100-110 Yards - 54* w/ full swing
80-85 Yards - 60* w/ full swing
 
My shot is to avoid those numbers. :alien:

More seriously, this past weekend I was playing everything inside 130 or so with the set gap wedge. I was fortunate in that I found myself short sided on only a couple of occasions. For those I would have liked to have had my 58/10.

If the air isn't moving around a whole lot I'll play full swing 54* for 90-105, full swing 58* for 80-90. Anything shorter than that depends on lie and pin location. If there's a stiff breeze going I like using my set gap wedge to hit a knockdown and just adjust swing length to vary distance.

I get plenty of height on full wedge swings and a good wind can make the proper target line a crap shoot. I also occasionally blade the 54*/58* from a tight lie. In those cases I find the SGW knockdown is a good fallback.

Practice? I work full wedges and knockdowns the range, which off mats isn't always ideal. However, I'm fortunate enough to have a yard with enough length to work those shots with real balls. I have a few target trees in those ranges and can go flat, upslope, or downslope (not very steep, maybe 10-12 feet of drop over 75 yards).
 
50 yards - either half 54* or 3/4 58*, not a yardage I like to get to.

75 - full swing 58*, a yardage I love because I love full swinging my PM grind

100 - full swing gap wedge (50*)

Really, anything 75 yards and out I have a full swing option, so not a big issue for me. I used to hate anything under 120 but got more comfortable full swinging my wedges and that has made all the difference.
 
I try not to think about half's and 3/4's. Those shots are all about feel, and what the pin is like in relation to where you are. I've hit anything from choked down 58's to off the left instep 50's.

It'd be like asking Michael Jordan how he hit his fadeaway jumper. The technique is already there, it's all feel at this point.

Also, don't leave yourself weird yardages :alien:
 
My preferred range has multiple targets at 40-77 yards. Distances can be adjusted to those targets by picking different hitting bays (the bays are oriented as a semi circle to the targets). I hit to the targets to warm up. I then use some balls to work my way left to right and right to left. This ensures that different clubs and different shot types are used. My preferred approach is the Pelz system, however I do practice other techniques.

My home course has a different practice area. There is a green with multiple pins and we can hit off grass. Same approach as above, but there is less opportunity to play to different distances because of less space.

The other thing I like to do at this facility is borrow a bucket from the range and spread balls around it from my shag bag. Play each ball as it lies and hit different shots - high, low, etc., - trying to make the ball in the bucket.


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Up to this year, I've always either hit 56 or 60 from 100 yards and in. Towards the very end of the year, I've started working on using my set AW (50) for some of these shots. Choking down and doing 1/2 to 3/4 swings from 75 yards and in. Even from 20 yards and in, it always used to be my 56 or 60, but when the ground got hard this year, I was finding myself blading them a lot more than usual, so I went back to the set AW for this shot as well. It's been a great option to add to my short game.
 
I try a half 58* or a 1/4 54*, but either way from that 50-75 yards, I'm trying to keep it lower and more of a pitch than a full shot, most air, but a bit of roll at the end, I'm not a spinner, so that's how I play a lot of my shots.
 
I use my 56 for everything 100 yrds in. I have a 60 I use for the sand only. I am just so comfortable with the 56 that I get scared to try anything else.
 
Lately I have gone to my 55* for most shots under 100. Unless I have sand or something to carry and then in that I case I go to my 60* pm wedge if I am 65 yards and in.

Had two shots yesterday at 75 yards and 79 yards and both hit a half swing 55* and both were about pin high. Left one to 8 feet and the other to 4 feet. I struggle most when I try and get cute with a shot. When I hit the straight forward chip/pitch I tend to have decent success with it
 
100-75. choked PW. just short of full is 100, down to 3/4 for 75 yards
75-50 choked 52* 3/4 swing down to 50%
50 and in. 52/56/58 depending on the shot

100 and in shots were the death of me. I regularly said "I'd rather hit a 6 iron than a PW." typical sequence: skulling a shot OB or in the drink, followed by the fattest one you've ever seen on the next hole. I had to rethink my short game. First thing I did was hit a lot more balls from this distance. Second, was to focus on weight transition. getting 75% of weight on my left foot before impact. Made a BIG difference in my consistency.

If I don't stay on my game plan, these short shot are the first ones to go. What sucks about missing one of these? you can almost guarantee yourself another short approach shot to get on the green. hopefully a lot shorter, but a touch shot nonetheless
 
Just recently started playing these shots differently I use to play my 56 from about 80 to 115, and play my 60 from 80 in. But now I only use the 60 for special lies and situations around the green and bunker. Now I rely on the 56 for those touch shots focusing on a nice descending blow but with more of a sweeping motion. I just don't have the same confidence in my set gap wedge for half swings and such. Maybe if I go back to a no set wedge at the bottom of the bag again I might play some of these shots a bit different based on the ability to get some spin on the ball.

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I am certainly more likely to try an utilize techniques that a 13 handicap or better. They tend to be the same technique.
 
Once i learned that 100 yards and in was one of my weaknesses, i spent a ton of time pitching to those distances. Thankfully my course has a number of targets inside of 100 yards so practicing that range is set up well. If i spend two hours at the range, then at least half of that is spent on shots inside 100.

I try to hit 2-3 different shots to each yardage, practicing knockdowns, open face high, and regular shots simultaneously so i dont get in a rut with a shot. I might hit 2 knockdowns, then three regular pitches, another knockdown, then 3 floppy shots. I try to mix it up as i would have to on the course.

For shots inside of 50 yards, i like to line up 40-50 balls a couple of feet apart, starting at about 10 yards back to 40 or so yards. I then hit each ball in rapid fire succession, taking only enoughtime to line my ball up and go. This has really helped my distance control around the greens. I try do this drill once a week
 
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