Chipping and short game issues

[harpo_72]

I have been really struggling when I miss the green. I can play standard chips and flop shots etc but not off hard pan which seems to be prevalent around our greens. Also the grass is very flat and tight, there is no cushion - certain grasses give this and are a dream to play from.
So back to the hard pan issues, does anyone else just use a putter? Or do you use flatter irons and do you go up and down the lofts to get the roll required?
I did just start using the putter yesterday and had some success .. but it doesn’t feel like golf

 

[jim8flog]

When I play off hard pan I do not for reach for any club with a high bounce sole.

I carry a 52 with just 5 degree bounce and at one time when I played a lot on such surfaces I carried a links wedge - 52 with minus 1 bounce.

 

[bobmac]

Putting from off the green in this situation would be my choice

 

[harpo_72]

Putting from off the green in this situation would be my choice

Yes that’s where I got to .. I just wished they would either put a grass around that offered up some robustness and had cushion like tendencies

 

[pendodave]

I have been really struggling when I miss the green. I can play standard chips and flop shots etc but not off hard pan which seems to be prevalent around our greens. Also the grass is very flat and tight, there is no cushion - certain grasses give this and are a dream to play from.
So back to the hard pan issues, does anyone else just use a putter? Or do you use flatter irons and do you go up and down the lofts to get the roll required?
I did just start using the putter yesterday and had some success .. but it doesn’t feel like golf

Not sure that bothered kaymer when he won the US open...
For longer one I use a rescue, sometimes I find it hard to hit a putter hard enough

 

[Parsaregood]

Are you sometimes quite steep into the ball when chipping ? Do you hit the odd one thin ? If you do I'd recommend playing with a wedge with a wider sole and more bounce you will find this will help alot for the person who falls into this category

 

[Russ_D]

If the lie and distance from the green permits i'll be grabbing the putter. If i'm too far away i'll often bump and run a 9 iron if there is enough green.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Hard pan? All we have is soft and muddy bare lies. Nothing hard about it. I'm really struggling with my short game in the wet conditions and so wherever possible using a putter or a hybrid to hit a little bump shots

 

[Russ_D]

Have to say my chipping is pretty sharp. I'm lucky in that we replaced our back garden with premium artificial grass so it never gets muddy and dries quick. I just pop a mat down and chip away.

Still prefer to take the safer option where possible though

 

[Reemul]

I like to bump and run, probably the best part of my game, just about selecting the right club for the amount of run needed.

 

[Bunkermagnet]

I would use any club but with a putting stroke.
Normally though, if it's smooth enough and no real grass length I would use the putter. Keep it as close to the ground as possible is my thinking.

 

[NearHull]

I use an 8 iron and a putting stroke whenever it’s feasible. I think the line is as good as using a putter, it will roll better over the fringe. The issue is length though I find that if I imagine that I am using a putter it seems to work.

 

[bobmac]

In 1991 at the US Masters, Ian Woosnam got up and down from the edge of the 72nd hole to win.
He admitted afterwards that he chose to putt from off the green rather than risk duffing a chip

 

[Orikoru]

What the heck is 'hard pan'? My standard chipping technique is an 8 iron chip and run, so I don't really have problems with that sort of thing. That might be the thing you need to try.

 

[Parsaregood]

In 1991 at the US Masters, Ian Woosnam got up and down from the edge of the 72nd hole to win.
He admitted afterwards that he chose to putt from off the green rather than risk duffing a chip

It's not always an option there might be the edge of a bunker, wet apron or even a collar of rough to go over. So in each of these cases if you can chip the ball your going to be better off. If your just off the green and it's short grass only between you and the green by all means putt, but as I'm sure you know quite often that's not the case

 

[Grant85]

I have been really struggling when I miss the green. I can play standard chips and flop shots etc but not off hard pan which seems to be prevalent around our greens. Also the grass is very flat and tight, there is no cushion - certain grasses give this and are a dream to play from.
So back to the hard pan issues, does anyone else just use a putter? Or do you use flatter irons and do you go up and down the lofts to get the roll required?
I did just start using the putter yesterday and had some success .. but it doesn’t feel like golf

I had a decent lesson from our pro last year. Like you, I was comfortable playing flop shots, but was comparatively poor with a simple chip up the green.

Main technique with a straightforward chip was to make sure I didn't take the club back inside. Basically consider that you are standing facing a wall and you want to take the club back parallel to the wall. Main effect of this was to massively increase the margin for error and even fatted shots would still result in an acceptable result. Taking the club back inside was giving you an extra 'plane' to try and manage and ultimately you'd need to ensure perfect contact to get the right result.

Also feel you need to keep your hands and wrist reasonably loose... even though the rotational shoulder turn can feel quite mechanical... free hands and wrists will help.

 

[bobmac]

It's not always an option there might be the edge of a bunker, wet apron or even a collar of rough to go over. So in each of these cases if you can chip the ball your going to be better off. If your just off the green and it's short grass only between you and the green by all means putt, but as I'm sure you know quite often that's not the case

In the OP he said ''but it doesn’t feel like golf''
I used the Ian Woosnam example to show if it's good enough for him, it's good enough for the OP

 

[USER1999]

I have started bump and running with a hibrid. I find with tight cut grass, on soft ground, that I get a bit scoopy with a wedge, and scoopy doesn't work.

 

[Roops]

This is one area where those manky range mats can be really helpful. The ones that have literally no material left on them and are like a piece of concrete with a thin carpet on top. You can use those to work on your technique for chipping of tight firm lies. You can still use bounce of these, I feel like I am throwing the bottom of the club into the ground right behind the ball. If you have a very low bounce club, you can also use that. It's what you feel comfortable with. Wth a low bounce I just feel it's more of a stock chip rather than the throw as above. If you have low bounce and lots of loft you can go at it harder which may be easier. As others have said, chip and run is also a good option if there is nothing in the way, putt with a iron of your choice.

 

[ferenezejohn]

Pros spend at least two thirds of practice time on their short game
There is not a lot of moving parts in these little shots, or a least there shouldn't be.
The op said he can hit flop shots so I would suggest with a bit of practice he should master these shots.
Most that I see duffing these shots close to the green myself included deceleration or trying to scoop the ball up is the main cause.