Chipping off hard pan...

Tiger

Tiger

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Well our fairways are as dry as an arrow ant's armpit and around are greens we unfortunately have a few bald patches that make Harry Hill look as hirsute as Barry Gibb. When I chip I try to have a neutral shaft and low takeaway and through swing.

However, more often than not I find myself in one of these lies. When there's nowt between me and the green it's fine I get the 7 iron out and bump and run it swapping vagaries of dodgy bounces for a good connection. But if I need to get over something and try and stop it... :o

Any pointers?
 
Pics or the thread gets deleted, you know the drill :rofl:
 
Sometimes you just have to accept the shot isn't on.

Normal technique that you described to prevent fat/thin shots, highest lofted club you have without opening the face, and accept that you aren't stopping the ball quickly.

You should still be able to get on the green with a good chance of a 2 putt.

And when you see people up against the edge of the green with their trolleys in winter give them a rollicking because chances are that's contributing to the bare patches! :D
 
Tiger said:
Well our fairways are as dry as an arrow ant's armpit and around are greens we unfortunately have a few bald patches that make Harry Hill look as hirsute as Barry Gibb. When I chip I try to have a neutral shaft and low takeaway and through swing.

However, more often than not I find myself in one of these lies. When there's nowt between me and the green it's fine I get the 7 iron out and bump and run it swapping vagaries of dodgy bounces for a good connection. But if I need to get over something and try and stop it... :o

Any pointers?
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real good ways to approach hardpan/real tight lies - assuming you have to play it by giving it some air/height with some spin if you got less room to work with, more carry less green to avoid real bare hard uneven ground (assuming not gur)

maybes a little ways more advanced technique - so as with all these kinda shots you gotta practice (how do you practice hardpan buy a good square of 3 ply to hit off of)

counter-intuitive to lot of folks but a medium bounce wedge, sand wedge is your friend here, you set up to use the bounce some

as with all chips/pitches the chest shoulders are your engine with relatively quiet hands/wrist (you can still get a bunch of height) feel the arms body turn more as one, important thing is the lead shoulder has to keep turning aways from the chin & the chest turns to target feel as you go through impact the butt end of the handle points to your center (so opposite your navel or belt buckle) you don't want hands well ahead dragging the handle a good ways ahead of the face here, hands are only just ahead through contact

difference is in set up, don't open the face up, leading edge square to target with the real key being standing an inch or so nearer to the ball so the shaft is little ways more upright/vertical in plane

notice when you set up this ways how it puts the sole/bounce a bunch squarer/level/horizontal to the ground so the toe isn't up in the air any (get the motion right the toe won't dig in neither will the leading edge)
as well as doing this to the bounce standing closer will also give you just a tad more natural steepness in both the takeback & approach angle without any extra wrist manipulation or making the AoA a way too steep, although normal chips you what the arc a little shallow, being too shallow off hardpan will tend to encourage both thins & fats

notice how the whole of the bottom of the bounce is on the ground with the leading edge just up a ways off the ground some - maybes looks a ways scary re thins - but through the whole motion keep the weight on the lead leg don't transfer any trailside during the backswing
keep head steady & level
& lead shoulder gotta keep moving & then you won't skull it or fat it - once you get the motion down in practice some, sure you maybes will first off but it's not real difficult as maybes it sounds but you gotta give it some practice

ball position is around center - inch or so closer to the ball so shaft is more upright/vertical to get that bounce level/horizontal on the ground (good way to chip or pitch from real tight grass too -say links or similar)

hands are just opposite front of the ball so no big forwards leaning shaft as that would put the leading edge back to close to the ground so run the risk of leading edge snagging some
 
Twire said:
Moved from the FSS
Click to expand...

LMAO :rofl: I was looking for the thread this morning and couldn't find it and wondered what I'd done. What a numpty :o Thanks Twire yesterday was a LOOOOONG day.

Thanks for the comments guys :rofl: :D

Hadn't thought about using some plywood to practice. Will dig some out of the garage this afternoon and give it a go - thanks the_coach

Region3 trouble is our greens aren't that big and a lot are upturned saucers so the ball runs on even more as it lands above your feet. That said I know what you mean about least risk option :thup: and will make sure I keep my eyes peeled for dodgy trolley parkers
 
Loving that tip. Going to give that a try. It would be the 7 iron for me as the OP does, but when there is something in the way of a scorched lie this sounds like a great option.
 
Remember Michelson basically following Snelly/Coach's unopened lob wedge from concrete cart paths - "it will just run out 10 yds more than normal..."

In context he was being asked why he didn't take relief and was making the point that if you have the space for the extra 10yds it's a simple option. Its when you don't (and relief isn't an option) that it can be frustrating.
 
My usual mistake on these short shots with a LW is that the ball gets way way too far back in my stance...... Usually ends up in a big 'fat'. Be concious to set up correctly.
 
Stan Utley, the short game wizard only I appear to have heard of, says you can hit a high bounce, high loft wedge off any lie. He proved it to someone by hitting perfectly good shots with a wedge with 12° of bounce off the club car park. It's in his book "The Art of the Short Game" Must get ball first.
 
The point of golf is to get the ball in the hole in as few shots as possible, sometimes that means going away from the hole. If you have a bare lie then sometimes going to the side of the obstacle and giving yourself a better chance of getting up and down is a better choice than trying to hit an impossible shot over said obstacle.
 
Had plenty of practice recently as the practice ground is bone hard. Had a short game lesson recently and we worked on the hands leading and keeping the body turning. It's coming but takes a lot of conviction and trust
 
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