Go to club around the greens.

[RGDave]

Historically, I'd use SW, PW and 7iron only.

These days, I prefer to stick with one club (GW) and play long, long chips with a hybrid.

Having said that, I hit 90 balls yesterday (after the club range) with a PW.... ... lots of experimentation

 

[HawkeyeMS]

No, use the club that does the job. Anything from hybrid to SW.

You need to learn the carry\run proportion of different clubs and then focus on where to land it and not on the hole. The general idea is to get the ball rolling on the green ASAP.

Until recently I was like you, a lofted club to chip with, but my short game has improved immeasurably since changing to the above

 

[RGDave]

No, use the club that does the job. Anything from hybrid to SW.

You need to learn the carry\run proportion of different clubs and then focus on where to land it and not on the hole. The general idea is to get the ball rolling on the green ASAP.

My conversion rate with GW is excellent but conversely (t.b.h.) if I'm chipping from 10 yards short to run it up to a back pin, I will not play that shot.

I'm Mr % with this sort of shot. High ones are not great %.

 

[Twin Lakes]

9 times out of 10 it's a 7 iron for me. I like to keep it low and get in running whenever I can.

 

[bernix]

usually i use 9iron whenever possilbe else a sand or lobwedge or my 3 hybrid

 

[pingwizard]

I was recently having a meltdown around the greens, easily dropping 6 strokes with my chip yip's. Got an Odyssey X-act chipper (or putting wedge as its advertised) Helped me a lot and after a few weeks I was back using my 8 iron to great effect. Got a few laughs off the people I play with for taking it out all the same

 

[Oddsocks]

Have you got a 'go to' club around the greens?

My short game from just off the green is pretty poor at the moment - the shots from say within 10yds of the green. Is it better, or should I say would I be (generally) better off always using say a PW or 9, 8, 7 iron etc for these shots? I currently try with a variety of clubs from 8i to a 56 degree with similar results - perhaps as much as 50% of the time I chunk it well short or thin it through the green. Technique is clearly lacking and sure, I need to practice more, but I need to get the club thing sorted first.

No such thing as a go around the greens, every shot is different.

Sounds like a flawed technique

 

[Foxholer]

52* is the 'natural' one if on the short stuff, though occasional have more confidence with the PW. Even been known to use the 8i or Hybrid. PW from in rough unless it's buried.

I know one guy who would use 9 iron from all those lies.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Don't have a go to. It depends on how long the shot is, whether there is anything to go over and whether the green has a step in it. Having finally stumbled upon a technique that for now is holding up, I have the majority of the bag to choose from. I prefer a running shot so it depends on how far I have to run out.

 

[patricks148]

When i was using a set of Mizuno MP62 irons it was the 9 iron i could always get it close since swiched to the JPX, they are much chunkier and the faces are hotter, so prob my 50deg.

 

[SVB]

As per others, horses for courses re club selction.

However, the right club alone doth not make a good outcome. I recently had lesson focussing on the short game - really useful. He picked up straight away I had become very 'wristy' and therefore relied on perfect coordination of arms / hands etc to make the right contact. We worked on turning the shoulders / body more so the hands became very passive and in so doing the strike on the ball much more consistant. A real revalation that applies to what ever club is in hand and when combined with ball position gives really reliable range of shots in the armoury. A useful training tool for this was an 8i with the top cover of the grip cut off and an alignment sticvk poked down the shaft - get wristly and flick at the ball and the alignment stick hits you in the ribs; play a nice shot and turn through and the alignment stick stays away from you body. Having hit a couple with this it become a useful mental thought back with my own clubs.

So, for me it is less on what club and more on technique improvement where I have made my biggest steps forward.

Simon.

 

[the_coach]

Always good if the 'go to club' for shots around the green is the best club to achieve the best possible outcome of the particular shot after you've very carefully identified where the first landing point is for that shot. The best Club for the shot won't always be the same club.

You need soft hands, soft relaxed forearms stay very centered (no sway off the ball right) manage the distance by the big muscles of the body turn sync your arms to the turn. If you practice well you'll know how far a hands hip height backswing will fly with different clubs & how they roll out.

Smooth back but weight stays on lead leg throughout it never goes back on the trail leg. You'll get more consistent results from a centered ball position. Stay in posture keep hip & spine angle right way through impact, don't stand up through the shot.

Smooth through, going back soft hands will have given you a small angle in your right hand, maintain this angle into & through impact. Make sure your through swing is at least as long as your backswing, preferably just a tad longer through, that way you get smooth acceleration through impact. You can count, 1&2 through the shot it will give you a real good tempo, & take the 'quit' out of the shot.

With weight staying left, with your body turn the hands lead a forward leaning shaft into the ball, focus is always the landing area.
In practice put a towel (or an alignment rod/club say 15, 20, 30 feet away practice the length of swing with arms & body turn keeping the formed angle in your right hand to impact (the angle in your right hand doesn't 'release' until after impact) that consistently gets the ball landing just a foot or so after the target you put on the ground.

 

[Coatsy79]

8 if I need to clear some fringe and get it running

52 if I need the pins close to the edge

And putter if the fringe is nice, cos I can always judge a putt better than a chip

 

[two-clubs]

Lots of good advice here, many thanks to all.

I watched the Jim Furyk video and will definitely be giving that a go, along with this one;

[video=youtube_share;UJSH3gwki-Q]http://youtu.be/UJSH3gwki-Q[/video]