Greenside club selection

[inc0gnito]

For some reason a lot of the videos and podcasts I’ve been listening to have advocated using a short/mid iron (eg8 iron) around the green instead of a SW or lob wedge. I break out the 56 all too automatically.

I don’t get to watch a lot of tour golf and was just curious what the pros tend to use.

1. Do the pros use this strategy more than going for a lob wedge?

2. What sort of distance from the green does a mid iron stop becoming effective for a bump and run?

 

[Deleted member 1147]

Most tour pro's use a lob wedge, but then again they play much faster greens than us so spin is necessary, and they practice a lot more than us.

I tend to use a 9 iron or 8 iron if I have nothing to go over and can just let the ball roll out. I basically have an approx of 1/3rd carry, 2/3rd's run out. So best to practice how far each club carrys, and runs out for for chipping.

When hitting a normal chip & run you don't want to be putting much spin on the ball.

 

[bobmac]

Only hit it high if you have to go over something, either wise keep it low and try and get the first bounce on the green.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Whenever I read or hear a pro giving short game tips to amateurs, on pro am days etc, they pretty much every time say get it on the ground as quickly as possible. I think that is because we just don't get as clean a strike on the ball as the pro's so it is a better % shot for us. Perhaps one where we should do what the pro's say, not what they do.

 

[hairball_89]

Only hit it high if you have to go over something, either wise keep it low and try and get the first bounce on the green.

This. Everyday of the week.

I used to consistently reach for my lob wedge, aiming to fly it to 8ft from the pin and have it stop nice and close. Then I realised as much as I love that shot and as brilliant as it looks (and is) when it goes exactly as I want, I'm MUCH more confident with somewhere between an 8i and 50º wedge trying to get it onto the ground and rolling as quickly as possible. Yes, I still use the 56º or the lob wedge, but only if I need to get up over something, or I'm down a big slope below a green and need to get the ball in the air.

Around the green, read it like a putt - work out where you wanna land it and then see what club you need to get to spot where it starts rolling...

 

[Ye Olde Boomer]

I lob when I should chip regularly. It's not the right way to play--you're supposed to get the ball rolling--but lobbing requires less practice.

 

[ScienceBoy]

8 iron for me if nothing to go over. It requires little practice as you just need to pick a landing spot and let it run out, it’s never going too far past or too short once you have your eye in for the day. 5 mins before the round Max helps.

52* next choice if needed to fly something like a large fringe or a sloped landing area.

 

[Wolf]

I don't have a set club I go to. I simply go fornthe club that gets the ball rolling as soon as it hits the green ive been known chip with a 4 or 5iron before. Literally depends on the lie and the distance. Putter would always be best choice where possible.

 

[Wildboy370]

Whenever I read or hear a pro giving short game tips to amateurs, on pro am days etc, they pretty much every time say get it on the ground as quickly as possible. I think that is because we just don't get as clean a strike on the ball as the pro's so it is a better % shot for us. Perhaps one where we should do what the pro's say, not what they do.

That’s what my teaching pro told me. Only use old wedge if got something to go over, bunker, water etc. Otherwise get it rolling as quick as possible with 50 or 52 deg..

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Only hit it high if you have to go over something, either wise keep it low and try and get the first bounce on the green.

This all day long. Less margin for error with a little practice and easier to play than a lob especially in winter. Landing on the green should give a consistent bounce and roll out. Practice with different clubs (PW, 9, 8 etc) and try and land in roughly the same spot and see how far each rolls out

 

[Parsaregood]

I select a club based on the lie first of all and then I'll look at where the pin is/how firm the green is. Generally I play most shots around the green with a 58 as I practice with that club alot so can generally play just about every shot with it. I only tend to use an 8 or 9iron if I have a flag sitting on top of a ridge or I want to bump the ball into a bank. I do this because using these clubs puts less spin on the ball so you dont get the ball checking into the slope. I've had a book by phil Mickelson on the short game for years, I literally built my whole short game technique and thinking around it. if you have a good technique you can literally play every shot with a lob wedge, if you look at most of the best chippers/pitchers of a ball, a very high percentage of them use a lob wedge predominantly.

 

[Curls]

There are two camps, “get it on the ground quick” using every club from 9 i to hybrid to chip, and the “play everything with a ~56 degree” crew. The rationale for the latter is that you’ll have far more experience with that club, knowing what it’ll do, if you use it all the time in practice and play. It doesn’t mean you play the same shot with it all the time, you can vary the flight. Rob McGarr has a good video with his buddy Liam showing off the skills.

But as you can see most of the folk above would disagree with me!

 

[Bigfoot]

My chips today were with 8i, pw over a bunker, 22 deg hybrid up a slope with 20 yards of green to go to the flag, 48 deg from a yard off the green to a flag 10 yards away.

I vary the shot according to the distance and roll required.

 

[inc0gnito]

This. Everyday of the week.

I used to consistently reach for my lob wedge, aiming to fly it to 8ft from the pin and have it stop nice and close. Then I realised as much as I love that shot and as brilliant as it looks (and is) when it goes exactly as I want, I'm MUCH more confident with somewhere between an 8i and 50º wedge trying to get it onto the ground and rolling as quickly as possible. Yes, I still use the 56º or the lob wedge, but only if I need to get up over something, or I'm down a big slope below a green and need to get the ball in the air.

Around the green, read it like a putt - work out where you wanna land it and then see what club you need to get to spot where it starts rolling...

I always want to reach for the 56 because it’s one of my favourite clubs. I love the Hollywood specials but sadly they are too few and far between!

For some reason bumping and running with an 8i never appealed. Felt like it was anti-golf so it’s something I never do. But my opinion is changing. I think now it’ll be quite fun to use mid irons round the green. Ego is a funny old thing.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

There are two camps, “get it on the ground quick” using every club from 9 i to hybrid to chip, and the “play everything with a ~56 degree” crew. The rationale for the latter is that you’ll have far more experience with that club, knowing what it’ll do, if you use it all the time in practice and play. It doesn’t mean you play the same shot with it all the time, you can vary the flight. Rob McGarr has a good video with his buddy Liam showing off the skills.

But as you can see most of the folk above would disagree with me!

Nothing wrong with the one club approach and I saw the Rob McGarr video. I think however as a handicap golfer it is about playing the shot with less margin for error. I am a fan of using the bounce of the club whether it's a one club from anywhere scenario or using a host of clubs depending on lie, distance to the flag and terrain to cover. That is perhaps the most important thing to work on as the bounce when used properly can mask to a degree a poor strike and get an acceptable result. That would be my starting point if the OP wanted to look online and find out how to use the bounce then play round with one club only and a variety and see what works best for him. Like most things in golf not always a one fix fits all. That is without even touching on the linear method !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[inc0gnito]

There are two camps, “get it on the ground quick” using every club from 9 i to hybrid to chip, and the “play everything with a ~56 degree” crew. The rationale for the latter is that you’ll have far more experience with that club, knowing what it’ll do, if you use it all the time in practice and play. It doesn’t mean you play the same shot with it all the time, you can vary the flight. Rob McGarr has a good video with his buddy Liam showing off the skills.

But as you can see most of the folk above would disagree with me!

Think i saw that a while back. There’s arguments for both. As much as I enjoy the 56 I’m never going to get to scratch, never mind the tour, and I don’t have the time or place to practice it properly, so I’ll just have to reign in my expectations! It’ll still get used frequently but I’m not going to be shy about getting the 8i out around the green.

 

[Orikoru]

My most common chipping club is the 8 iron - play it similar to a putting stroke and run it up to the flag. If there is a lot of rough and not much green between me and the flag, that's when I'll use more loft - maybe the PW or 50° - try and land it right on the last bit of rough so it just trickles onto the green, and again, hopefully up to the flag. I would only chip with the 56° if I need to fly it over a bunker, ditch or really unplayable bit of rough.

 

[larmen]

I once booked a short game lesson and cleaned all my wedges in preparation so can generate spin.
The pro made me play to a few pins with clubs of my choice, then we spent the rest of the session hitting 8 iron.
If I am a yard or 2 away from the fringe I am fairly good with my 8i now and a 2 put after the bump is more than a disappointment. It’s my most used club for short game if possible.

 

[Deleted member 1147]

Before choosing the club you have to analyse certain things:

Lie
Distance
Rough/green split
Slope up/down
Side slopes
Best miss
Worst miss

All of the above can change your shot choices and therefore club choices

 

[clubchamp98]

Before choosing the club you have to analyse certain things:

Lie
Distance
Rough/green split
Slope up/down
Side slopes
Best miss
Worst miss

All of the above can change your shot choices and therefore club choices

All of the above but one thing I find in the USA is the grain ,
Most pros in the USA play lob wedge
Pros in Europe play more clubs to suit the shot.
But I mainly watch the US tour so you see more lob wedges than anything as the grass is hard to run a ball through sometimes.