hitting short wedge shots from really tight links turf...

S

slugger

Tour Rookie
Joined
Oct 6, 2008
Messages
1,388
Location
Scotland
Visit site
played craigielaw yesterday and there were a couple of times when i needed to chip, or lob, my ball about 10ft across a bunker and onto the green. i'm normally pretty good at wedge shots, but i was finding that my 58º wedge had just too much bounce to enable me to get under the ball properly. My home course is parkland and the grass isn't quite so tight and has more give in it for playing that kind of shot. The fairway ground was totally solid.

so, what do i do in that kind of situation? get a wedge with less bounce (my 58º has 10º of bounce) or is there a technique i could use.
 
I too had this problem on the weekend playing a links course so i'll be very interested in the answers.

I didnt get up and down once from a tight/bare lie off the green, either thinned it or didnt get the usual height i do with my wedge so it ran off the back.
 
If you're going to play that sort of course regularly then its worth having low bounce wedges available to put in the bag.
I've had this problem before - not on a links - but an inland course with very tight lies. It's very difficult to play a lob-type shot with a high bounce wedge and the best I could do was put the ball even further back in my stance, keep my hands well forward and hit down to pop the ball up. Any other method resulted in thins.
This might not be the accepted way of doing it but it worked for me.
 
Slugger, even with my low bounce wedges, especially bought for Craigielaw, this is the shot that still gives me nightmares, especially when every green there is raised and gives no help in stopping the ball.

When I played there with Tommo21, who has a truly excellent short game, he hit a similar shot over the green 3 times at the 7th. Sorry Tommo.

Personally, I just try to putt around the buggars nowadays. It might cost a shot but it potentially saves 2.
 
The bounce on the wedge only comes into play if you open the face or try and lift the ball off the turf. Todays lob wedges have enough loft so you dont need to open them up.
If you have 58 deg wedge, that will be plenty to get the ball over most bunkers.
Play the ball slightly back in the stance, weight on your forward foot and hands forward. I know this will deloft the club slightly but there will be enough loft left to do the job. With your hands in front of the ball at address, try and make a steep angle of attack into the ball.
Ensure the leading edge of the wedge goes into the ground taking a small divot.
DO NOT LET THE CLUB HEAD BOTTOM OUT AND PASS YOUR HANDS AT THE BALL AS THE BOUNCE WILL CAUSE THE THIN
With a bit of practice, you will become more confident with this shot and will no longer give you any worries.
Good luck :)
 
cheers for that bobmac... i'm going to go to the park after work and practice that technique over a path there. what kind of follow through should i try with that shot... low and long or just a normal follow through to waist level?
 
If you try and keep the follow through low, that will help stop the urge to flick the wrists and thin it.
If you cant quite get it, place your driver head cover about a foot behind the ball. This will help you get a steep angle of attack. And dont forget the divot :)
And most importantly, commit to the shot. If you quit on it, you will slow down and duff it.
Let us know how you get on. :)
 
My course is beginning to get baked and these shots are increasingly common. Sweeping them off hard, sunburnt grass never seems to work consistently, for some reason, probably just psychological.
 
What's the correct method of maximising spin? I always play the shot outlined above but the ball tends to release too much for me. Anyone give me some pointers?

Thanks
 
Why would you want more spin?

To get more, you just have to hit it harder, and better. However, spin will always be a bit unpredictable, even if you practice like crazy.

Harrington is rated as having a high spin short game, which GMac commented on in this months mag. It didn't seem something he wanted to copy though.

I find a nice run out is ideal, and way more predictable. That is why my sm vokeys are in a cupboard.
 
What's the correct method of maximising spin? I always play the shot outlined above but the ball tends to release too much for me. Anyone give me some pointers?

Thanks
Click to expand...

I read an interesting article earlier about the amount of spin different golf balls produce...

from Golf.com

"The TaylorMade TP Black has three pieces: an extremely soft, fast core; a thick mantle layer; and a cast Urethane cover. Snell says, "The combination of thick mantle and soft cover pinches on the irons and helps to create a lot of spin on short irons."

However, some tour players who used the ball found that spin, which should help the ball stop quickly on the green, was actually a problem. When attacking pins that were placed in the back portion of a green, some golfers found the ball spun too much.

"They said, 'We can't hold the ball on the greens with full 9-irons and wedges because the ball sucks back too much.'" Snell says. "They had to work on controlling spin by taking half-swings and choking down on longer clubs."

For players who naturally generate a lot of spin, TaylorMade designed the four-piece TP Red, which features a soft, second mantle layer. Snell says the TP Red reacts exactly like the TP Black off the tee, but the second mantle layer reduces spin on short-irons and wedges. The extra mantle layer also lowers the TP Red's compression, making it fly lower than the TP Black on those shots. The combination of a lower trajectory and less spin should make it easier to hit approach shots that release to back pin positions."
 
As a drastic measure you could take an angle grinder to the sole to reduce the bounce yourself - be careful though it just needs a wee skim!

Murph bit drastic putting the SM's in a cupboard? :D They are my magic wands. ;)
 
How many high spin players do you really know?

I am occasionally plaqued by back spin, but it is not something I overly desire. Sucking the ball back 30 foot looks sexy, but to all intents and purposes it is useless, as I invariably leave it short anyway. I can do this with any ball, it just depends on the quality of the strike, and how receptive the greens are.

Just give me a ball I don't block left or slice right into the woods, and I am happy.

Does such a thing exist?
 
I wasn't thinking of spin to make it look good. I'm thinking of when you have say a 10-15 yard pitch over bunker to a tight pin is probably the easiest way to get it near the whole. I play a links and can easily roll balls to a hole but when I need to stop the ball in a short distamce I struggle :(
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

S
New Wedges
2
Replies
23
Views
2K
Slab
Slab
sjw
Fitting frustrations. Anyone had similar?
2
Replies
38
Views
3K
sjw
sjw
N
Filling the Gaps
Replies
6
Views
3K
ntommo
N
T
Deep in the stat cave
Replies
3
Views
2K
HomerJSimpson
HomerJSimpson
E
Links-specific skills advice sought
Replies
13
Views
1K
patricks148
patricks148
Top