Stuey01
Journeyman Pro
Chipping to 20ft is poor. So, two things to work on... Could be a lot worse. At least you are getting in play off the tee, can lose a LOT of shots very quickly hitting 3 off the tee.
I now know why I play to 21 now.
- Thread starter la_lucha
- Start date
la_lucha
Tour Rookie
Yeah I'm talking about hitting greens from that distance not necessarily gir. With regards the first point it seems you are saying to intentionally miss greens from 150 because then I can chip real close with practice. Great idea bro, but I'll stick with the earlier ideas of trying a different club with a 3/4 swing. Thanks for the input though.
Stuey01
Journeyman Pro
Does your course have a grass practice area? We have one with a very narrow green on it. I like to measure out a few wedge yardages then hit loads of approach shots. The narrow target really focuses the mind, and you can try hitting different clubs from the same range to see what is more comfortable for you.
Then go practice your chipping too :thup:
Then go practice your chipping too :thup:
la_lucha
Tour Rookie
Unfortunately not. All my practice is at the range away from the course.
kikouno
Hacker
Not that I'm in a position to give advice considering I've only been playing for just about 1 year....I'll tell you what I do....
I've tried using the 5-4 irons off the tee as you do whilst my playing partners use the driver.... naturally as the ball is left short I tried to compensate by hitting at full power of the deck hopping to get to the green in two although as the second short is not from a perfectly maintained tee area and even though on a fairway which doesn't necessarily mean it's a flat lie, my shots were right, left, short and over the green simply because I'm not experienced enough to accurately read the lie....
Since then I've tried the 3wood of the tee which I can manage to hit "reasonably" straight, most of the times it's right or left but I can still manage to keep it on the edges of the fairways....what this' done is get me closer to the flag for my second shot which I now don't feel I have to kill the ball to get it to the green in two, still don't get there in two but feel more comfortable over the ball on the second shot
I've tried using the 5-4 irons off the tee as you do whilst my playing partners use the driver.... naturally as the ball is left short I tried to compensate by hitting at full power of the deck hopping to get to the green in two although as the second short is not from a perfectly maintained tee area and even though on a fairway which doesn't necessarily mean it's a flat lie, my shots were right, left, short and over the green simply because I'm not experienced enough to accurately read the lie....
Since then I've tried the 3wood of the tee which I can manage to hit "reasonably" straight, most of the times it's right or left but I can still manage to keep it on the edges of the fairways....what this' done is get me closer to the flag for my second shot which I now don't feel I have to kill the ball to get it to the green in two, still don't get there in two but feel more comfortable over the ball on the second shot
woody69
Journeyman Pro
Aha OK, it seems I have missed a fundamental part in that you're not just trying to hit the GIR from that distance, but you're trying to hit it with your 3rd shot. Well then yes, I can see why you want to improve that. If you're still 100-150 yards away, then trying to hit the green with that and practising that is important. However I'm surprised you are still that far away most of the time. Perhaps I am misunderstanding something.
In terms of "intentionally missing greens from 150", I guess that is one way to look at it! You could call it course management though
Our 1st for example is 425 off the whites. I can drive approx 240, which means I still have around 185 to go to the green on most occasions. I could take out my 5 wood or hybrid and go for it, but 95% of the time I'm missing by loads, either putting me in the rubbish or getting no where near as I top it 30 yards down the fairway. I now take out my 7 or 8 iron knowing I have no chance of reaching the green, but 95% of the time its straight and I'm left with 30-45 yards. I can then try to get up and down for par, but usually I'm 2 putting for a bogey. Since I started to take that approach I regularly bogey the hole and have on a few occasions par'd it, where as before it was regularly a dble. Now I appreciate that's hardly a great achievement, but I've started to realise I shouldn't be chasing birdies with my handicap. I'm hopeful that I can continue to work on the chipping game so when I do start to go long for the green from distance the times I'm missing I have the finesse shots to scramble a par.That's the way I see it anyway. Good luck with your journey though.
For my own take, I would work hard on the clubs that get you to the middle of the green from 120 yards and in and then get a short game lesson. Off your handicap missing from 150 yards is to be expected some of the time. However, if you can then get up and down even tow or three times a round then the scores start to get better. If you can learn to use the scoring clubs, 8-SW, better and get yourself into safe two putt and occasional one putt range then that will also smarten the card.
It takes hard work, patience and it won't always works as simply as I have typed it. However, look at it another way. With you getting a shot a hole, it means the long 400+ yard par fours are a par 5 for your and the par fives are now a par 6. If you can get yourself into that 120 and in scoring zone to put your third or fourth (depending on the par) onto the green and two putt it gives you so many net pars, take an awful lot of pressure off your game and gives you the breathing space to improve your approach play and chipping in the interim
It takes hard work, patience and it won't always works as simply as I have typed it. However, look at it another way. With you getting a shot a hole, it means the long 400+ yard par fours are a par 5 for your and the par fives are now a par 6. If you can get yourself into that 120 and in scoring zone to put your third or fourth (depending on the par) onto the green and two putt it gives you so many net pars, take an awful lot of pressure off your game and gives you the breathing space to improve your approach play and chipping in the interim
