Parched Fairways

[huttonline]

Played my first full nine holes yesterday (par 35), was reasonably happy with my 54, but struggled to use irons off the fairway/rough.

This was possibly due to the extremely hard ground, parched after several days of baking sun. I couldn't get enough iron under the ball to get it up and airborne. I then had to resort to fairway woods which I had not actually used before. (I'll be practising those before the next round!)

My question is, when the ground is as hard as concrete how does one play mid-iron shots?

Thanks

 

[Region3]

I play the same as normal. You shouldn't be getting the club under the ball to lift it up, the club hits the ball on the way down, just before hitting the ground.

Catch the ball just before the bottom of the swing and let the loft of the club get the ball in the air.

 

[Macster]

This is a notorious problem for club members, and those with higher handicaps will always prefer the lush lie of a green carpet like fairway, where the inconsistencies with their strike will be forgiven a lot more.

However, I beleive most Cat1 players would much prefer the 'practically bare' lie of a parched fairway, as it allows them to strike the ball cleaner off the baked turf.

Its not easy, but as you should always be aiming to strike the ball just before the turf, in theory it shouldnt be any harder.

Hit into the back of the ball and you should be ok, but accept that anything less than perfect will be punished. It fine tunes your ball striking, so think of it as good practice !

 

[RGDave]

Chris is spot on.

I often go to the driving range and find the barest old mat available to test my swing. I did it today (just got back) and finished with 3 woods off the most worn part of the mat.

I have to say that i.m.o. the problem is almost entirely mental unless you are a scooper of the ball who gets away with it purely because the ball is a little "teed up" on lush grass.

Bare lies, bad lies, fluffy lies, almost any reasonable lie is probably not really going to ruin an otherwise good swing. The club head is heavy (it's travelling fast too!) and even hard ground has some give, so try to put it out of your head and make the best swing you can.

I am messing around with a high lofted hybrid club (a present, not my choice exactly) and the review on this club (Wilson Staff fybrid) suggested the sole was not so great for tight lies. Truth is, I hit this off some bare lies perfectly well, I just have to remember to play the club as a 5 iron and not a fairway wood; trying to lift it off like a fairway wood is just a disaster waiting to happen.

 

[coolhand]

This thread has sparked an interesting (or boring dependant on your point of view) thought about the physics of golf at the point of impact.

Does the Ball immediately accelerate away from the face of the club with all the energy transferred instantly or does the transfer of energy take a finite period of time?

The answer is potentially significant; if the later is true then in theory if the strike is clean enough no divot is better than some even after the ball, as any contact with the ground will decelerate the club reducing the transfer time.

Any one know the answer? There lots of stuff on the net about aero dynamics and about engineering club faces to improve energy transfer but I can’t find anything about the actual transfer process.

 

[Lindyhop67]

I would have thought that the energy transfer takes some time as the ball deforms with the resultant compression then expansion giving it its power.

I have always been told that there is no need to take a divot and some Tour-winning pros rarely take divots and do very well. As it happens I rarely take a divot except with my wedges and, even then, only sometimes. I still manage to control the ball.

 

[viscount17]

it's finite but very short. the ball rebounds from the club having been initially compressed by the impact which takes time.

(I reviewed a book for GM 'The Science of Golf' full of this sort of info. Very good for the techies but due care should be taken by the less knowledgeable.)

 

[Mattie]

Hi
And congratulations... 54 is pretty good mate

Ive been playing 8 months now (addict hehe) and go round our 9 hole in 43. Id say get down to the range as often as you can or in the back garden!!

When you playing your first 18?

Mattie

 

[huttonline]

Thanks Mattie

Back garden's good for swinging without a ball, but the range as oft as possible it is.

First 18, hopefully next week!

Simon