Practicing

[pokerjoke]

I appreciate practicing is not for everyone so please no negative comments to the ones that do.
Once again I’m out practicing a lot and just wanted a insight to anyone who does or has done some of these.

As the fairways and around the greens have got a lot firmer and for some reason our bunkers are avoid of sand in some areas , I’ve actually changed the way I’ve been chipping especially when having very little green to work with.
I’ve started to break my wrists significantly and it seems to produce a better strike and allows me to be more aggressive, as opposed to the more Jason Day method.
Also short sided bunker shots with a 54/12s as opposed to a 58/12x which seems to make a massive difference.

Anyone change their set up when it firms up?

 

[Neilds]

I tend to go for the 7 or 8 iron runner when it is firm as I can't spin a ball for toffee so don't want to risk trying to fly the ball on firm greens.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I tend to go to a sand wedge with less bounce in firmer conditions. Otherwise I try and use either Dan Grieve chipping or the linear method I have tinkered with for years depending on what is working best

 

[Arthur Wedge]

Don’t change the method just the landing area on firmer greens - find it easier easier to get the ball rolling earlier - a lot of back foot 8irons played like a putt

Anything else and it’s the 54 for everything - bunkers , short sided etc and of course will depend on the lie

 

[jim8flog]

When it comes to bunkers with very firm surfaces I will switch from a high bounce wedge to a medium to low bounce wedge (8 degree or less) and often to a 52 wedge.

 

[Orikoru]

Funny you should say that. I had a spell earlier in the year of duffing and knifing all my chips and pitches suddenly - I realised that I had started breaking my wrists which makes my contact point go all over the place. If I focus on not breaking my wrists at all it's much better.

Also related; I've decided that for everything that it's in long-ish grass around the green, and even if there's a decent amount of fringe, I'm chipping with hybrid. I can't chip well with a wedge from those lies when I'm too close to the green, and my putting from off the green is horrendous, always judge it wrong with varying amounts of grass. I have the best results with hybrid so I'm sticking with that from now on.

 

[Crow]

With short chips I've come to realise I'm best if I keep my wrists firm and rock my arms from the shoulder, or hinge my wrists and turn from the waist.
If I try and combine the wrist hinge with arm movement I'm doomed.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I know from watching and reading the Dan Grieve videos and book that he says to feel that the left shoulder starts the chipping action which makes it lwss handsy

 

[Junior]

I appreciate practicing is not for everyone so please no negative comments to the ones that do.
Once again I’m out practicing a lot and just wanted a insight to anyone who does or has done some of these.

As the fairways and around the greens have got a lot firmer and for some reason our bunkers are avoid of sand in some areas , I’ve actually changed the way I’ve been chipping especially when having very little green to work with.
I’ve started to break my wrists significantly and it seems to produce a better strike and allows me to be more aggressive, as opposed to the more Jason Day method.
Also short sided bunker shots with a 54/12s as opposed to a 58/12x which seems to make a massive difference.

Anyone change their set up when it firms up?

Your shotgame has always been very tidy PJ.

Re bunkers with no sand I always “feel” like I’m braking my wrists early. The only difference from being short sided to a longer bunker shot is that if I’m short sided I’ll try and hit the sand harder and half an inch behind the ball to spin it more.

For chipping I’ll always try and take less loft and run it in like a putt. Loft on tight form lies is always my last resort

 

[harpo_72]

My short game is non existent.. doesn’t matter what I do. My confidence is at an all time low.
But to boost my confidence, I have decided that if dirt can be seen then the lie is too tight ( and green staff are mowing too low!!) I use the putter. This has improved my scoring.
I do watch the Dan Grieve stuff and to be fair I can do it all, in my garden. My grass is 30-40mm in depth so it’s proper 2nd cut. Long stuff I am okay with and bunkers are fine.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

My short game is non existent.. doesn’t matter what I do. My confidence is at an all time low.
But to boost my confidence, I have decided that if dirt can be seen then the lie is too tight ( and green staff are mowing too low!!) I use the putter. This has improved my scoring.
I do watch the Dan Grieve stuff and to be fair I can do it all, in my garden. My grass is 30-40mm in depth so it’s proper 2nd cut. Long stuff I am okay with and bunkers are fine.

To be fair in the last video I watched from Dan Grieve he does advocate putter or hybrid a lot

 

[Lord Tyrion]

With short chips I've come to realise I'm best if I keep my wrists firm and rock my arms from the shoulder, or hinge my wrists and turn from the waist.

I was playing in a corporate pro am a few years ago and the pro in our group, teaching pro, did a range of lessons on different aspects of our game. When it came to chipping around the green he was a big advocate of this. 'Keep your arms locked in a V shape' was effectively his advice. For most amateurs I think this is very sound. I have done that ever since and the connection I get is pretty consistent following this approach.

 

[Orikoru]

I was playing in a corporate pro am a few years ago and the pro in our group, teaching pro, did a range of lessons on different aspects of our game. When it came to chipping around the green he was a big advocate of this. 'Keep your arms locked in a V shape' was effectively his advice. For most amateurs I think this is very sound. I have done that ever since and the connection I get is pretty consistent following this approach.

Yeah - as I said above, the more I use my wrists it just seems to make the contact more inconsistent. Keep weight on lead side and keep the arms and club pretty straight and I'm more likely to strike it well.

 

[Mel Smooth]

Bunkers.

Weight on left side
Soft Sand - club face open
Hard Sand - club face more closed to remove the bounce.
Accelerate through the shot

Chipping

Weight on left side
Hard packed or soft muddy lie - toe down
Good lie - toe up
Swing from the shoulders like a pendulum.

Around the greens I will often bump and run a 7 or 8 iron if there's just a little fringe to clear. Normal grip, stance slightly open, make a putting stroke as firm as I would if I was hitting a putt of equal distance.

 

[garyinderry]

Funny you should say that. I had a spell earlier in the year of duffing and knifing all my chips and pitches suddenly - I realised that I had started breaking my wrists which makes my contact point go all over the place. If I focus on not breaking my wrists at all it's much better.

Also related; I've decided that for everything that it's in long-ish grass around the green, and even if there's a decent amount of fringe, I'm chipping with hybrid. I can't chip well with a wedge from those lies when I'm too close to the green, and my putting from off the green is horrendous, always judge it wrong with varying amounts of grass. I have the best results with hybrid so I'm sticking with that from now on.

I have no idea how you chip from rough with the hybrid. I've run a hybrid up a bank of short grass but would never even think of trying it from any kind of rough. Even more so if I have a good bit of grass to get through before the green.

 

[3 jabber]

Hinge and hold, turn the body towards the target and use the speed of turn to control the distance. Keeps the hands out of it. Very little to go wrong.

 

[Orikoru]

I have no idea how you chip from rough with the hybrid. I've run a hybrid up a bank of short grass but would never even think of trying it from any kind of rough. Even more so if I have a good bit of grass to get through before the green.

Just stand close to it and grip down so the heel is off the ground and you're hitting with the toe - use a putting grip and stroke and it pops the ball up out of the grass nicely. No need to worry about strike like you do with a wedge. The strike is always the same. I don't do it from any great distance, just around the green, so it pops up out of the longer grass, then it gets rolling.

 

[garyinderry]

Just stand close to it and grip down so the heel is off the ground and you're hitting with the toe - use a putting grip and stroke and it pops the ball up out of the grass nicely. No need to worry about strike like you do with a wedge. The strike is always the same. I don't do it from any great distance, just around the green, so it pops up out of the longer grass, then it gets rolling.

Why not do that stroke with a wedge though? Surely you are giving up control using the hybrid?

I've a 27 degree hybrid and I don't think I'd ever get better at chipping with that over my sand or lob wedge from the rough.

 

[Arthur Wedge]

Not sure I have seen too many chip from the rough using a hybrid

 

[garyinderry]

Maybe a flat 12 yard chip that you want to pop out and run I could maybe see it being done. Kinda like a chipper. They do a job in those instances.