Pros chipping with a lob wedge

[rapper]

When i watch golf on sky nearly all the pros seem to use a lob wedge when chipping and get more roll than i can ,how do they play the shot?its usually from just off the green,i am told to use the 6 iron like a putter some times i fat it and some times fluff it...any advice please?
i am playing of 16 and a senior...

 

[Swinger]

Put the ball back in your stance and hit down on it with a positive accelerating blow.

'accelerating' doesn't mean fast though!

 

[brendy]

Keep your eye on the back of the ball also helps get a crisp strike, since starting this, I could count the number of fluffs on the course on one finger. It definately concentrates the mind in hitting the ball properly and not watching where it is yet to go.

 

[Alex1975]

Ball back, weight forward as has been said. I find if you get too wristy you put alot of backspin on the ball and it will check up too fast on the 1st bounce.

So I guess deloft the club and dont get too busy with your wrists if you have a little way to go to the pin.

Disclamer: This is just what works for me to alow the ball to run out.

 

[rossef2]

the further you play your hands infront of the ball the more it will run it, try a few different shots with it, very useful

 

[Tiger]

Question. Why would you want the ball to roll out with a lob wedge? And why deloft it by putting it back in your stance instead of using a lower lofted wedge?

No sarcasm intended honest questions.

 

[Tiger]

Also don't they get more roll because the greens are faster?

 

[jammydodger]

I'm not a great believer in using the lob wedge for pitch and runs. It seems to me that you have to do all the work rather than letting the club do it for you. too much unpredictability with it so I would use the gw,pw or 9 iron depending on how far it has to run

 

[Tiger]

I'm not a great believer in using the lob wedge for pitch and runs. It seems to me that you have to do all the work rather than letting the club do it for you. too much unpredictability with it so I would use the gw,pw or 9 iron depending on how far it has to run

That's what I was thinking and certainly what I was taught.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I agree. Gary Smith has a very good DVD to go with his linear technique and he advocates using anything from a hybrid up to a PW to get it to run the correct distance. He just wants it to land on the putting surface and run out without looking for any sort of spin or check. Much simpler process

 

[RGDave]

Yes. I (for one?) thought that pros use all their wedges around the greens. Maybe some of these roll-out shots were played with a PW?

 

[timgolfy]

Phil Mickelson, in his Short Game DVD, says he plays nearly all of his shots with his thin-soled 60 wedge.

 

[RGDave]

Yeh, but that's Phil.

He's a one trick pony around the greens.

 

[EZprophet]

Question. Why would you want the ball to roll out with a lob wedge? And why deloft it by putting it back in your stance instead of using a lower lofted wedge?

No sarcasm intended honest questions.

You wouldnt, and you wouldnt, and no one does...

Not even Phil... He does say in his DVD something like "when I was a kid I learned to play all of the different shots with just my lob wedge, including the bump and run" and then he demonstrates a bump and run with his lob wedge but he also says that he only uses his 60 degree around the greens which is complete BS, as when you watch him on TV he clearly uses lots of different clubs around the green.

The thing with Phil is that he is so good at hitting that spinny little chip shot with the lob wedge that he uses it so often and in situations where most other players would play a bump and run type shot with a less lofted club.

 

[brendy]

It all depends on what you are comfortable with.
I like playing the low checkers with my 58, it feels like I have more control than trying to run say, an 8 iron that might catch a bit of turf or bit of grass and deflect the club slightly. The 58 wouldnt do that as I am hitting it a little harder. Each to their own though.

 

[pokerjoke]

Using a 60 degree for all shots around the green are a complete no no,i used to do it,but after many duffs it now only ventures out accasionally.Now i use a pw or 8 iron it seems a safer option.

 

[timgolfy]

Having just watched Phil Mickelson's DVD again, his first suggested method for playing the low running shot is to use a less-lofted club. Then he goes on to explain how he learned to do this with his 60.

 

[Whee]

After a decent spell and a chip in with my PW, I started using my 60* lob wedge instead.

I love it and feel like I have much more control over where the ball will end up, usually only leaving myself within 10 foot for a (usually) single putt.

My distance control with the PW wasn't great, but that was only through a lack of practise - I just find the LW a lot easier to hit and control.

If I could learn to get the ball to check or even spin, i'd be over the moon.

 

[chrisd]

I almost always use my 58* Vokey any where round the green. The reasoning is that I only have to learn the characteristics of one (maybe 2) clubs instead of several if you chip with a variety of different clubs

I just decide on ball position, hand position, strength of swing etc according to the shot I require

The gap, sand and pitching wedges are almost always for full shots


Chris

 

[Region3]

Another example of there being more than one way to peel a cat in golf.

I decide where I want to land the ball, then decide what club would best get it there with enough roll to reach the hole. I might decide the landing spot is 6 yards away, but it could be anything from 8i to SW depending on how much further the ball has to go to reach the hole.

I'm not saying I manage it a lot, but to me leaving the ball more than about 4' away is a fail.