Stopping the ball on firm greens

[duncan mackie]

So back to the original issue........How do you play a bump and run to a small green with a pond between you and the hole when your 40 yards out. And even a 60degree doesn't stop on it. If its short your in the water, if its long you roll off the back oob. The green slopes towards you but still wont hold, seen very low hcappers struggle to hold it, so me off 21 how should I approach it...

Some have said course management.........At my level that can only help so much I still duff and slice/hook shots now and then and am always looking to improve...........

as some have indicated, it is course management - because course management is only about going forwards anyway! the keys to CM include -

1. accept where you are and accept the limitations that this brings
2. consider the alternatives honestly
3. commit to your chosen solution completely; it doesn't really matter if it's the wrong choice until after the event, but it matters a lot if you don't commit to it because you won't perform!

in this particular case

1. I've put myself in a difficult situation to play my natural shot. If I play that shot comfortably clear of the bunker it's probably going 30ft past the hole.
2. I could try a Phil M soft flop, I could try and get extra super spin on the shot, I could pitch it exactly 2ft over the bunker with one bounce into the fringe, two bounces there and it should just roll up to the hole.... or I can land it on the fringe and accept that it will probably end up 30' past (do I need to adjust my line in case 30' isn't available?)
3. OK, I'm not Phil so the full swing semi fat solf flop is out, I'm not Sergio or Seve so let's leave that option alone - I have 50ft behind the flag, so playing it normally and within my comfort zone is fine; just going to have a long putt back (but at least I get to see the break and get a read on the slope/speed as the ball rolls over there. Now, (whatever your positive swing thought is for such shots eg hands leading the clubhead and accelerate through the ball....) and perform.

Note, if it goes in the bunker, or you thin it through the green, and your first thought is 'I knew that was going to happen' you have failed in 2 or 3 above or should have putted round the bunker in the first place!

 

[mikee247]

Ive had the green issues explained to me and although it wont be the same for everyone it does kind of make sense if you think about it..... The weather is about 6 weeks late. What I mean in brief is, that its still cold and the grasses are growing late. In our case the normally fantastic green which have two different grasses in them that are growing uneven and providing bumpy greens.

What this means is that although you can still water them via sprinklers or should be etc they wont be growing like they used to because its still been unusually cold for this time of year and therefore providing that nice lush thick set of grass on the top which will hold your ball when you approach in the summer. Its different in the winter of course because the greens are damp and soft so hold the ball. So with all this rain now and hopefully an increase in temp soon you should see the growth catch up soon and we can attack some flags and see some "action" on the greens.

 

[duncan mackie]

.. providing that nice lush thick set of grass on the top which will hold your ball when you approach in the summer.....

it's more to do with the base and the grass height for the spin to take effect, but yes, the annual meadow grass greens are still struggling with uneven growth all over the country and some are being left longer than usual right now to self seed as well (which gives a lush thick set top that is both slow and won't hold well!).

 

[Slab]

as some have indicated, it is course management - because course management is only about going forwards anyway! the keys to CM include -

1. accept where you are and accept the limitations that this brings
2. consider the alternatives honestly
3. commit to your chosen solution completely; it doesn't really matter if it's the wrong choice until after the event, but it matters a lot if you don't commit to it because you won't perform!

in this particular case

1. I've put myself in a difficult situation to play my natural shot. If I play that shot comfortably clear of the bunker it's probably going 30ft past the hole.
2. I could try a Phil M soft flop, I could try and get extra super spin on the shot, I could pitch it exactly 2ft over the bunker with one bounce into the fringe, two bounces there and it should just roll up to the hole.... or I can land it on the fringe and accept that it will probably end up 30' past (do I need to adjust my line in case 30' isn't available?)
3. OK, I'm not Phil so the full swing semi fat solf flop is out, I'm not Sergio or Seve so let's leave that option alone - I have 50ft behind the flag, so playing it normally and within my comfort zone is fine; just going to have a long putt back (but at least I get to see the break and get a read on the slope/speed as the ball rolls over there. Now, (whatever your positive swing thought is for such shots eg hands leading the clubhead and accelerate through the ball....) and perform.

Note, if it goes in the bunker, or you thin it through the green, and your first thought is 'I knew that was going to happen' you have failed in 2 or 3 above or should have putted round the bunker in the first place!

Thanks for taking the trouble to post this, I don't think any aspect of CM can ever be posted too often or read too little...just have to remember it this weekend now

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Before playing Minchinhampton Common last Saturday I was speaking to a member and he commented about their small and rather 'firm' greens (very). I said I'd be doing a lot of links-type approach shots, bump and run etc. He said 'not when you see what is around the greens'. Well I have to say dear member - you don't have much experience of links golf or imagination as I was able to play a links approach shot just about whenever I wanted - maybe not a little 7i bump and run - but that is not the only links golf approach shot. Only stuck ball up in air with wedge or sand wedge when I had to get over a greenside bunker - and then I had to acceopt that I would styrughle to dtop the ball on the green (which I couldn't). Throw ball up in the air - actually - not as necessary as many might think.

And Duncan is spot on with his CM posting. Accept your limitations, accept that you must use your shot if you have one, play the shot you know you can play best, and that if executed (as well as you'd hope) gives you the easiest next shot. Just as Duncan said - better the shot to the back of the green and the putt you can try and read.

 

[garyinderry]

not to worry. normal service has resumed. the rains have returned to the uk. and how