Golf Shot Terminology - Various Shot Types

[robbyvegas]

... And Other Questions That Will Demonstrate Ignorance!

Thanks to all the pros and avid golfers out there that are so willing to help the newer golf nuts out. Watching some instructional videos, it has become clear to me that I don't really understand various types of different shots. Can someone elaborate? Specifically, I'm wondering about the following terms:

Pitch-
Chip-
Flop-
Wedge Shot-
Punch-
Knock Down-
Lob-
Cut Lob-

and I'm sure there are many others that I should know about. Please feel free to elaborate both on what the terms mean (what the shot is supposed to look like/result in) as well as the technique involved. Also feel free to bring up other shot types that I haven't listed here.

The next question is about wedges and kind of goes along with the previous question. Having just purchased a new set of clubs (my second set) I now have more than one wedge. I'm a bit confused about how/when to use each one. Wedge-wise, I have a Titleist 775.CB PW (I'm actually not sure on the angle of this one), 52* Vokey, 56* spin milled Vokey, and 60* spin milled Vokey. Until now, I have always used the 60* wedge for any shot that is within the 65-70 yard range. Hence, I'm using a 60* wedge when I'm 50 feet from the green and from the fringe. I haven't been considering distance from the pin when I'm close to the green at all. I'm beginning to feel like this is probably an important consideration. I'm also not sure when I should try to bump and run vs. chipping (or at least what I know to be chipping right now).

Any help figuring all of this out would be great.

Thanks again!
Rob

[robbyvegas]

31 people have reviewed, but none have answered... Are my questions that bad? :russian_roulette:

 

Sigh...

[MBuckler]

i could answer this for you...but its a crap load of typing... :russian_roulette:

 

as soon as have some free time i'll give you some basic def. for the shots listed above...lemme work on it.

[robbyvegas]

Lol. Thanks. Is there a resource online somewhere that I should refer to instead? I'd hate to give you carpel tunnel.

 

Best Regards,

 

Rob

[El Guapo]

I'll step up to the plate and answer best I can:

 

Pitch: 50->15 yds. Ball flight = steady parabolic arc (no delofting). Smooth flight w/ moderate check.

Chip: 15->1 yd. Ball flight = medium high (no delofting). Quick check w/ little release.

Flop: 15->3 yd. Ball flight = HIGH and short. Stops dead in it's tracks. Severely open face and stance. Better have a fluffy lie and a stable head for this one. Best to avoid situations where this shot is required (don't short-side the greens).

Wedge Shot: 110->50 yds.

Punch: Greenside. This is really a recovery shot anywhere else but greenside. When greenside, best to not have any obstacles between you and your target. Ball well in back of stance. Short swing (both Low in the backswing and follow through). Ball will travel very low and have an absolute TON of check if you commit to accelerating through impact and not breaking the wrists.

Knock down: 110-> 25 yds. Ball flight = Low and penetrating. DE-Lofted. Closed face, ball way in back of stance with a smooth swing, LOW finish and no wrist-break. Usually go with a club that is 125% of the total distance of the shot required. In other words, from the distance you would normally hit a PW, hit an 8-iron instead. You need to swing slower so as not to impart too much spin and hence balloon the shot. The lowered loft and softer swing will keep it down. This is only really ever a relevant shot when into a headwind.

Lob: Essentially a longer flop shot. I find them only useful when inside 75% of my full-club distance since it will obviously go higher than normal. Slightly open stance and club face. Ball in middle of stance. Swing down the line and finish HIGH. DON'T try and help the ball get up! Let the loft do all the work. Best used when a hazard lies between you and your target.

Cut Lob: Same as Lob, but...open your body from the target line and swing more outside in. Ball in middle of stance and finish HIGH. This shot is designed the move the ball to the right. Not necessarily in the air, but to have the ball spin out to the right. This is good for a shot that needs get well back in the right corner of a green. VERY difficult to execute, but will freak out your competitors when you scoot one in on a tight-right pin placement.

 

The landing area for any of the above shots could range from the fringe to just past the hole. This is where the greens topography comes into play. There's no "one-place" to land any of the above shots. There are, however, many places you DON'T want to land them. I find it best to avoid the low percentage shots as much as possible. In any given round, I may have to flop or lob just once. My strength (in the wedge game) is the driven chips and pitches. I make every effort to avoid short-siding elevated greens. I am NOT a 4 wedge guy. I have a 49* PW, 53.5* (lots of bounce) and a 58*(M-grind, low bounce). High bounce (8* or greater) is great for fluffly lies (Grass or Sand). Low bounce is good off hard-pan or other tight lies. Most all of my shots inside 100 yds can be executed using my 58*. I would suggest getting to know your wedge and your putter intimately. These are the two clubs you WILL use the most. I just played a round Sunday where I hit only 2 greens in regulation and yet shot a 74. My wedge and putter became the fantastic duo that kept my score from reeling out of control.

[Pole_Position]

Shots typically from 40 - 50 yds and in:

 

Chip: typically played using 6 iron up to a wedge; object is to hit a low spin shot that gets on the green and runs out to the hole. Low trajectory compared to pitch or flop.

 

Pitch: shot played with a highly lofted club (wedge) that is designed to go a short distance with a higher trajectory and more spin then a chip, thus it should land closer to the hole. Medium trajectory compared to chip or flop.

 

Flop: typically played close in to green with highest lofted wedge with face opened up to add even more loft; produces shot with very high trajectory that lands softly next to hole. Highest trajectory compared to chip or pitch.

 

Shots typically from 40 - 100 (or more) yds:

 

Punch: typically played with more club then normally called for for the shot (i.e. if the shot normally calls for wedge but you use an 8 iron). Idea is to use an abbreviated swing and to keep the ball low with less spin and run it onto green up to the pin.

 

Knock-down: a lower than normal shot for that club. Typically done by manipulating your swing in such a way that your hands are well ahead of the clubhead at impact, delofting the club and producing a lower flight. Usually produces more spin than a punch shot.

 

Wedge: may just be a full wedge shot or another name for a pitch shot.

 

Lob: a high, soft landing shot typically hit using a lob (60*) wedge. Different from a flop shot in that it's typically hit without opening the club face at setup.

 

Cut lob: using a lob wedge, trying to cut or slice underneath the ball to produce a high shot with more spin from close in to to a really tight pin.

 

These are how I understand the terms; could write a whole book on technique (see Pelz).

 

:russian_roulette:

[MBuckler]

yea...what they said...

 

i guess im just a really slow typist...and really lazy

[robbyvegas]

Excellent. Thanks for the info. It clears up a great deal. The only question that I have remaining is about how/when to use which wedge... Can anyone out there provide me with the basics on this one? I expect that this is a course management issue and not a full golf lesson. Say for example that I'm 5 feet short of the fringe with a flat green; pin location is dead center of the green and 30 feet away total. Maybe that verses a shot where everything is the same except that the pin is at the front of the green, say a total of 7 or 8 feet away from my lie. Different shots? Different clubs? How should I play this?

 

Cheers!

Rob

[El Guapo]

To answer your last question:

The old rule is to use whatever club gets the ball on the green and rolling the soonest. This might mean using a 3-iron from 5 feet off the green and a pin 30 feet away. Use a putting type stroke for this shot. Read the grain and slope just like a putt and treat it as such. I happen to use a 58 wedge for the simple fact that that is what I've become accustomed to using. It doesn't necessarily mean it's right, but it works for me. Practice is always going to be the indicator of what works best for you. I have a friend who alternates between his 5 and 8 irons when just off the green. I have another who will use his hybrid. Different strokes for different folks.