Change chip/pitch trajectory by changing clubs or ball position?

[barnum1]

Hi,

when you are chipping/pitching around the greens, do you change clubs or ball position to get the trajectory you want? (Or a combination?)

Back in the days, I was taught to use a 7i/8i for low chips and PW/SW for high pitches, and then adjust the ball position in the stance to get different trajectory. But now our pro adviced to keep the ball in the middle of the stance and use a wide range of clubs (7i to LW I guess).

What do the big shots do (if applicable to an 11-handicapper :smile: )?

[jmkenn0]

If you have time to practice it, try all the different combinations and see what fits you best? I tend to chip/pitch everything with one club, my 60*, and use ball position to dictate flight. But I know that's not optimal for most people.

[Obee]

> @barnum1 said:

> Hi,

> when you are chipping/pitching around the greens, do you change clubs or ball position to get the trajectory you want? (Or a combination?)

> Back in the days, I was taught to use a 7i/8i for low chips and PW/SW for high pitches, and then adjust the ball position in the stance to get different trajectory. But now our pro adviced to keep the ball in the middle of the stance and use a wide range of clubs (7i to LW I guess).

> What do the big shots do (if applicable to an 11-handicapper :smile: )?

 

Ball position for me.

 

I do chip with 2 clubs around the green: LW (85%?) and SW (15%?). Usually, though, just moving the ball back to make the LW launch lower and run out more. I only use the SW from uphill lies or when I have a LOT of green to work with.

 

Edited to say I only use the SW from uphill lies or have a LOT of green to work with.

[Moshjean]

Both, but I change clubs more often than ball position.

If you use can use the bounce then it doesn't matter, but switching clubs is more idiot proof than messing around with ball position.

[b.mattay]

I always play a lob wedge with a forward ball position (left nipple). For a low shot, square face and drive thumbs through!

[juststeve]

I hit all my short pitches with a 58 degree wedge but when chipping vary clubs according to how far I want to fly the ball and how much I want it to run out.

[JJK947]

> @Obee said:

> > @barnum1 said:

> > Hi,

> > when you are chipping/pitching around the greens, do you change clubs or ball position to get the trajectory you want? (Or a combination?)

> > Back in the days, I was taught to use a 7i/8i for low chips and PW/SW for high pitches, and then adjust the ball position in the stance to get different trajectory. But now our pro adviced to keep the ball in the middle of the stance and use a wide range of clubs (7i to LW I guess).

> > What do the big shots do (if applicable to an 11-handicapper :smile: )?

>

> Ball position for me.

>

> I do chip with 2 clubs around the green: LW (85%?) and SW (15%?). Usually, though, just moving the ball back to make the LW launch lower and run out more. I only use the SW from uphill lies or when I have a LOT of green to work with.

>

> Edited to say I only use the SW from uphill lies or have a LOT of green to work with.

 

I would echo this, for me it's 54 and 60. 54 is only used from just off the green and plenty of green to work with. 60 for everything else inside probably 85 yards. Can't really see using a wide range of clubs beneficial in the long run. Much easier to develop a precise feel for distance, spin, and trajectory control with one or two clubs than upwards of 5 clubs.

[Obee]

> @JJK947 said:

> > @Obee said:

> > > @barnum1 said:

> > > Hi,

> > > when you are chipping/pitching around the greens, do you change clubs or ball position to get the trajectory you want? (Or a combination?)

> > > Back in the days, I was taught to use a 7i/8i for low chips and PW/SW for high pitches, and then adjust the ball position in the stance to get different trajectory. But now our pro adviced to keep the ball in the middle of the stance and use a wide range of clubs (7i to LW I guess).

> > > What do the big shots do (if applicable to an 11-handicapper :smile: )?

> >

> > Ball position for me.

> >

> > I do chip with 2 clubs around the green: LW (85%?) and SW (15%?). Usually, though, just moving the ball back to make the LW launch lower and run out more. I only use the SW from uphill lies or when I have a LOT of green to work with.

> >

> > Edited to say I only use the SW from uphill lies or have a LOT of green to work with.

>

> I would echo this, for me it's 54 and 60. 54 is only used from just off the green and plenty of green to work with. 60 for everything else inside probably 85 yards. Can't really see using a wide range of clubs beneficial in the long run. Much easier to develop a precise feel for distance, spin, and trajectory control with one or two clubs than upwards of 5 clubs.

 

Tour guys are all over the map with this. I'd love to actually see a study on how many of them use LW well more than 50% of the time around the greens. My guess would be somewhere around 30 - 50% of them?

[JJK947]

> @Obee said:

> > @JJK947 said:

> > > @Obee said:

> > > > @barnum1 said:

> > > > Hi,

> > > > when you are chipping/pitching around the greens, do you change clubs or ball position to get the trajectory you want? (Or a combination?)

> > > > Back in the days, I was taught to use a 7i/8i for low chips and PW/SW for high pitches, and then adjust the ball position in the stance to get different trajectory. But now our pro adviced to keep the ball in the middle of the stance and use a wide range of clubs (7i to LW I guess).

> > > > What do the big shots do (if applicable to an 11-handicapper :smile: )?

> > >

> > > Ball position for me.

> > >

> > > I do chip with 2 clubs around the green: LW (85%?) and SW (15%?). Usually, though, just moving the ball back to make the LW launch lower and run out more. I only use the SW from uphill lies or when I have a LOT of green to work with.

> > >

> > > Edited to say I only use the SW from uphill lies or have a LOT of green to work with.

> >

> > I would echo this, for me it's 54 and 60. 54 is only used from just off the green and plenty of green to work with. 60 for everything else inside probably 85 yards. Can't really see using a wide range of clubs beneficial in the long run. Much easier to develop a precise feel for distance, spin, and trajectory control with one or two clubs than upwards of 5 clubs.

>

> Tour guys are all over the map with this. I'd love to actually see a study on how many of them use LW well more than 50% of the time around the greens. My guess would be somewhere around 30 - 50% of them?

 

I'd be interested to know this as well. My best guess is that it might come down to wedge set up. I would imagine the 54/60 guys would tend to use 60 at a higher percentage than the guys that use the 52/56/60 type setup. Can't see a ton of use for wedges with less than 56 degrees of loft around the greens on a course set up for the Tour in the US.

[DaveGoodrich]

> @JJK947 said:

> > @Obee said:

> > > @barnum1 said:

> > > Hi,

> > > when you are chipping/pitching around the greens, do you change clubs or ball position to get the trajectory you want? (Or a combination?)

> > > Back in the days, I was taught to use a 7i/8i for low chips and PW/SW for high pitches, and then adjust the ball position in the stance to get different trajectory. But now our pro adviced to keep the ball in the middle of the stance and use a wide range of clubs (7i to LW I guess).

> > > What do the big shots do (if applicable to an 11-handicapper :smile: )?

> >

> > Ball position for me.

> >

> > I do chip with 2 clubs around the green: LW (85%?) and SW (15%?). Usually, though, just moving the ball back to make the LW launch lower and run out more. I only use the SW from uphill lies or when I have a LOT of green to work with.

> >

> > Edited to say I only use the SW from uphill lies or have a LOT of green to work with.

>

> I would echo this, for me it's 54 and 60. 54 is only used from just off the green and plenty of green to work with. 60 for everything else inside probably 85 yards. Can't really see using a wide range of clubs beneficial in the long run. Much easier to develop a precise feel for distance, spin, and trajectory control with one or two clubs than upwards of 5 clubs.

 

I double echo this. I'd say that if you can make consistent contact with good (Use the Bounce) technique, then you should be able to make most "around the green" shots with one club, which really helps develop your feel for distance. For me right now, that club is my 58M Vokey. Personally, I find that using various clubs makes it harder for me to visualize the launch/spin that I will get, and therefore I struggle with distance control. However, I do agree, that a lower loft is sometimes necessary for long and/or uphill chips, so I practice those with my 54*.

[bradski]

you can change soo many things with one club. hand forward and back, ball position forward or back, weight forward or back, how you release the club. My recommendation is to find a low and mid trajectory shot that you become very comfortable with and play those 90% of the time. The high flop shot has many variables (grass,ground, grind, ect) and shouldn't be over used.

 

FYi,

 

I am in the same boat as many where I use 1 club, my lob. If I want to hit it like a 7 iron, I put it back in my stance, hands forward, let the head turn over thru impact. This is a shot that i will hit on longer chips, uphill, into grain, all to allow rollout and avoid the checking chip.

 

[North Butte]

Ball forward, middle or back are three (slightly) different shots. They do have slightly different trajectories but not nearly as different as, say, the difference between an 8-iron vs. gap wedge. So the basic trajectory is decided by the club I choose and then I might choose ball forward or back depending on the situation.

 

Normally I'd use the middle ball position but if I want to clip the ball more I'd move it back and if I want to engage the bounce more I'd move it forward. I try not to manipulate my hands forward and back, that's just too unreliable. But moving the ball 8" forward or 8" back is easy and repeatable.

[barnum1]

Thanks for comments! Seems like most of you agree on changing ball position....

[rich_s2]

both, I used to chip with my 48 degree PW but in the last month have incorporated my 54 and 60. I use different ball positions as well. There are a lot of factors that determine which club I use but one of the biggest is the speed at which I have to hit the ball. I like to keep that in a small window so far shots PW and close shots 60 etc. If the rough is thick I like to use the 60 as I have to swing harder which is easier to get through the rough.

[jonsnow]

I tend to use 60 primarily, if I have extra room I'll use 54. One particular shot always gave me a lot of trouble. My home course has a couple of greens with severe upslopes; with the pin on the back tier & the ball just in front of the green, I've found it much better to use a PW or 9-iron to get the ball up the slope & all the way to the back tier. A higher lofted club played back in the stance will produce a similar trajectory but spins much more & the ball digs into the slope & ends up rolling back on the bottom tier.

[gsea33]

Annika Sorenstam said Tiger told her to pick one club to use around the green and learn all the shots with it and thats what she did. Fore me I use a 54 deg wedge for 90% of my shots

[rwc356]

I fall into the one club group (PW) and move it around in my stance to adjust trajectory. When I play an older style course which promotes / allows the bump and run approach, then I will change clubs (7-8 iron) depending on the distance.

[Lefthook]

60* most of the time. Sometimes more club outside 25 yards, occstionally I keep it on the grown & low spin with the pw. But it really boils down which shot I’m more comfortable at the moment. Some days I use the lw for every shot inside 70 yards, other days not.

[Z1ggy16]

On chip shots with a good to decent lie, I like getting the ball on the ground as fast as possible. I have a standard ball position and swing, and I change the club depending on how far I need to ball to go. I try to have as few variables as I can.

 

All bets off though on weird or buried lies. If I'm short sided and in some thick rough I'm probably taking my Hi Toe out and opening the face up, regardless if it's 10, 15 or 20 yards, etc.

[trilerian]

I generally use my 58* vokey for everything inside of 70 yds. There are of course exceptions, under trees mainly and also those short sided shots to the pin where you are just into the rough. Normally I don't use the back ball position either, as I want to use the bounce as much as I can on chips and pitches.

[North Butte]

> @jonsnow said:

> I tend to use 60 primarily, if I have extra room I'll use 54. One particular shot always gave me a lot of trouble. My home course has a couple of greens with severe upslopes; with the pin on the back tier & the ball just in front of the green, I've found it much better to use a PW or 9-iron to get the ball up the slope & all the way to the back tier. A higher lofted club played back in the stance will produce a similar trajectory but spins much more & the ball digs into the slope & ends up rolling back on the bottom tier.

 

I deliberately take it to an extreme and use a 7-iron in those situations. It just drives me nuts when even a 9-iron shot that I happen to nip cleanly does that little dig on the first bounce and comes up 20 feet short. Never yet seen a 7-iron check up on a 25-yard chip shot that only travels 5 yards in the air!

[Mcgeeno]

I change the club mostly.

 

9 iron/GW for a runner. SW/LW for a higher shot.

 

I keep ball position and technique pretty stock unless I need to hit a specialty shot.

 

I played a couple courses this weekend with the high rough/tight fringe combo and utilized a hybrid pop type shot a few times.