The low-flighted shot. The most important (and least discussed) shot in golf?

[ace919]

Being a caddy for 8 years back in the day and playing my fair share of golf, I was always fascinated by player's ability to effortlessly manipulate the ball near the hole. Even on fast greens. I knew players who were in their 60s who could do it just as well as the young folks as well. What exactly are they doing there and how do they do it? 

 

My Thesis is as follows: The low-flighted golf shot is the most important shot in golf that separates a good player from a great player.

 

What do I mean by low flighted shots? 

 

From a long game perspective, these shots are referred to as "bullets" or "stingers." When referring to mid-game, players sometimes call it a "knock-down" shot. In regards to the short game (130 yds and in) and main point of emphassis on this topic, these shots are referred to as "darts." No surprise there, because bullets and darts are synonmous with accuracy. 

 

Why are they more accurate? Why is a putt easier than a chip?  It's not just the distance, it's the the ball flight and wrist action as well. The closer the ball is to the ground, the less variables there are in play, the simpler and more predictable the game becomes.

 

But my low shots run out on the green.. I need to hit the ball high to get the ball to land soft.  This is false. Those wedges you have? Well, just because they are high lofted does not mean that the ball has to go high. You can produce a filthy amount of backspin on those to get them to stop, spin back, however you like it. Mix that in with an intentional low-flighted swing, and you have a deadly combination: A shot that is not only accurate and easier to hit (very little wrist action), but will stop almost on command if properly executed.

 

But I have obstacles to hit over, bunkers between me and the pin, elevated greens, I can't hit that shot in that scenario?. This is wrong as well. See John Rahm video below and Scottie Scheffler's as an example of why a low-flighted spinning shot, even given those circumstances, is clearly the superior choice. 

 

 

I wish someone would have told me all of this a long time ago. Unless the lie dictactes a high shot, you will never see me hitting another high shot again. 

 

 

 

 

[smoky25]

Good timing (and user name).  Just today, my buddy, who normally hits a high ball with his irons, flighted an 8-iron into the wind, landed it 3 feet past the pin, and spun it back into the hole for a hole-in-one.  A beautiful shot.

[LBB]

Ability for better players to rely on lower flighted shots is because they are better and more consistent ball strikers who can consistently hit ball first before the turf and create consistent divots after the ball.  

 

A novice golfer who's ball striking is very inconsistent will have a much harder time playing lower shots back in their stance and with an exaggerated forward shaft lean as it introduces very fat or very thin shots compared to always playing the ball center or forward in their stance.

 

As a golfer progresses with their ball striking, naturally there is a progression to manipulate ball flight and spin.

 

Off the tee on short par 4's, or off a really good lie in the fairway where I'm just laying up, I love going to a knockdown/stinger 5 iron to have more control rather than just hitting a full 4 hybrid.  The stinger 5i shot goes maybe 25 yards shorter than my full swing 4h, but since it's effectively just a lay up anyway, I want to minimize my worst miss which could be in a hazard.

 

I do like to play lower ball flights into greens as well, but if the lie isn't ideal, I know my ball striking isn't consistent enough to attempt it most times.  I don't practice enough either.

 

 

[Mrgreen36]

I love a trap draw wedge.

[ace919]

5 minutes ago, Mrgreen36 said:

I love a trap draw wedge.

First I've heard of this term but I am interested. What is the benefit of hitting a draw on a wedge if you can't get the ball to stop? Doesn't a draw entail a forward spinning golf ball? 

[TheDominator273]

15 minutes ago, ace919 said:

First I've heard of this term but I am interested. What is the benefit of hitting a draw on a wedge if you can't get the ball to stop? Doesn't a draw entail a forward spinning golf ball? 

There is still backspin on a draw, the axis the ball spins at is just tilted to create the right to left movement.

[Ghostwedge]

My son and I discuss this occasionally, he hits towering iron shots into greens  I hit what I call a "quail high" shots, something that drops and stops.

[Mikey_HACKilroy]

Honestly, one does not have to even be a great golfer to hit a low flighted wedge shot, but it does take practice. It's another shot that any golfer that wishes to master the short game must have in their bag of tricks.

I feel like I have a similar shot. It is more like a putting stroke than a pitch, but my follow through is stunted to a similar degree and I manipulate the wedge in a manner that feels like it's an extension of my hand and I'm tossing the ball off the face of the club. I chipped one in two weeks ago doing just that. 

So one should be practicing it early. If a high capper is not practicing wedge play like this, then they'll probably struggle to be a low capper.

I don't claim to be a surgeon around the green. I'm way too early in practicing to reclaim the skill I had, but I don't expect to become a low capper if I don't learn to manipulate the ball with a wedge. Most high cappers stay high cappers because they either don't practice enough or they simply don't have the time to practice enough.

 

I mean, Scottie Scheffler.... it's his job to play golf. 😄

[ace919]

20 minutes ago, TheDominator273 said:

There is still backspin on a draw, the axis the ball spins at is just tilted to create the right to left movement.

Interesting. Is that Scottie clip an example of a trap draw wedge? Trying to find an example of what the ball flight would look like from 40-70 yards hitting a trap draw. 

[Blaiser]

I've been teaching golf a lot lately and I firmly believe learning to hit the punch/stinger shot is the best way to become a good ball striker.

 

Forces the golfer to hit down, have forward shaft lean, and get their body/hips thru the shot correctly.

 

Most golfers have a flip move at impact. You can still hit great shots with a bit of a flip, but will never get the consistency.

 

So IMO hitting a solid low-ball is the sign of a good striker. And it's much easier to dial that back than it is to dial it down.

[Mrgreen36]

1 hour ago, ace919 said:

First I've heard of this term but I am interested. What is the benefit of hitting a draw on a wedge if you can't get the ball to stop? Doesn't a draw entail a forward spinning golf ball? 

 

Realistically, it's only going to move a few yards left in flight, but it will still hit and hold, but in a left direction.  

[phizzy30]

11 hours ago, ace919 said:

First I've heard of this term but I am interested. What is the benefit of hitting a draw on a wedge if you can't get the ball to stop? Doesn't a draw entail a forward spinning golf ball? 

I hit a low trap draw with my wedges when I need to.  I used to exclusively hit the high straight one(Jason Day) with them but changed my swing to incorporate this type of shot from 120 in.  Height is much lower but the ball hits the green skips once either hits the brakes or spins back a foot depending on how soft/hard the green is.  I play the ball slightly back, with some shaft lean and take a bigger divot.  My distance control has gotten so much better as a result with my wedges and my handicap has dropped. 

Edited August 9, 2023 by phizzy30

[TLUBulldogGolf]

15 hours ago, ace919 said:

My Thesis is as follows: The low-flighted golf shot is the most important shot in golf that separates a good player from a great player.

 

You can expand this to overall control of trajectory and spin, especially when considering conditions. 

 

Definitely better to hit the scoring clubs with a lower flight unless the shot absolutely dictates some height is needed.

[PracticeSwinger]

Great video with Rahm. Grabbing my popcorn and letting you guys go on with lie assesment, setup, to-go club, trajectory and spin intentions for those types of shots - one aspect of what I need to lower my cap a tad : closer proximity in the scoring zone and better up and down numbers around the greens.

[getitdaily]

The most important shot in golf is the stock shot.

 

Flighted iron or wedge (heck, a flighted driver) are a key supplemental shot.

[MPStrat]

I love watching videos with pros on short game. Especially Rahm who is as good as there is 

 

Funny though he says he holds the angle instead of releasing 😂 

 

A lot of ams are much more draggy here and the ball comes off the face like a rocket. Not good for distance and spin control. That’s one way to hit it low, but not the best way IMO. 

[MonteScheinblum]

Unless you’re a very skilled player, you shouldn’t do anything but adjust your setup.  You’re A swing is hard enough to perform and repeat without adding extra manipulation. 
 

The 4 lefts.

Edited August 10, 2023 by MonteScheinblum

[ace919]

On 8/8/2023 at 7:55 PM, Blaiser said:

I've been teaching golf a lot lately and I firmly believe learning to hit the punch/stinger shot is the best way to become a good ball striker.

 

Forces the golfer to hit down, have forward shaft lean, and get their body/hips thru the shot correctly.

 

Most golfers have a flip move at impact. You can still hit great shots with a bit of a flip, but will never get the consistency.

 

So IMO hitting a solid low-ball is the sign of a good striker. And it's much easier to dial that back than it is to dial it down.

I'm no teacher, but speaking from first hand experience, learning the game by first hitting down on the ball with a forward shaft lean has done wonders for my ball striking. It's amazing because I see good players (10+ handicap) who still cannot grasp this principle. But I've never seen a low single digit handicap who couldn't compress the golf ball. I don't know where they learned it, and how, but I believe somewhere along the way they understood hitting down on the ball was key. 

 

I was also lucky to keep my standard 3 iron in the bag when I started learning. Really forced me to become a good iron player. I see players today who are learning the game with these "forgiving" clubs (multiple hyrbids and woods in the bag). When that happens, the player is stripped of really having to learn how to hit the sweet spot (2 and 3 irons). The heavy lifting is already done for them. Their swing never develops properly. That's my theory. 

[Pastit]

14 hours ago, ace919 said:

I'm no teacher, but speaking from first hand experience, learning the game by first hitting down on the ball with a forward shaft lean has done wonders for my ball striking. It's amazing because I see good players (10+ handicap) who still cannot grasp this principle. But I've never seen a low single digit handicap who couldn't compress the golf ball. I don't know where they learned it, and how, but I believe somewhere along the way they understood hitting down on the ball was key. 

 

I was also lucky to keep my standard 3 iron in the bag when I started learning. Really forced me to become a good iron player. I see players today who are learning the game with these "forgiving" clubs (multiple hyrbids and woods in the bag). When that happens, the player is stripped of really having to learn how to hit the sweet spot (2 and 3 irons). The heavy lifting is already done for them. Their swing never develops properly. That's my theory. 

Forward shaft-lean with an iron is an absolutely perfect way to learn how to hit a hosel-rocket. Once these start - good luck.

Edited August 11, 2023 by Pastit

[Pepperturbo]

I hit a lot of low punch/stinger trajectory and spin – controlled shots using 2i to SW, sometimes with driver & 3wd.  I don't recall the last time I flighted a shot using LW, impractical.  Low-flighted shots suit windy conditions and why I still have game at my age.

[slytown]

I disagree. The flighted shot is probably the least important shot in golf. If you are talking about full shots that are flighted, they take off a lot of distance for most players, which they don't need, and they are a low percentage shot. The main reason is that they have no distance,  but also they have no spin. Both of those things are essential to stay in the fairway and hold greens.

 

The only time and the only person I would recommend a flighted shot is if the wind is up (side wind or face-on wind) and players with high clubhead speed. Clubbing up and teeing the ball low can do that work for you. I would say .1% of players would benefit from having a stinger in their pocket.

 

I will say though that more players need to learn how and when to chip around the greens, which is another type of low shot. Too many players rely on putter around the greens when a chip will add some spin and control to shots, such as a downhill shot around the green. 

[SNIPERBBB]

7 minutes ago, slytown said:

I disagree. The flighted shot is probably the least important shot in golf. If you are talking about full shots that are flighted, they take off a lot of distance for most players, which they don't need, and they are a low percentage shot. The main reason is that they have no distance,  but also they have no spin. Both of those things are essential to stay in the fairway and hold greens.

Flighted irons have plenty of spin and distance. You're only losing a club or two of carry distance, could be more as needed.  But you make up for it with roll. They are generally straighter as well. If your greens are small and rock hard, then flighted shots probably isnt the best option unless you can land them short of the green and let them roll up.  

[ace919]

On 8/8/2023 at 7:20 PM, Mikey_HACKilroy said:

I feel like I have a similar shot. It is more like a putting stroke than a pitch, but my follow through is stunted to a similar degree and I manipulate the wedge in a manner that feels like it's an extension of my hand and I'm tossing the ball off the face of the club. I chipped one in two weeks ago doing just that. 

This is my thought process as well. The whole principle behind low shots is they just feel easier to hit because they are easier to hit (with a bit of practice at any level). Watching that Scottie chip-in at the masters, NO ONE expected him to go low. Not even the announcers predicted it. The crowd gasps after impact because they thought he just bladed a wedge over a green. This reaction sums up the beatuy of the low-flighted shot. 

[Mikey_HACKilroy]

17 hours ago, MPStrat said:

I love watching videos with pros on short game. Especially Rahm who is as good as there is 

 

Funny though he says he holds the angle instead of releasing 😂 

 

 

Ahh, welcome to the club. The club of....

"Those who have figured out that half of things people spit out in their golf swing jargon is bull @#%$."

 

😆

 

Edited August 10, 2023 by Mikey_HACKilroy

[Mike_C]

My problem with low shots is that start hitting the ball low under pressure, and I mean low.   I tend to get steeper and hit a lot of I guess you would call them punch shots, limiting my follow through.   Part of it is as the original poster says, its easier to hit the ball straight, but I get carried away.   Also, my home course has several doglegs that it you can  hit a fairly high ball you can cut the corners and shorten several holes, low shots just make it harder.  

 

I played my senior club championship the past two days, and it was windy, on some holes where I would normally just launch a driver over a corner, I chickened out and laid up with irons or fairway woods, and some of them were not that good.   But when I get inside 150 yards, this shot is very useful, especially with a lot of wind in play, just have to guard to not hit it too steep/fat.   The downside is this doesn't work on mid/long irons or off the tee....

 

I've worked a long time to not be so steep, but in tournament pressure, especially if my swing feels any bit off, I revert to what I call woodchopping, real steep, big divot, limited follow trough.  

 

However, It worked just enough the past two days, playing the forward tees, I managed to win in a playoff, but man, I hit some really ugly shots.  But my short game, and despite a few three putts from long distance, some very timely good putting saved me. 

[ace919]

2 hours ago, Pepperturbo said:

I hit a lot of low punch/stinger trajectory and spin – controlled shots using 2i to SW, sometimes with driver & 3wd.  I don't recall the last time I flighted a shot using LW, impractical.  Low-flighted shots suit windy conditions and why I still have game at my age.

Agree on it being impractical for the average golfer, however, I've seen the low-flighted shot principles applied to wedges as high as 64 degrees. Here's an example. I mean, this is just unfair (but perfectly legal?), but it just goes to show that low-flighted shots are insanely useful across the board. 

 

 

[glk]

 

[Pepperturbo]

22 hours ago, ace919 said:

Agree on it being impractical for the average golfer, however, I've seen the low-flighted shot principles applied to wedges as high as 64 degrees. Here's an example. I mean, this is just unfair (but perfectly legal?), but it just goes to show that low-flighted shots are insanely useful across the board. 

 

 

Thanks.  I hit low spin, hit check and stop shots rather often, just don't put them in the same category as low flighted, stingers hit with long-mid irons and woods.

Edited August 11, 2023 by Pepperturbo

[phizzy30]

5 hours ago, Pastit said:

Forward shaft-lean with an iron is an absolutely perfect way to learn how to hit a hosel-rocket. One these start - good luck.

All tour pros have some amount of shaft lean with irons.  Before my swing change a couple years ago, I didn't have much shaft lean, barely took a divot and as a result, my distance control was all over the place and my dispersion was suspect.  After getting steeper in transition with more shaft lean, I hit my irons farther, take bigger divots, get more back spin, better distance control and I don't hit big hooks with irons anymore.  Also, the dreaded shank is now gone. 

Edited August 11, 2023 by phizzy30

[Pepperturbo]

On 8/10/2023 at 10:41 AM, Pastit said:

Forward shaft-lean with an iron is an absolutely perfect way to learn how to hit a hosel-rocket. Once these start - good luck.

Never heard of such a thing. 

 

In my case, my 620 MBs & CBs irons have minimal offset, no clubhead lean at impact would expose the leading edge, the culprit behind hosel-rockets.