Into the grain chips - 64* wedge?

[RCGA]

I'm at a new course this year with a lot of in-the-grain chips from the rough around the green. The grass is tick and grabby and you'll either chunk it short or it'll pop out like a flyer. 

 

I have a 60/12 the I use a lot around the greens. It works fine, but I really need to treat it like a flop shot. 

 

I'm wondering if a 62/64* wedge would work well. 

[ThinkingPlus]

Different clubs aren't necessarily the answer. Changing bounce/sole configuration might help some, but must be compatible with other uses and needs of the club.

 

What I have found to work best is to employ techniques which minimize the amount and angle of the sole that interacts with the turf. Never square the face perpendicular to the grain direction. 

 

1) Opening the face helps (lofted shots).

2) Closing the face helps (low driving shots).

3) Lifting the heel and getting closer to the ball (dead hand short shots with face open slightly or closed slightly). This is a James Ridyard approach. 

4) Pahokee chop - ball placed well behind trail heel, most lofted wedge, chop straight down on back of ball (for deep, snarly rough and the ball is down)

 

Try these and variations on the different into-grain situations you encounter. Pick your favorites.  There are no right answers, just preferences that work best for your situation. Good luck.

[North Butte]

5 minutes ago, ThinkingPlus said:

Different clubs aren't necessarily the answer. Changing bounce/sole configuration might help some, but must be compatible with other uses and needs of the club.

 

What I have found to work best is to employ techniques which minimize the amount and angle of the sole that interacts with the turf. Never square the face perpendicular to the grain direction. 

 

1) Opening the face helps (lofted shots).

2) Closing the face helps (low driving shots).

3) Lifting the heel and getting closer to the ball (dead hand short shots with face open slightly or closed slightly). This is a James Ridyard approach. 

4) Pahokee chop - ball placed well behind trail heel, most lofted wedge, chop straight down on back of ball (for deep, snarly rough and the ball is down)

 

Try these and variations on the different into-grain situations you encounter. Pick your favorites.  There are no right answers, just preferences that work best for your situation. Good luck.

I go straight for your option #4 if I can't play some semblance of a normal shot. Fortunately, at the course(s) I most often play I don't get that situation more than a handful of times per year. It'll get the ball out of the gunch but it's often a non-trivial job to get down in two from where it ends up after chopping it out. 

[LoopySwing13]

I agree that more loft won’t always help. I do take my 58 which is highest lofted wedge and play toe down. It helps chop it out/through and comes out kind of dead and runs. Depending on the length I may also go up to a 52 or PW. 

[ShortGolfer]

It is easier to miss with a high lofted wedge like a 60 than a 52.  I have a MD5 52/10S that may be better for digging it out of the rough than a larger lob wedge.

[hammergolf]

1 hour ago, RCGA said:

I'm at a new course this year with a lot of in-the-grain chips from the rough around the green. The grass is tick and grabby and you'll either chunk it short or it'll pop out like a flyer. 

 

I have a 60/12 the I use a lot around the greens. It works fine, but I really need to treat it like a flop shot. 

 

I'm wondering if a 62/64* wedge would work well. 

An adjustment in technique will help you more than just adding loft. The key to into the grain chips is to not let the leading edge dig. You can do this in two ways:

 

The first is you can put the ball in the middle to slightly forward in your stance. This will discourage a steep delivery. The other set up adjustment is to put the shaft in a more vertical position instead of a forward lean position. This will encourage you to use the bounce of the club more. As long as you maintain the same angle in your right wrist (for RH golfer)) the club will slide under the ball and skid through the turf without digging. Key points, more centered ball position, shaft is vertical, and angle in your right wrist never changes through the swing. 

 

If the first adjustment is too hard for you to make, the second way would be to have the leading edge of your wedge ground to be more blunt or what some call “pre worn” . This will help the leading edge to not dig as much into the grain. However, it might have a negative effect on your full shots or those off tighter lies since it slightly raises the leading edge.

 

If you make the first adjustment it will definitely work with a little bit of practice. 

[Doaner84]

I would go to your chipping area and practice that shot with different ball placement before getting a new wedge that potentially wont solve the problem and open up other problems for you.

[ThinkingPlus]

1 hour ago, North Butte said:

I go straight for your option #4 if I can't play some semblance of a normal shot. Fortunately, at the course(s) I most often play I don't get that situation more than a handful of times per year. It'll get the ball out of the gunch but it's often a non-trivial job to get down in two from where it ends up after chopping it out. 

#4 is somewhat of a desperation move. It takes alot of practice to get any degree of distance control. Even then, 10' - 15' is a good result.

[TLUBulldogGolf]

I play these like a bunker shot unless I can clearly get my club on the back of the ball. As far as how the ball comes out, you have to get good at reading the lie and committing to the ball coming out a certain way. Also the club has to keep moving.

[jda]

Because of this, I play a 60/4.  All ball first and then I don't care what happens after I strike it.  Same works for any grain, actually and I can rely on the spin and loft to be the same.

[Ri_Redneck]

Fortunately, this situation is usually uphill or the grain wouldn't be going the way it is. If so, I have successfully hit this shot by chipping with a 7w and by hitting down on the ball with my putter. Both take a lot of caution because the ball will run (putter hops and comes out with topspin). They're about the best ways to get consistent clean contact though.

 

BT

[K48]

Have the toe pointing up on backswing and you will use the bounce thru impact without digging the leading edge.

 

 

[dubbelbogey]

It's my opinion this is a shot where you mostly have to take your medicine and the first (and only?) priority is to to get it back on the green. Don't ever leave yourself the possibility of having to chip twice.

 

I also believe this is not really a shot easily solved by equipment. With significant grain going the wrong way, it's pretty much inevitable the leading edge will catch at least some grass. Ball first contact is not something you should ever expect in this situation.

 

Given all that, I think the right answer is the boring answer. Go to your practice green, stuff some balls down into the turf (I actually go so far as to push them down a bit with my foot) and get a feel for how you need to swing to get the ball back into a semi-decent position. It's not unusual for these shots to have 2x or 3x the swing energy as a standard chip off a tight lie. Some (as mentioned by others above) might even require a flop shot. (Mind you, not one of those miraculous floppers that goes 30 ft vertically and 10 ft forward - but a more easily executed "mini flop".)