Half pitches with spin

[tanj]

How do I do this?

I'm at the stage of my game where im consistently shooting in the high 70's but half-pitches seems to be one of the areas I'm not strong in.

My distance control is good with all my wegdes but they always pop up high and fall down with almost no spin. I can get plenty of spin with all my irons but just not on half-pitches. For me I try and hit down on the ball to lead with the hands but this just results in a high shot which makes no sense.

How do you hit those half-pitches so that they stop on the 2nd or 3rd bounce?

Thanks in advance. Josh

[dannybsj]

finish low

[crew_138]

don't release...? leave club face open don't roll it over... and finish low.

[spk74]

spin, generally, comes from clubhead speed and sharp grooves. to get spin from a half shot (<clubhead speed), I try to pinch the ball.

 

The grooves on my previous set of wedges (900 RTG's) went dull pretty quickly. You might look into regrooving them or getting a new set of heads, if that is part of your problem. my 588 RTG's and current Vokeys have retained grooves much better.

[sebastian]

It usually only works of a rather tight lie. Take a short backswing, accellerate through the ball and only take a small to no divot at all. You might feel, like your even hitting the ball sort of thin. You ought to hit the ball first anyway and you really should be connected. It helps to gain most of the clubhead speed out of a slightly bigger shoulder turn, compared to what you usually do. So, bigger shoulder turn, shorter backswing, trapping the ball, almost thin, little to no divot, premium ball, tight lie, and lots of talent should do the trick.

[tarik]

I disagree, I think a divot should be taken. A descending blow is necessary for this shot and it will always result in taking a divot out. The ball should be played back in your stance and the hands should be quite throughout the swing. Also, make sure that your weight is placed on your left side (for right handed player) and kept there throughout the swing. A softer ball is very helpful as well.

[peteman29]

I'm at the stage of my game where im consistently shooting in the high 70's but half-pitches seems to be one of the areas I'm not strong in.

 

My distance control is good with all my wegdes but they always pop up high and fall down with almost no spin. I can get plenty of spin with all my irons but just not on half-pitches. For me I try and hit down on the ball to lead with the hands but this just results in a high shot which makes no sense.

 

How do you hit those half-pitches so that they stop on the 2nd or 3rd bounce?

 

Thanks in advance. Josh

 

See the David Toms article on how to hit the hop and stop wedge on Golf Digest website