The Wizard Short Game Technique Videos(merged)

[Ezgolfer]

My new hand ground tour dept V grind vokey .
Square toe , rolled of eading edge , thin topline ..
[attachment=1960730:20131123_095536.jpg][attachment=1960734:20131123_095516.jpg][attachment=1960732:20131123_095455.jpg]

[thepinkbomber]

Seems like new way of pitching and chipping. Had short game lessons this season and same advice.

Bounce = your friend.

Open face very slightly to enhance bounce..

My swing thought is "wide and slide under ball" versus "lift and hit down on the ball and compress"

The theory which I believe is true will enhance your misses.

[Tanner25]

Thanks, Dan. I used your tip and it worked great. Especially, going over a trap with nothing to work with. Thanks! Tanner

[GeoffDickson]

I hit 8 poor chips using iteach's method today...used iteach's name in vain 8 times. All shots, short, to the right and definitely not hot (ie coming off the club very poorly)
On the practice range I persevered and experimented. Had a lot more success when I ensured some shaft lean. Re-reading this thread the comments about a flat left wrist at impact appear very pertinent to me. Inspect this might have been my problem.

I can nearly see some light at the end of the tunnel.

[Rodabodem]

Just hit the bottom of the ball while making sure your arms keep going.
btw- bottom of the ball = part touching the ground.

[GeoffDickson]

I think I misunderstood the putting analogy. I think I have had my hands too high, and that I have been standing too close to the ball. The heel of my club has not been touching the ground at address.

I also note from the video that at address the club shaft needs to be up the left arm. I have not been doing this...this is no doubt related to absence of shaft lean at impact that I discuss above.

Is the key part of the putting analogy the notion of that the wrists don't break on backswing and follow through?

[Rodabodem]

Shaft should make a straight line with the forearm. Wrists WILL move VERY slightly. Most people have too much wrist movement so a good feel is keeping the wrists still, but in reality they will move the very slightest amount. I have a bunch of videos of the best putters in the world on a friend's computer and all of them have a VERY slight wrist movement. It's so small it almost isn't noticeable.

[Stretch]

This is a great method. You can use a conceptually similar approach for chipping with lower lofted clubs, too, as demoed below.

[media=]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FA8y9EdngTk[/media]

[Ezgolfer]

Bump and pray .....

[GeoffDickson]

Had some success today by ensuring the club was low on takeaway and by default shallow coming in....actually found the sweet spot for once. That and forward shaft lean.

[GeoffDickson]

Three chips today.

Chunked the first.
Holed out the second.
Popped the third and left it three feet short.

Worked on things on the practice chipping green afterwards.

I hit it very well when I make a conscious effort to get right shoulder lower thru impact. Never missed the sweet spot. Was able to hit some high chip shots off the green with barely a mark on the green. I suspect my shoulder turn is very flat unless I give it some thought. With a flat turn, the ball is hard to reach.

[GeoffDickson]

Three weeks later, I am having ALOT more success now...I actually look forward to greenside chips.

[MyShortGameSucks]

After reading through a couple of threads on this last night, I gave this a go at the range today. Used my 60-12 and 56-14. Seems very straightforward. The tricky bit is to trust the more forward appearing ball position. I had never tried standing the club up like at and I can definitely see how shallows the swing. Now the caveat is that this is from a range mat but contact seemed pretty clean and distance was consistent. I had previously been using the Utley method. Found his pitching method as good but I struggled with the chipping technique. This method seems simpler...

Of course I have had "aha" moments before and will reserve judgement until I hit off of some wet fairways -still I am encouraged!

[HoganAfficianado]

[quote name='iteachgolf' timestamp='1383141247' post='8078092']
[quote name='Sabre3' timestamp='1383141018' post='8078072']
Dan,
In Utleys method, it seems to be very similar except he uses the pivot to drive it. Is your method more of a feel of the arms driving the shot distance? Like how you use arms to regulate putting distance? It would seem they both work but need to find out what the player likes to feel as his distance controller. Hope that makes sense.
[/quote]
Hands and arms are only direct contact to club. Never going to be precise distance control wise using pivot for distance control. Utley swings his arms around his body and is not using his pivot to control distance
[/quote]

Could you explain why using the pivot would be bad for distance control?

[Hstead]

Can't wait to get the full video, should be finished soon I would imagine since this teaser from the short game video is complete. I have been having a difficult time with this shot myself and find I have this shot more frequent than I would like. I have been consistently hitting this shot too low and too far. Tried this method, especially the c0cking of the wrists sooner and pointing the thumbs at the ground on the abbreviated finish. Hit a really good shot from a dicey downhiller with no green to work with. Full length video should be full of these pearls.

http://youtu.be/cXWQIdUGSMo

[bd59]

What's the latest on the DVD/video?? I emailed him last about 10 days ago and he stated 2-3 weeks still.

[Va_Golfer86]

Yea I can't wait for the video to come out either. Is it gonna be a youtube release or digital download?

[Hstead]

[quote name='Va_Golfer86' timestamp='1404743377' post='9651519']
Yea I can't wait for the video to come out either. Is it gonna be a youtube release or digital download?
[/quote]

I may be wrong, I will get clarification, but I think it is going to be part of the Athlete Nation which I think you will probably log in to and watch it there. Again, Dan hasn't told me much and I haven't asked a lot of questions, so I could be totally wrong. Maybe Dan will stop in and explain how we all will be able to download it? I think Athlete Nation produces these videos for several different sports and then they are the source.

[vaterman]

[quote name='Hstead' timestamp='1404702475' post='9649813']
Can't wait to get the full video, should be finished soon I would imagine since this teaser from the short game video is complete. I have been having a difficult time with this shot myself and find I have this shot more frequent than I would like. I have been consistently hitting this shot too low and too far. Tried this method, especially the c0cking of the wrists sooner and pointing the thumbs at the ground on the abbreviated finish. Hit a really good shot from a dicey downhiller with no green to work with. Full length video should be full of these pearls.

[media=]http://youtu.be/cXWQIdUGSMo[/media]
[/quote]
HStead,
Thank you very much for re-opening this entire thread. For some reason I missed it and didn't see it last year. Now I read through it and figured that this technique sounded "too easy" but I gave it a try in my back yard for 15 minutes with incredible results. Without further practise I tryed it out on my round yesterday and it worked perfectly. I need to get the feel for distance a little better but I was amazed at how easy and consitent this technique is.

The ultimate test was when I had to play from a dropzone over a 40 yard hazard to a elavated green and a tucked pinplacement. The ball had landed in a divot with dried out clay in the buttom. Normally a perfect guarrantee for a bladed shot. But with this technique... a great, soft high flight that landed a bit short on the green but none the less a fantastic shot.

I played with our club-pro and when he saw that he was... "WTF... How did you do that". I just told him: Square you stance, ball position under your left armpit and when you swing only focus on clubface and hands staying on the same line. He was puzzled to say the least but he tried it out and then he said that he had to teach this technique too. It is almost to easy and will be a great help for most of our members.

[Hstead]

Yep, when I first went to JAX I would play the ball back, try to keep the hands forward yada yada and I would chunk or blade shots, especially if I had not been practicing a ton. Now I am so comfortable with playing the ball way forward and being shallow that I do not think much about the technical part and can hit different trajectories by just thinking about how I want the ball to fly and it just happens. My playing buddy asked me the other day how I hit the ball so high and short sometimes and I really couldn't tell him with the exception of ball way forward and staying shallow and then just "seeing" the shot. It just kind of happens.

[joeunc]

All the final edits are done on his videos and he is hoping for sometime next week for the release.

[pinhigh27]

Honestly I use this technique for 90 % + of short game shots. It's just simple and produces a consistent shot. Never gotten up and down more in my life. Literally the only problem I have sometimes is that I don't get enough shaft lean and pitch it short and a little right. This is 1/10 shots and due to being an idiot. This is especially perfect for downhill lies to fast greens, like shown in Dan's video. Nothing like knowing your buddies are licking their chops because you are long on a green sloping back to front and it stimps 12, but then you pitch it to 3 feet and you know all they're thinking is " how the f*ck did he just do that?"

[bowabowa]

I've had similar success adopting Dan's short game method around the greens. My pitching and bunker play has never been better.

The only problem I still have from time to time is trying to hit a lower running chip when it's called for. I use my 60 for everything around the green, play the ball up in my stance, narrow stance etc but I tend to hit these high and short when trying to cover a longer distance when there is nothing to go over (long straight chip/pitch). For these is it better to abandon the 60 and drop back to something a little less lofted?

[Hstead]

@bowa - On longer shots, especially uphill, I aim for the top of the flag sometimes instead of the spot where I want to land it. I had heard that before but my last lesson Dan echoed that and said that is how he plays some of them too. As is everything a little trial and error on when to aim at the top of the stick and from what distances etc is in order, but I found that made a difference for me on longer shots. I would guess I aim more at the top of the flag once I get to about 25 to 30 yards.

[pinhigh27]

[quote name='bowabowa' timestamp='1404914093' post='9665849']
I've had similar success adopting Dan's short game method around the greens. My pitching and bunker play has never been better.

The only problem I still have from time to time is trying to hit a lower running chip when it's called for. I use my 60 for everything around the green, play the ball up in my stance, narrow stance etc but I tend to hit these high and short when trying to cover a longer distance when there is nothing to go over (long straight chip/pitch). For these is it better to abandon the 60 and drop back to something a little less lofted?
[/quote]

I feel like more forward lean too or just use less loft. I mean the whole point of playing it up is to get shallow to increase the forgiveness, so you just have to do that while presenting less loft and you'll be good to go.

[Spartagus84]

How do you handle this technique/set up when the ball nestles down in thick Bermuda rough around the green. Living here in florida we have thick rough typically this time of year.

[bowabowa]

Ha ha, those are the fun ones. Open the face, lower the handle and drop the right foot back. Then just make sure you don't stop the right arm and swing away. You can be short sided in rough and make it pop straight up and stop. Heck if anything the problem I have now is flopping it too good and leaving it short. I was short sided on a downhill bare lie a few weeks ago with about 15 yards to the pin. Used this technique and popped it straight up and dropped it on the short side of the pin on the green and stopped it. That drew some funny looks from my playing partners.

[quote name='Spartagus84' timestamp='1404929279' post='9667607']
How do you handle this technique/set up when the ball nestles down in thick Bermuda rough around the green. Living here in florida we have thick rough typically this time of year.
[/quote]

[Spartagus84]

[quote name='bowabowa' timestamp='1404930178' post='9667695']
Ha ha, those are the fun ones. Open the face, lower the handle and drop the right foot back. Then just make sure you don't stop the right arm and swing away. You can be short sided in rough and make it pop straight up and stop. Heck if anything the problem I have now is flopping it too good and leaving it short. I was short sided on a downhill bare lie a few weeks ago with about 15 yards to the pin. Used this technique and popped it straight up and dropped it on the short side of the pin on the green and stopped it. That drew some funny looks from my playing partners.

[quote name='Spartagus84' timestamp='1404929279' post='9667607']
How do you handle this technique/set up when the ball nestles down in thick Bermuda rough around the green. Living here in florida we have thick rough typically this time of year.
[/quote]
[/quote]

Are you using a hinge method with your left wrist or are you still using a putting method and keeping the left wrist firm while hitting this shot?

[pinhigh27]

[quote name='Spartagus84' timestamp='1404929279' post='9667607']
How do you handle this technique/set up when the ball nestles down in thick Bermuda rough around the green. Living here in florida we have thick rough typically this time of year.
[/quote]

Funny enough, Dan has a video for that too:

[url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtdQrtP1B70"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtdQrtP1B70[/url]

Between this and answering my twitter questions, he has made my game so much more consistent it's insane.

[Hstead]

These are great questions and I think the new video will answer them all in more depth than he has in the past. For the guys that have first hand in person lessons, a lot of the stuff gets covered but I find I forget some of it and a video is going to be a great refresher for me. There are quite a few nuances and adjustments that he makes to hit different shots off of different lies I am not sure he even knows everything he knows LOL. He has told me he just sees the shot and instinctively hits it. I am getting to that point now too, but understanding all of the nuances makes that happen much faster. Things like dropping the right foot back, lowering or raising the handle, adding more or less knee flex, where to point the handle at setup from your nadsack to your belly button, all of those type of things affect the trajectory.