pitching

Chip, Pitch or Putt for Lower Golf Scores

/ The Grateful Golfer / 7 Comments

Choosing the right club at the right time is critical to lower golf scores. It haunts all golfers because club selection is the holy grail of knowledge only gained through years of practice and playing lots and lots of golf. (the second part of gaining knowledge is my favorite)

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Chip, Pitch or Putt, what is your call?

A while back, I wrote an article about a situation where the ball was on the fringe and I was left with a choice to chip or putt.  There was many opinions and for the most part, choosing between putting or chipping was about 50/50.

Recently, I asked the same question without the picture and the response was different. I am not sure whether it was because the picture was not present, but the 25% increase for players wanting to putt was not really surprising.

Apart from the qualifying remarks such as: is the ball above the hole, is there a mound between the ball and the hole, what time of day is it, is the green freshly cut or how am I playing, most amateurs seem to agree that putting the ball when possible is the best option.

I generally agree, however it is important to have other shots in your bag for those times when either chipping, pitching or putting is required. My years of experience have taught me that relying on just one type of shot is not conducive to consistent low scores.

As someone who likes to always move forward, I like trying new methods to lower my score. My constant pursuit for improvement does not always meet my overall expectations.

Have you ever heard the saying ‘3 steps forward, 2 steps back’? That is what happened to me when I decided to putt more from the fringe. I focused all my attention on the flat stick and as a result, my chipping and pitching started to atrophy.

Although I had developed a new skill by putting more often, I lost my touch with my chipping and putting irons. Fortunately, with a little practice, my “feel” returned and now I have 3 solid types of shots when the ball is on the fringe. I am happy now at the end of the journey, but during the transition, I found it frustrating and sometimes wondered if I was on the right path.

Generally, when the a player is developing a new skill, there is a point of frustration when the new skill is not meeting expectations and their old skills are starting to rust. It is usually at this time when players stop learning the new skill and revert back to their old ways. As a result, the player concludes that the new skill is not worth the effort.

Golf is a challenging sport. It provides the opportunity for a player to be as good as they want. I believe that being a great golfer, we amateurs must find our own path to success. What works for me, may not work for you. I also believe that being a grateful golfer we need to keep trying to improve and be thankful for the journey to lower golf scores.

How do you handle learning a new skill? How much practice time do you devote to it?

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!

Breaking 100 Through Chipping

/ The Grateful Golfer / 4 Comments

Breaking 100 is the first major challenge for any golfer.  As discussed in my previous article, building a consistent putting stroke using the 3-6-9 putting drill will greatly reduce strokes and help develop confidence on the green.  For those whose who have a tendency to hit their approach shots just off the green, then chipping to break 100 is very important.

As a rule, keeping all drills as simple as possible is the key to success in golf.  Building on the 3-6-9 concept, will help tie a previously learned skill in to your growing arsenal.  To set up this drill, grab 12 tees and six balls from your bag.  No, you do not require clubs yet!  Set up the tees in the same pattern as the 3-6-9 putting drill.  For those who have not read the previous post; at 3,6,9 and 12 o’clock, place a tee at 3-6-9 feet from the hole.

Next, grab the six balls and walk anywhere off the green.  Ideally, you should start at least 15 paces from the hole.  You still do not require any clubs.  Now toss the ball towards the target hole.  Pay attention to how far you tossed the ball in the air and how far the ball rolls after it hits the ground.  Do this with all six balls.  The intent is to toss the ball within the 3 foot circle…inside nine feet will be ok since you already have confidence putting from that range.

Retrieve your balls and return to the same spot where you tossed the 6 balls. Now, roll the balls along the green without tossing the ball in the air.  Pay attention to how fast the ball is travelling to get within your 3 target.

Practice tossing and rolling the balls until you can consistently place the 6 balls within your 3-6-9 foot target.  Now, grab your 8 iron and a wedge (which wedge is up to you depending on your stroke – this is the time to experiment with which club is good for you).  Use the wedge to replicate the tossed ball and use the 8 iron to replicate the rolled ball.

Obviously, the goal is to chip the 6 balls in your 3-6-9 target.  Now once you feel confident and have achieved success move to a different location.  Eventually, you will not have to hand toss or roll the balls.

The most important and final step of this drill is to pace the distance from your chipping spot to the hole.  This step will help develop your distance gauge around the green.  Additionally, you will develop confidence with your chipping irons so you will automatically be able to assess your chipping and have confidence you will be able improve your up and down stats.

Using the 3-6-9 chipping and putting drill help,lower you scores and break 100.  I am a grateful golfer!  See you on the links!

When You Have Been Away

/ The Grateful Golfer / 2 Comments

I have been asked as the first thing I would recommend as a place to start when away from the game of golf for a time.  I have pondered this question a fair bit and always come back to the same question:  What is it you want to accomplish – short or long-term success?

I know answering a question with a question seems like I am avoiding the question, but it really is important to my answer.  So for those just starting again or have had 5 months of winter, this is what I came up with as a way ahead.

Short term – go to the range and practice hitting the ball.  Try and reproduce muscle memory that will ensure a consistent swing.  Make sure you use every club in your bag and mix it up.  Hitting driver most of the time is not the answer.  Once you have determined how far you ball will travel on a consistent basis, head to the chipping and putting green.  Practice chipping with your 7/8 iron, PW and 60 degree wedge.  Hit from different distances.  Then putt!  Putt for as long as you have chipped.  Realistically, this whole process should take about 1 hour.  20 minutes on the range, 20 minutes chipping and 20 minutes putting.  This approach is generally more fun for the player and they feel they will have immediate success.  Of course that varies depending on the skill of the player.

Long term – head to putting green first!  Practice putting for 20 minutes and chipping for 20 minutes, the sand trap for 10 minutes and pitching from 25-35 yards for 10 minutes.  Once you have established your short game, then start working on our long game.  Practice your short game for the first two weeks, then head to the range alternate times for 30 minutes.  I have found that muscle memory in your short game is harder to achieve, but has greater long-lasting results.

Well I can hardly wait to start golfing, I guess you figured which approach I am going to use….the long-term.  I am well into my workout routine to prepare for golf season in 48 days.  Hope this helps.  I am a grateful golfer.  See you on the links!

Terminology – How Confusing!

/ The Grateful Golfer / 3 Comments

I love to visit golf  blogs.  I have a few favorites and I like to post comments on great articles.  Well the other day I was posting on MindfulGolfer.com regarding chipping and pitching.  Well, not paying attention or something (actually not enough coffee probably) I confused golfing terms.  I confused chipping and pitching.  So I thought I would write the definitions of these terms to make sure I am all squared away.  So here it goes:

Chip shot – a chip shot is generally a shot played around the green in which the player hits the ball into the air and rolls it forward towards the hole.  The distance the ball travels in the air depends on the distance the ball is from the hole.

Pitch shot – is played from 30-60 yards.  The ball goes high in the air with very little roll when the ball hits the green.  The idea is to stop the ball quickly close to or in the hole.

Bump and Run – the ball has very little height after contact and lots of roll.  It is generally used around the green in place of a chip shot.

More in-depth definitions can be found at About.com Golf.

The confusion occurred when I said I use my 7-iron for a pitch shot instead of chip shot or bump and run.  Needless to say, I confused my host.  I have clarified my remarks, but I realized how easy it is to confuse people when talking about golf.  So in the future, I am going to make sure I use the correct terminology when talking about golf, especially to people who may not know their meaning anyway.  I love learning new things!  I am a grateful golfer!

Choosing a New Wedge

/ The Grateful Golfer / 9 Comments

Today I received an email from a friend asking about wedges.  He is a good golfer and getting better all the time.  He was talking about which wedge he needed from 110 yards. As we had played quite often, I was familiar with his game and was able to explain that he required a 52 degree wedge.  As our discussion continued I realized that selecting the correct club is very important to all aspects of your game.  So I did some research and this is what I came up with:

Pitching Wedge

A pitching wedge has a loft of about 48 degrees.  This club comes with most sets and is used for long approach shots.  The distance varies, but I suggest that it is used by most amateurs from 130 yards or closer.

Gap Wedge

Gap wedges range from 50 and 54 degrees. The distance the ball travels varies from about 110 to about 75 yards.  It allows for a bit of action on the ball and probably used most of the time.

Sand Wedge

Sand wedges range from 54 to 58 degrees.  Many players use a sand wedge for some approach shots as well as sand shots.

Lob Wedge

Lob wedges range from 58 and 62 degrees. The lob wedge allows for a greater amount of spin and is used to fly over hazards or when you are pin hunting.

One of the things to be aware of when purchasing a wedge is the bounce.  The conditions of the course, especially the traps, will determine the bounce required when using a  wedge.  See Golfsmith.com for an explanation on bounce.

I use a 48 degree pitching wedge, 52 degree gap wedge, a 56 degree sand wedge and a 60 degree lob wedge.  I have experimented with different lofts, but I have found that these wedges work best for my game.

Now back to my friend.  Ultimately he made the best decision.  He decided to try out a few wedges before making his purchase.  He was going to try wedges with different loft, brand and bounce.  I suggested that it was a great idea and thus has sparked the reason for this blog.

When picking a club, I recommend that you go the to range, golf store, putting green and practice with your intended choice.  Most courses have demo wedges/clubs and will allow you to take them on the course for a test run.  By doing a bit of research before you buy, you will be happy with your choice and likely lower your score.

How you do you pick your clubs?