Club Selection/pitching

Guys,

If I'm 20-40 yards away from the green with no hills or other obstacles between me and the flag, what club should I use? Can I use a less lofted club such as a 7 iron to do a pitch and run instead of a 9 iron or pitching wedge? Should I use the wedge only when I need to clear and obstacle or is there a certain distance away from the flag when I need to use the wedge?

Barry

I use a simple basic rule for chipping. It's easy to remember.

PW = "Half and Half"
7I = "One-Third, Two-Thirds"
SW = "Two-Thirds, One-Third"

The first part is the flight. The second is the roll.

Objective #1: Get the ball on the green as soon as you can. Minimize flight, and maximize roll.

Objective #2: Use the club that will allow you the smallest stroke to accomplish Objective #1

In your example, you didn't tell me where the flag was. All you said was that you were 20-40 yards off the green.

Example #1: If you were 20 yds off the green and the flag was 15 feet from the green's edge, you are at a ratio of 4/1. This is well inside the 3/1 for the SW so you play the SW and will have to loft it up a little higher. Or play a LW is you have it.

Example #2: If you were 20 yds off the green and the flag was 30 feet from the green's edge, you are now at 2/1. This is your a perfect SW.

Example #3: If you were 10 yds off the green and the flag is 30 feet, then it is 1/1. A perfect PW.

All these swings are "chipping" distances...very soft grip, no hand release at all (dead) or putting style, all shoulders, ball in the back of the stance.

__________________
I'm a golfaholic, no question about that. Counseling wouldn't help me. They'd have to put me in prison, and then I'd talk the warden into building a hole or two and teach him how to play. ~Lee Trevino

a method i was on tv was to help with chipping is that you always want to land on the green anywhere close to 3 feet to the edge of the green so you can get it rolling as soon as posible.

now you want to walk from your ball to the 3' zone and then from that 3' zone to the hole. you agre getting a ratio of paces from ball to zone and zone to hole.

here is what you do with that ratio. if the ratio is 1/1 then use your PW, it it is 1/2 use your SW, 1/3 9i, 1/4 8i, 1/5 7i.

because a pw will give you not alot of roll, and a 7i will give you alot of roll..... the more distance form zone to hole the higher the club lof t to get more roll. and anything that has more ball to zone paces then zone to hole paces (2/1 or 3/1 ratio) would be a LW because you want a lot of carry and ilttle if no roll.

that means if you walk 2 paces to the zone, then 10 paces to the hole, that would mean you would need more roll and the ratio being 1/5 you would use your 7i.

or 4 paces to zone 8 paces to hole you would want your SW because that is 1/2 ratio.

or 5 paces to zone and 25 paces to hole you would use you 7i becasue of 1/5 ratio.
ect

then you just have to practice and learn how to get into the zone with various lofts and know that if you hit that zone then it should roll pretty close to the hole

are you allowed to do that in golf, count paces to the hole? do thoose ratio's make sence to you greg? it seems opossite yours, your SW is 2/1, but the program i saw said 1/2...... i know that you are a much better golfer than I so i would tend to believe you.......

Guys,

So is the objective to always land the ball somewhere on the green in flight and let it roll the rest of the way to the hole? If that's so, the 7 Iron would only be usable just off the green or on the fringe right? I have not yet tried using a SW to pitch with yet. Guess I'll have to try that one. I'm very erratic pitching right now. One shot will be nice and roll close to the hole, the next will go too far, the next not far enough ect ect. With continued daily practice will this tendency decrease as I get more use to these shots? I do picture the shot and try to get the ball to land on the green where I think it will roll to the hole. I'm just not that good at landing it where I want to yet.

Barry

you are right, hitting that 3' zone is the most important part ans get it rolling ASAP. and yes the 7i isn't used very often unles you are right outside the fringe and it is a big green, and i nsome cases like that i have seen the 3 or 5w used for those.

you might not want to use the SW to pitch with because of the way the SW is designed, it has bounce and makes hitting off of hard ground difficult. you can chip with it, just pitching isn't recommended.

pitching (unless you are a pro) i think you should just aim for center of green (if you get backsping and it stops) if no backspin then aim for front of green on a pitch.

correct me if i am wrong greg.

hi all
here in scotland and on links course's the chip and run is the bread and butter shot, greens are so hard here it hard to stop a ball with a high pitch and using ever club from a 5 iron to a l-wedge to hit a low running shot it the shot that works day after day and you have to go out and try chip and run with all the clubs even a 3 iron. afew hrs working on that shot will save you so many shots. its a shot that not used in usa as much as over here and seeing so many pro player playing darts on the green have us handicap player trying it but its not the money shot for us,getting the ball down and rolling towards the hole works more often for the high handicapers.
bill

Hi there Barry,
I guess they are all saying yes to your question.

My general rule is:
Putt, Chip then Pitch in that order. My worse putt will be better than my worse chip which will be better than my worse pitch.