How do you hit this shot?

[rogerdodger]

Played yesterday and had the same shot three times which destroyed my round, doubled all three holes. The shot was a short pitch over a bunker from a tight lie. Bare grass with no ability to get under it. Fatted one into a plugged lie in a bunker and skulled two over the green. How is this demonic shot played properly?

 

[G.O.L.F.]

On tight lies, when the 'brush the grass' procedure is not an option, you need to hit down and compress the ball with forward shaft lean, meaning absolutely no throw. Watch the pros chip on TV. They use this technique frequently - a low flying chip, that spins and has a bit of bite.

Make no mistake tho - this is a difficult shot for anyone.

 

[curtisj76]

Do you also want to choose a club with the least amount of bounce? What club did you use?

 

[johnnymarlboro]

On tight lies, when the 'brush the grass' procedure is not an option, you need to hit down and compress the ball with forward shaft lean, meaning absolutely no throw. Watch the pros chip on TV. They use this technique frequently - a low flying chip, that spins and has a bit of bite.

Make no mistake tho - this is a difficult shot for anyone.

I think how difficult some of these shots are is hard to keep in mind sometimes. Good players can make it look so easy. I really like the commercial for Tom Watson's DVD where it shows him hitting a few awful shots, chunking it into the water and stuff. It's a little reassuring knowing that even 8 time major winners hit shots like that too.

 

[spmurph]

Would Brian's tour pitch be better in that scenario?

 

[BrendanC]

Don't agree with that G.O.L.F - not always. The pros usually say they get spin from pure contact (and a razor sharp wedge and a Pro V1.....).

If you really need the type of high soft shot roger is talking about, hands ahead/compressing the ball won't work no matter what. Also, sometimes you just have to take your medicine, and maybe think about course management (and sucker pins!), and accept a 25 foot putt for par.

I think when you are REALLY confident, or you need to put it close to win match or whatever, you can slip the clubhead under the ball and flip it in the air on the tightest of lies. It can be done off a table, or concrete. So why not off a tight lie? Other days, play the safe % shot and have a go at a long putt.

Two handy videos:

<iframe width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/MZLuaxmT9gc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<iframe width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/07C2LhGDSxc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[golfball323]

I practiced this shot for 45 minutes yesterday.

3 things:

1. You need to accept the difficulty of the shot

2. Chances are that your backswing was too big. Shorten your backswing and accelerate through the ball.

3. Tempo during the transition is everything. For me at least.

 

[curtisj76]

IDK, when I think of a tight lie and lots of bounce I think of a skull. Like Ben Crane said, the more bounce the leading edge sits higher up. Isn't that the opposite of what you want on a tight lie??? On a tight lie and you have bounce I want that handle forward so the leading edge won't hit high up on the ball. Maybe I'm just smoking grass...

 

[rogerdodger]

IDK, when I think of a tight lie and lots of bounce I think of a skull. Like Ben Crane said, the more bounce the leading edge sits higher up. Isn't that the opposite of what you want on a tight lie??? On a tight lie and you have bounce I want that handle forward so the leading edge won't hit high up on the ball. Maybe I'm just smoking grass...

Curtis, my lob wedge has 4 degrees of bounce, as low as I could find. This type of lie has always caused me issues which is why I went to it. It may be the backswing length. On fifty yard shots or more, the wedge works great, lot of spin, clean contact. In rough, it works fine as long as I keep face open. It is the tight stuff ten to thirty yards from the pin that causes the issue. I have Brian's up and out video that is terrific, my bunker play has been fantastic as well as lobs from rough. It is these short pitches. I also am not trying to get it to a foot, I know how tough a shot it is, I think a thirty foot circle is in the cards though. Thanks for the responses. All are helpful

 

[tbone1065]

I don't know if this is something anyone would teach, but this is how I play that shot. I take my 60 and set up so that the shaft is standing fairly straight up. I keep my weight left and keep the club head low on the backswing with no hinge of the wrist. ON the strike, I just try to return the shaft to its original position. It almost feels like dragging the club along the ground both back and through. The result is a ball that pops up high, but without much power, so you have to gauge the power.

Hopefully, I described it correctly, but once you learn how, it is an easy shot.

 

[johnnymarlboro]

I don't know if this is something anyone would teach, but this is how I play that shot. I take my 60 and set up so that the shaft is standing fairly straight up. I keep my weight left and keep the club head low on the backswing with no hinge of the wrist. ON the strike, I just try to return the shaft to its original position. It almost feels like dragging the club along the ground both back and through. The result is a ball that pops up high, but without much power, so you have to gauge the power.

Hopefully, I described it correctly, but once you learn how, it is an easy shot.

Sometimes I'll try to do it this way if I'm feeling to handsy. I think it's similar to how Steve Stricker does it as far as the little wrist hinge:

 

[G.O.L.F.]

^^^^ Bingo!

 

[Bigwill]

How about hitting it Philly Mick style (sending the ball up on a cushion of turf, hitting an inch behind it, like a bunker shot)? I don't know how hard or easy this would be, but it seems like it would give you a little room for error, since your ball contact doesn't have to be as precise, in addition to deadening the shot.

Crazy??

 

[faux_maestro]

How about hitting it Philly Mick style (sending the ball up on a cushion of turf, hitting an inch behind it, like a bunker shot)? I don't know how hard or easy this would be, but it seems like it would give you a little room for error, since your ball contact doesn't have to be as precise, in addition to deadening the shot.

Crazy??

This works depending on the lie. The original post said the lie was pretty bare so.....also depends on how soft the ground is. Hardpan is next to impossible, I would probably just play away from the flag if I could. Soft ground even without grass you could play like a bunker shot and take a lot of turf behind the ball.

 

[rogerdodger]

I don't know if this is something anyone would teach, but this is how I play that shot. I take my 60 and set up so that the shaft is standing fairly straight up. I keep my weight left and keep the club head low on the backswing with no hinge of the wrist. ON the strike, I just try to return the shaft to its original position. It almost feels like dragging the club along the ground both back and through. The result is a ball that pops up high, but without much power, so you have to gauge the power.

Hopefully, I described it correctly, but once you learn how, it is an easy shot.

This sounds like a good,safe technique. Many thanks

 

[Jim Kobylinski]

This is a difficult shot but most people tend to over do the setup and difficulty of the shot they are trying to make, try the following:

Setup for a standard pitch/chip shot:

1) Ball left of middle
2) Slightly open stance
3) Squarish clubface

Now adjust

1) Move ball much further up in stance
2) Stand more open
3) Open clubface to match same target

---

Now, take a normalish chip type motion and let the ball position and the loft due the job for you. Hard to type it all out and make sense and when i talk about open stance and face i'm not talking a ton; just enough to add some loft and swing lefter.