[Apparpsmose]

is it weird that i hit my 52* A wedge 130...

Not weird at all... my 52* is my 130 club... very consistent with a full swing. When I am less than 80 yards, I am always struggling to decide... hit my 60* or my 56*... how much swing... I am almost always a little far or a little short... or i just fat it or thin it... or shank it... it's like a crap shoot for me when I don't have a full swing!

[Info-phone]

is it weird that i hit my 52* A wedge 130...

As a dissenting opinion...

130 is a -9 or a +PW (45*) for me
My full 52 is a 80 yard club.

BUT... I don't have a lot of distance on my irons and, for whatever reason, have a VERY high ball flight

[22paseabelldaps]

My personal method for anything inside of 70 yards is to just take a few practice swings with my 56 and try to feel the distance that I'm looking for.

For reference, I hit my 56 about 85 yards with a full swing and the ball not too far back in my stance so I use that fact to judge how much of a swing I need.

I'm sure my method isn't the best but recently it has really worked for me, and I don't carry any clubs with more loft so the only time I'm using a different club around the green is when I'm trying to bump and run or some other tricky nonsense.

[FelixQY]

I've read that this is a very uncomfortable distance for many. I am included in this bunch. Actually, Anything less than 100 yards is uncomfortable for me because I can't use a full swing.

How do you guys practice half swings, 3/4 swings to dial this in? I can't tell you how many times I have hit a monster drive, just to over/under hit my pitch to the green...

You may want to take a more scientific approach to the short game. Read Dave Pelz's Short Game Bible. His method will give you many options for hitting within 100 yards. i.e. 75 yard shot = PW at 1/2 swing (9:00), SW at 3/4 swing (10:00), 60* at full swing (11:00).
He has you take a "short game test" to determine your yardages at different lenghts/different clubs. Once dialed in you can easily pick the right club/swing for that distance. HIs "face of the clock" method might help you with your distances. Instead of using 'feel', you use the face of the clock whereas you may find that your SW at 10:00 will produce a 75 yard shot, etc., etc.

Many options depending on what you like to hit. You may find that at 75 yards you feel comfortable with a 3/4 SW. At 65 yards, instead of using that SW at 1/2 swing, you may opt for a 3/4 60*. Again, many options.

[carpartsho]

This is the weakest part of my game, I lose 5-10 shots per round or more in this area. Lately I am not letting the stress or the fear of messing up affect me and I am doing better. Just takes focus and concentration

[natahololll]

When I'm below 70-80 yards I start pitching instead of full swings. I actually feel pretty confident in these situations. I hinge my wrist right away and the length of my shot is determined by how far I take back the club and the club I use. For 10-30 yards I use my LW, 30-50 yards I use my SW, and 50-70 my GW. It's not always perfect, but nothing in this game ever is for me haha

[jinnsamys]

In my opinion, this is where "Old School" beats "New School".

New School has everyone setting up with a square stance and thus everything is loft dependent and swing-length dependent and to negotiate less-then-100-yard shots, one must choose a correct loft and may also have to resort to 3/4 or 1/2 swings as well which can be tricky for many of the reasons listed in this thread.

Old School on the other hand isn't about mechanics as much as it's about feel and thus most Old School players (such as myself) play shots with everything from a wildly open stance to a closed stance, depending on the situation. I think that this flexibility helps a great deal with touch shots such as pitch shots under 100 yards.

In such an instance, I generally use my 52-degree wedge with a wide open face as well as a very open stance. From this setup, I can still take a full swing from as little as 50 yards, so the idea of swing-length and a "designated" loft don't even enter into the equation. Having played this way all of my life, I have become quite accustomed to using the club and my stance in a variety of ways, all of which tend to make things very simple and because I'm not thinking "mechanically", I don't have to worry about specific lofts or swing styles as much and I am free to concentrate more on the "touch" part.

I understand the theories and reasoning behind New School thinking, but I also believe that knowing some Old School "tricks" will go a long way towards becoming a well-rounded golfer and will in many cases simplify things.


Simple is better.


-JP

[MackBranon]

I'd think the longer the hitter the more annoying these shots are. I mean if you can seriously hit your 60 degree like 100 yards, then you're probably going to need to be creative and possibly learn 3/4 swings and 1/2 swings.

For me, since my 60 flies about 70 yards, I generally go to a 3/4 with my 52/56/60 which get me down to around the 45yard area. After that, it's about touch.

JP - Isn't opening up a 52 not too different from just hitting a 60-64 wedge? I understand your trick there, and it's akin to hitting a flop/bunker shot, but I'm not want to aim that way......It feels very imprecise to me. I'm definitely not as practiced with that type of shot as I can hit it, but the times I do mess it up, it's very......slicey.

[jinnsamys]

JP - Isn't opening up a 52 not too different from just hitting a 60-64 wedge? I understand your trick there, and it's akin to hitting a flop/bunker shot, but I'm not want to aim that way......It feels very imprecise to me. I'm definitely not as practiced with that type of shot as I can hit it, but the times I do mess it up, it's very......slicey.

From a loft perspective it's exactly the same thing.

But your second sentence sums it up; it's all in what you're comfortable with. As I said, I grew up with an open stance approach to golf and when I'm about fifty yards away, my belt buckle is basically facing the target at address and I'm swinging more or less across the ball.

I myself tried to play an entire season with a "modern" setup; a square stance and only varying loft, swing length and ball position, just to see if it might make a difference in my game and even though I stayed with it for an entire season, I simply could not get used to that setup. To me, it took all of the feel out of my game and everything became focused on mechanics.

I understand perfectly why a square setup is advocated and I also understand the reason for carrying extra wedges all the way down to a 60 (which I used for that year), but I found myself thinking too much about clubhead speed and loft rather than focusing on my target and I completely lost my touch.

The open-stanced setup is just natural to me and I guess I've sort of learned the nuances of that setup and so I went back to it after that year and I've never looked back. To me, it's more intuitive to just open the clubface and the stance than it is to try to calibrate a backswing and match a loft to it.

To each his own.


-JP

[tpJKhY8Z]

I have a 4 wedges setup..... (45, 50, 54, 58)
I tried to use the Pelz method with limited success....
Now I just wing it from my full wedge swings (110, 96, 84, 72)

IMHO, Practicing with my wedges has brought better results then trying to make Pelz's method fit my swing....

bama

[Mifsnavassy]

I have a 4 wedges setup..... (45, 50, 54, 58)
I tried to use the Pelz method with limited success....
Now I just wing it from my full wedge swings (110, 96, 84, 72)

IMHO, Practicing with my wedges has brought better results then trying to make Pelz's method fit my swing....

bama

i cant bag 4 wedges an i think i dont really need to... the problem with me is i need all the long clubs i can carry since length is my biggest weakness... if i had distance... id love to add a few more wedges

[tpJKhY8Z]

i cant bag 4 wedges an i think i dont really need to... the problem with me is i need all the long clubs i can carry since length is my biggest weakness... if i had distance... id love to add a few more wedges

Bogey,
I am definately not a long hitter..That is why I try to hone my short game, because my long game is at such a disadvantage....

[Mifsnavassy]

Bogey,
I am definately not a long hitter..That is why I try to hone my short game, because my long game is at such a disadvantage....

then i need more wedges! asap... hahaha... seriously... i want a couple new wedges... mine are getting crusty

[sherrferris]

For me 70 yards is a 75% swing with my 56* wedge.

[TessUnsonia]

JP - it made me feel good to read this as I recently went back to an open stance and "eyeballing" the distance on short (less than LW) pitches. I've tried for months to get the 9 o'clock/10 o'clock thing down, but just can't make consistent contact that way. I was considering a few lessons to drill the clock methodology, but just may stay with my little cut shots.

From a loft perspective it's exactly the same thing.

But your second sentence sums it up; it's all in what you're comfortable with. As I said, I grew up with an open stance approach to golf and when I'm about fifty yards away, my belt buckle is basically facing the target at address and I'm swinging more or less across the ball.

I myself tried to play an entire season with a "modern" setup; a square stance and only varying loft, swing length and ball position, just to see if it might make a difference in my game and even though I stayed with it for an entire season, I simply could not get used to that setup. To me, it took all of the feel out of my game and everything became focused on mechanics.

I understand perfectly why a square setup is advocated and I also understand the reason for carrying extra wedges all the way down to a 60 (which I used for that year), but I found myself thinking too much about clubhead speed and loft rather than focusing on my target and I completely lost my touch.

The open-stanced setup is just natural to me and I guess I've sort of learned the nuances of that setup and so I went back to it after that year and I've never looked back. To me, it's more intuitive to just open the clubface and the stance than it is to try to calibrate a backswing and match a loft to it.

To each his own.


-JP

Sent from my SPH-M900 using Tapatalk

[paydayuscf]

Something else you can do that I don't think has been mentioned yet is to simply choke down on the club and swing with a full swing. For instance, my full swing 60* is about 100 yards. If I need a 90 yard shot, the easiest thing for me is to choke down about an inch on the grip and swing full.

80 yards or less is trying to control my backswing length, and takes a lot more practice and "feel" to get right. The choke down is an easy solution to distances slightly below full wedge distance.

[SodeSceriobia]

I think its about feel. You'd think you'd be consistent with 100 yards and in everytime, but it seems like every hole (at this distance) is different. I can't get my "swing" to remember what to do. Once in a while its pure luck. But then again I haven't been working on my short game during my lessons, something that needs to be done!!

Does the follow-through need to be the same length as the backswing? Sometimes I have a tiny backswing and about double that length in the follow through. I thought it should be like a clock (3 and 9, or 4 and 8, or 5 and 7) but then again what do I know

[Yessaniloas]

I agree with some of the other posters. Get more wedges. I love my Pine Meadow 64* and 68* degree. I am now looking at a 73* that JB mentioned on another thread. I love skying those short shots.

[AndyPharmc]

i'd have to agree with JP. my first real positive golf influence in my life was the old pro at highlands country club in my hometown. he was also a good friend to my grandfather and still keeps in touch with dad and i. i played with him about a month ago and he can easily shoot his age.

anyway, he gave me some advice a couple of years ago that really sank in deep with me, and that was that i should be able to hit my PW, comfortably and confidently from 135 (my usual pw distance) and in.....period. i love shots within 100 yards. i think it's impossible to take a standard approach and swing with a wedge and dictate it on the course. there are so many factors such as my lie, elevations, ball above or below my feet, banking around the green, etc. i let what's in front of me dictate the shot i need to hit and i'm comfortable hitting any of them with any of my wedges.

In my opinion, this is where "Old School" beats "New School".

New School has everyone setting up with a square stance and thus everything is loft dependent and swing-length dependent and to negotiate less-then-100-yard shots, one must choose a correct loft and may also have to resort to 3/4 or 1/2 swings as well which can be tricky for many of the reasons listed in this thread.

Old School on the other hand isn't about mechanics as much as it's about feel and thus most Old School players (such as myself) play shots with everything from a wildly open stance to a closed stance, depending on the situation. I think that this flexibility helps a great deal with touch shots such as pitch shots under 100 yards.

In such an instance, I generally use my 52-degree wedge with a wide open face as well as a very open stance. From this setup, I can still take a full swing from as little as 50 yards, so the idea of swing-length and a "designated" loft don't even enter into the equation. Having played this way all of my life, I have become quite accustomed to using the club and my stance in a variety of ways, all of which tend to make things very simple and because I'm not thinking "mechanically", I don't have to worry about specific lofts or swing styles as much and I am free to concentrate more on the "touch" part.

I understand the theories and reasoning behind New School thinking, but I also believe that knowing some Old School "tricks" will go a long way towards becoming a well-rounded golfer and will in many cases simplify things.


Simple is better.


-JP

[RorieSorNearop]

I have a 4 wedges setup..... (45, 50, 54, 58)
I tried to use the Pelz method with limited success....
Now I just wing it from my full wedge swings (110, 96, 84, 72)

IMHO, Practicing with my wedges has brought better results then trying to make Pelz's method fit my swing....

bama

I have the same setup and very similar distances. Four wedge system makes 115 yards and in much simplier.