Dave Pelz's Short Game Bible: Master the Finesse Swing and Lower Your Score by Dave Pelz & James A. Frank

Author:Dave Pelz & James A. Frank [Pelz, Dave & Frank, James A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Sports & Recreation, Golf
ISBN: 9780767903448
Google: llkspcvZenMC
Amazon: 0767903447
Publisher: Broadway Books
Published: 1999-03-14T23:00:00+00:00

Now that you know how to make a good chipping motion, the next questions are (1) How big a swing should you make? (2) What club do you use? and (3) Where should you land the ball? I’ll discuss them in reverse order.

Every golfer has heard the advice to “get the ball on the green as quickly as possible,” so it rolls toward the hole like a putt. That makes a lot of sense, but trying to cut it too close to the edge of the green is a surefire way of finding trouble.

Golfers are human, so there’s a great likelihood of not always striking the perfect shot. This means you’ll often be landing the ball a little longer or shorter than intended. For that reason, I recommend building in a margin for error by trying to drop the ball on the green about three feet from its edge: If you’re a little short, the ball will still land on the green and roll nearly as expected; land it a little long and the ball will run just past the hole (which isn’t bad, because you can watch it roll by, which helps with the read of the green when you’re putting back). Just be sure to get the ball safely over the fringe, because reading how a ball will react through the fringe is less reliable than reading how it will react on the smooth, evenly watered, well-maintained green. And you’d always rather be putting than chipping your next shot. Always.

Which club should you use? Some golfers chip with only one, usually the 7- or 8-iron. But do yourself a favor and practice so you’re comfortable with a number of different clubs, from the 4-iron to the pitching wedge. Then you can make your club decision based on the shot you need and the conditions: The worse your lie and the closer you are to the green, the lower the trajectory you’re likely to produce. Experiment to find out how far shots roll with each club after landing (see data on page 222) and how far they carry.

Remember that when you position the ball back in your stance, while keeping your hands forward (over the inside of your left thigh), the effective loft of a club drops. So your 8-iron will now play like your 6-iron. If you want a little more height in any situation, go to a 9-iron or wedge and make a slightly longer swing.

Another part of the equation is that golf balls bounce and roll different distances when coming in and landing with different trajectories and differing amounts of backspin (e.g., a low, running 7-iron shot vs. a higher flying chip hit with a delofted wedge). That’s another reason to vary club selection, especially near the green, where a lower-lofted club usually means less backspin.

How long a swing should you make? That’s actually the easiest question to answer for yourself, because if you’ve committed to a dead-hands finesse swing, making approximately a turn #1 backswing

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