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Thread: 3/4 Pitch Shots

  1. #1

    3/4 Pitch Shots

    In an attempt to start a legit golf thread to entertain Nifty when he's not trolling for Republicans, I ask the GR golf genius' the following.

    When I take a less than full wedge swing, say a 3/4 52* to 90 yards. I put the ball back in my stance, which is narrow and slightly open. I have my hands in front of the ball, shaft leaned forward, like I would for a greenside chip, weight slightly toward the front foot. I have had someone tell me that this is bad technique. True or false? How do you hosers set up for touch shots inside 120ish?
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    Quote Originally Posted by Home-slicer
    In an attempt to start a legit golf thread to entertain Nifty when he's not trolling for Republicans, I ask the GR golf genius' the following.

    When I take a less than full wedge swing, say a 3/4 52* to 90 yards. I put the ball back in my stance, which is narrow and slightly open. I have my hands in front of the ball, shaft leaned forward, like I would for a greenside chip, weight slightly toward the front foot. I have had someone tell me that this is bad technique. True or false? How do you hosers set up for touch shots inside 120ish?
    I wish I knew what to tell you . . . . . this is the weakest part of my game. More than not I end up trying a bump and run . . . . .
    Mizuno irons -- made by Hattori Hanzo, forged in the fires of Mt. Fujiyama.

  3. #3
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    i dont know, i may just be a chopper, but when i set up with the hands in front of the ball, my grip becomes very weak, clubface still pointing towards the target, it's just a recipe for disaster, but that's just me

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    Quote Originally Posted by Home-slicer
    In an attempt to start a legit golf thread to entertain Nifty when he's not trolling for Republicans, I ask the GR golf genius' the following.

    When I take a less than full wedge swing, say a 3/4 52* to 90 yards. I put the ball back in my stance, which is narrow and slightly open. I have my hands in front of the ball, shaft leaned forward, like I would for a greenside chip, weight slightly toward the front foot. I have had someone tell me that this is bad technique. True or false? How do you hosers set up for touch shots inside 120ish?

    False.

    I hope.

    That's how I play that shot if I'm looking for a slightly lower shot with some spin. Let me guess--a 20 Handicapper told you it's bad Tec. because he read it in Golf Digest?

    Feck me.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Home-slicer
    In an attempt to start a legit golf thread to entertain Nifty when he's not trolling for Republicans, I ask the GR golf genius' the following.

    When I take a less than full wedge swing, say a 3/4 52* to 90 yards. I put the ball back in my stance, which is narrow and slightly open. I have my hands in front of the ball, shaft leaned forward, like I would for a greenside chip, weight slightly toward the front foot. I have had someone tell me that this is bad technique. True or false? How do you hosers set up for touch shots inside 120ish?
    Read Hogan's "5 Lessons." It describes a half-swing drill that is the recipe for that shot. Setup with a narrow stance, upper arms "glued" to your rib cage, then swing back and forth by turning your upper torso-- which carry the upper arms, which carry the lower arms, which carry the hands, which allow the club to freely "flop" back and forth, the weight of the clubhead swinging like a weight on the end of a string. ZERO grip pressure, of course. Just turn your shoulders back and then forward and the clubhead will flip through the ball and the ball will fly straight as an arrow and land softly.

    Really, it is all in "5 Lessons" some think the best golf book ever written.

    Larry

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    The only thing I'd adjust for a standard shot is to move the ball to the center of your stance. You can play the ball back for a lower shot.

    I wouldn't go with zero grip pressure unless Larry's standing behind you.
    GR lives...

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by golfaholic
    False.

    I hope.

    That's how I play that shot if I'm looking for a slightly lower shot with some spin. Let me guess--a 20 Handicapper told you it's bad Tec. because he read it in Golf Digest?

    Feck me.
    LOL. Pretty much. I still hit the ball high, no matter how far back I play the ball. My full swing even had a huge forward press. I am trying to fix it, and my swing is in total disarray right now.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Home-slicer
    In an attempt to start a legit golf thread to entertain Nifty when he's not trolling for Republicans, I ask the GR golf genius' the following.

    When I take a less than full wedge swing, say a 3/4 52* to 90 yards. I put the ball back in my stance, which is narrow and slightly open. I have my hands in front of the ball, shaft leaned forward, like I would for a greenside chip, weight slightly toward the front foot. I have had someone tell me that this is bad technique. True or false? How do you hosers set up for touch shots inside 120ish?
    I don't really set up any differently for a shot until it's no longer a pitch but has become a chip (which for me I define by whether I let the club head pass my hands in the follow through; yes: it's a pitch, no: it's a chip).

  9. #9
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    The set up you talk about is not too bad but you wouldn't want to overdo those adjustments, ie. hands too far forward, or stance too open etc. To play 3/4 shots I pretty much keep my normal set-up position and just think about a sawn off take away and follow through. I always grip down a little to shorten the length of the given club and control distance by length of takeaway and follow through. Same technique can be used for controlling length of bunker shots.
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  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Home-slicer
    LOL. Pretty much. I still hit the ball high, no matter how far back I play the ball. My full swing even had a huge forward press. I am trying to fix it, and my swing is in total disarray right now.

    In your case (for pitch shots), just use less loft for the shot and don't change a thing. Using less loft will also require you to take some off the shot which will reduce your natural backspin tendency.

    I'm guessing you rip out baseball diamonds for divots on most of your iron shots. That would indicate a steeply descending blow which creates lots of backspin (and thus lift) and will only be exasperated by placing the ball further back in your stance.

    Something else which you may have overlooked is the width of your stance. You can shallow out your impact by narrowing your stance somewhat. Check your ball position too, and make sure you have it forward enough.

    This is all stuff I've also been working on recently.



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    Quote Originally Posted by Larryrsf
    Read Hogan's "5 Lessons." It describes a half-swing drill that is the recipe for that shot. Setup with a narrow stance, upper arms "glued" to your rib cage, then swing back and forth by turning your upper torso-- which carry the upper arms, which carry the lower arms, which carry the hands, which allow the club to freely "flop" back and forth, the weight of the clubhead swinging like a weight on the end of a string. ZERO grip pressure, of course. Just turn your shoulders back and then forward and the clubhead will flip through the ball and the ball will fly straight as an arrow and land softly.

    Really, it is all in "5 Lessons" some think the best golf book ever written.

    Larry

    If he did that, it would be 15 hours of his life he would never get back. AND, whenever he looked back on that 15 hours, he would wonder, "What the hell was Hogan saying?"
    Mizuno irons -- made by Hattori Hanzo, forged in the fires of Mt. Fujiyama.

  12. #12
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    I was practicing this shot yesterday with my 58 degree wedge, and I love playing it with my 51 degree as well. I move the ball slightly back in my stance, not too much from a standard wedge or 9 iron shot. I cock my wrists a little more and not release as much. The bigger key is how much of a swing to take, and that requires practice and feel. You have to get a sense of distance for this shot. I alos recommend doing it with a couple of different wedges and a 9 iron. You may want different trajectories pending on the situation. The more green to work with, you have more options with trajectory, you can go low and run the shot a bit, or go high and carry it near the target. Obiviously, a short sided shot would require more loft and less roll. I tend to visualize my swing size in terms of a clock. So, I might swing from 10 o'clock to 2 o'clock. It isn't all too different from a punch shot in many ways. Both are truncated swings. You may want to try the 9 o'clock to 3 o'clock shot as well (which will be close to a half shot). Regardless of the size of the swing, you have to swing firmly and accelarate through the ball to the target, like any other shot in golf.

    The type of ball you play will be a big factor here too. Two piece and distance 3 peice balls will not be as responsive, even if they have a soft feeling. You will get more roll out of them, thus won't bite as much. This is the biggest area where I notice a difference in balls, outside of the full wedge and short iron shot.

    I have stated it earlier in this post, but it comes down to *practice* and creativity. There is no article or online posting, or video you can see or read that will fix your pitching game. Experience is the only thing that will get your ptiches pin high. You also really have to think about the shot you want to hit, and then go do it. Pitches are often the result of a misplayed shot or an unlucky break, but they can afford you an opportunity to really recover and turn in a good score for a hole.
    Last edited by connecticutter; 05-22-2009 at 06:53 AM.
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  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by FreakOfNature
    I'm guessing you rip out baseball diamonds for divots on most of your iron shots. That would indicate a steeply descending blow which creates lots of backspin (and thus lift) and will only be exasperated by placing the ball further back in your stance.
    FON
    What's up, Freak?! Where you been lately? (Don't correct my grammar there. It's Boo Weekley speak.)

    Yes, I used to take monster beaver pelt divots. I saw my swing on video, sh!t my pants, contemplated suicide, then got in touch with an instructor. I am in the process of undoing 3 years of bad habits. You wouldn't believe how far forward I pressed my hands on all shots (not just pitches and chips) Now after 2 lessons, the divots are starting to shallow. When chipping, I actually feel comfortable with my hands forward, cause that's how I gripped for everything. For pitching, I was unsure what set-up to use.
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  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by connecticutter
    Pitches are often the result of a misplayed shot or an unlucky break, but they can afford you an opportunity to really recover and turn in a good score for a hole.
    I'm a high capper. Very few unlucky breaks, many a misplayed shot. I average 1.7 GIR per round. I've changed my swing and short game techniques 200 times in the 3 years I've been playing and I've reached the point where I need to pick a style and stick with it.
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    Totally, it makes the game simplier, which is always welcome. What are your strengths?
    WitB 2010:

    Dr: Titleist 907 D1, YS 6+ s flex
    3W: Cobra S9-1 F, , Aldila DVS HL s flex
    2H: Callaway Heavenwood 17 degree
    3i-pw Titleist 690 CBs, True Temper s300
    gw: Cleveland CG12 52 degree
    sw: Cleveland CG12 58 degree
    Putter: Ping Anser G2i
    Ball: Srixon Z Star/Bridgestone B330S

    Other clubs:
    Dr: Callaway FT 5, Aldilia DVS s-flex
    5W: Cleveland Launcher Fuji E270 s flex
    3i - pw Mizuno MP 29, (planning to reshaft at some point).

  16. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by connecticutter
    Totally, it makes the game simplier, which is always welcome. What are your strengths?
    Right now? Very few strengths. My short irons are the only thing working right now.(Full swings) Overhauling my swing has robbed me of a lot of distance on all my clubs. PW went from 135 to 120 and so on, but I'm finding more greens and losing less shots OB. I'm hoping what little distance I had returns, though.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Home-slicer
    What's up, Freak?! Where you been lately? (It's Boo Weekley speak.)
    Boo speak???

    Don't you mean:

    "Wassup Freak? Where yo bin lately?"
    I chose the road less traveled.

    Now where the f#ck am I?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Home-slicer
    Right now? Very few strengths. My short irons are the only thing working right now.(Full swings) Overhauling my swing has robbed me of a lot of distance on all my clubs. PW went from 135 to 120 and so on, but I'm finding more greens and losing less shots OB. I'm hoping what little distance I had returns, though.
    120 still sounds OK with a PW. Irons are all about accuracy not distance. You want to be hitting more greens and keeping them straight rather than worrying about losing distance.
    I chose the road less traveled.

    Now where the f#ck am I?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Kiwi Player
    120 still sounds OK with a PW. Irons are all about accuracy not distance. You want to be hitting more greens and keeping them straight rather than worrying about losing distance.
    i think once he gets his distance back, he will actually prefer to play a 3/4 shot with the scoring irons. When the consistency comes, you realize that the 3/4 is just more accurate

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    When taking something off a wedge swing, I think that the shorter the backswing, the better.

    The teachers talk about the different heights of follow-through for different wedge distances. To me, however, this does not address the mental problem of decelerating. If you think that your backswing is barely adequate to get the job done, you won't decelerate.

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    Quote Originally Posted by NiftyNiblick
    When taking something off a wedge swing, I think that the shorter the backswing, the better.

    The teachers talk about the different heights of follow-through for different wedge distances. To me, however, this does not address the mental problem of decelerating. If you think that your backswing is barely adequate to get the job done, you won't decelerate.
    A very good point!

    Too big a backswing which leads to decelerating the club head is one of the most common mistakes I see with beginners pitch shots and chipping.
    I chose the road less traveled.

    Now where the f#ck am I?

  22. #22
    Quote Originally Posted by Kiwi Player
    A very good point!

    Too big a backswing which leads to decelerating the club head is one of the most common mistakes I see with beginners pitch shots and chipping.
    I am not a beginner Kiwi, I just suck.
    How far back do you take your shoulders on the 3/4 wedge? Left shoulder under the chin like you would for a full stroke or is everything shorter?
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    Quote Originally Posted by Home-slicer
    I am not a beginner Kiwi, I just suck.
    How far back do you take your shoulders on the 3/4 wedge? Left shoulder under the chin like you would for a full stroke or is everything shorter?

    I wasn't calling you a beginner HS this is just something I see with high handicappers and/or beginners.

    I don't think about the shoulder turn too much as this should happen naturally as with a normal swing. I just shorten the backswing in terms of how far back I take my arms.I usually imagine my arms stopping at about 9 o'clock on an imaginary clock face (or horizontal) and I cock my wrists a little earlier than a normal swing so that by the time my arms are at 9 o'clock the butt of the club is pointing at the ball.

    The attached video give a good overview IMO.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGA9HofE1Ek
    I chose the road less traveled.

    Now where the f#ck am I?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Kiwi Player
    I wasn't calling you a beginner HS this is just something I see with high handicappers and/or beginners.

    I don't think about the shoulder turn too much as this should happen naturally as with a normal swing. I just shorten the backswing in terms of how far back I take my arms.I usually imagine my arms stopping at about 9 o'clock on an imaginary clock face (or horizontal) and I cock my wrists a little earlier than a normal swing so that by the time my arms are at 9 o'clock the butt of the club is pointing at the ball.

    The attached video give a good overview IMO.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGA9HofE1Ek
    that video helped a lot when i was shanking these shots. One thing i did have to feel for myself, was pushing the left hand away from the ball, a good way to control the amount of shoulder turn needed to get the arms to 9 o'clock

  25. #25
    Quote Originally Posted by Kiwi Player
    I wasn't calling you a beginner HS

    The attached video give a good overview IMO.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGA9HofE1Ek
    I know, it's just funny to me that after 3 years I still need beginner tips. Good video. Thanks mate!
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