Pros hitting half wedges warming up and on the course

[SDGolfing]

How in the HELL do they hit it so low

Ok, I was at the driving range at Torrey and watched guys hit balls for hours (if you have never done this I strongly suggest it) anyways one thing I noticed is this like 45-50 yard shot they almost ALL hit to warm up. They hit a SW and it goes so low it is almost like they are hitting it thin. It takes one hop on the green and stops. Tiger hits his so low it is unreal. Super cool looking shot but also VERY practical especially in wind. What is amazing is they dont really hit down on it to do it nor does it appear they play it to far back. I am a scratch golfer and I cannot figure out how in the hell they hit this shot. Granted I was sitting above them so perhaps the depth perception is effected but I have seen tiger do it on the course at ground level also.

Any ideas?

[mat562]

Ball off the back foot in an open stance with the face open slightly. Lead with the hands and make a sharp strike, 'denting' the turf with the back edge of the club as you drag the club through, holding the angle in the right wrist through impact and swinging left through impact.

 

Voila. The descending blow and holding off action produce the low flight and the open face creates the spin.

[Taylormadematt]

I should think weight position is important, i.e. 80% on the front foot, and a shorter follow through.

 

Thats how i keep shot's lower than normal.

[SDGolfing]

Ball off the back foot in an open stance with the face open slightly. Lead with the hands and make a sharp strike, 'denting' the turf with the back edge of the club as you drag the club through, holding the angle in the right wrist through impact and swinging left through impact.

 

Voila. The descending blow and holding off action produce the low flight and the open face creates the spin.

 

I will definetly give that a whirl however I am telling you brother when I watched them I paid CLOSE attention to ball position and it was not anywhere further back then like middle position.

[Taylormadematt]

Ball off the back foot in an open stance with the face open slightly. Lead with the hands and make a sharp strike, 'denting' the turf with the back edge of the club as you drag the club through, holding the angle in the right wrist through impact and swinging left through impact.

 

Voila. The descending blow and holding off action produce the low flight and the open face creates the spin.

 

Mat your a genius :russian_roulette:

[SDGolfing]

I should think weight position is important, i.e. 80% on the front foot, and a shorter follow through.

 

Thats how i keep shot's lower than normal.

 

It was just normal smooth swings. I would LOVE to learn how to hit this.

[Taylormadematt]

The open stance would look like it's in the middle, when actually it is alot further back.

[SDGolfing]

The open stance would look like it's in the middle, when actually it is alot further back.

 

Your probably right I have to try it. I mean when Tiger was hitting it or Phil you could freaking SEE the backspin on the ball coming off it was nuts. Phil was spinning them back like 2 feet.

[mat562]

Mat your a genius ;)

 

I wouldn't go that far mate, but I can hit the 'one hop and stop' from 50 yards with the best of 'em. Then I miss the putt... :russian_roulette:

[Taylormadematt]

MAt, sounds like you should practice your putting instead :russian_roulette:

[SDGolfing]

Mat your a genius ;)

 

I wouldn't go that far mate, but I can hit the 'one hop and stop' from 50 yards with the best of 'em. Then I miss the putt... :russian_roulette:

 

 

I can put a lot of spin on short greenside shots by just sliding under the ball. I am a magician with my lob wedge I put the ball back and keep the club open all the time around the green I have just never tried to hit it with a full swing. Like I said these guys were not hitting punches they were just mini swings.

[Taylormadematt]

Mat your a genius ;)

 

I wouldn't go that far mate, but I can hit the 'one hop and stop' from 50 yards with the best of 'em. Then I miss the putt... :russian_roulette:

 

 

I can put a lot of spin on short greenside shots by just sliding under the ball. I am a magician with my lob wedge I put the ball back and keep the club open all the time around the green I have just never tried to hit it with a full swing. Like I said these guys were not hitting punches they were just mini swings.

 

Just takes the balls to do a full swing, i can do an enormas flop with a 9 iron.

 

Practicing it is the key.

[provx]

i hit this shot a lot, albeit most of the times by accident. it is a sort of thin shot, not a bladed thin shot, but simply a few grooves below the sweet spot. you need a sharp decending blow and catch it near the bottom groove and you will get what you are looking for. it is super accurate and spins a lot.

[SDGolfing]

Mat your a genius ;)

 

I wouldn't go that far mate, but I can hit the 'one hop and stop' from 50 yards with the best of 'em. Then I miss the putt... :russian_roulette:

 

 

I can put a lot of spin on short greenside shots by just sliding under the ball. I am a magician with my lob wedge I put the ball back and keep the club open all the time around the green I have just never tried to hit it with a full swing. Like I said these guys were not hitting punches they were just mini swings.

 

Just takes the balls to do a full swing, i can do an enormas flop with a 9 iron.

 

Practicing it is the key.

 

It is not balls my man. My point is when I am trying to control trajectory with a shorter iron I stuff it back and trap it come through with a low follow through etc. This shot looked like a dead hands wedge that just comes out about 10 feet in the air take a hop and stops. I will give it a try the way you suggest it.

[SHERO]

Ball off the back foot in an open stance with the face open slightly. Lead with the hands and make a sharp strike, 'denting' the turf with the back edge of the club as you drag the club through, holding the angle in the right wrist through impact and swinging left through impact.

 

Voila. The descending blow and holding off action produce the low flight and the open face creates the spin.

 

You will know you have hit it right when you hear the strike,

It's a loud Crack.

Well described Matt.

[Taylormadematt]

The way mat562 said to do it is like dead hands as your holding the angles set at address through out the shot.

[ToddGsell]

Thanks for having this discussion. I'd love to have that shot.

 

I agree, watching the pros hit short shots--or any shot, for that matter--is amazing.

[SDGolfing]

Thanks for having this discussion. I'd love to have that shot.

 

I agree, watching the pros hit short shots--or any shot, for that matter--is amazing.

 

It is so funny when you talk to those who cant play that great they are always like Tiger hits is so far doesnt he? I am like I could care less how far he hits it, it is more amazing watching him hit 7 irons wedges etc. The dude has EVERY shot in the world. I watched him hit little cut off 150 yard 8 irons at a flag about 20 of them not a freaking single one was more than 10 feet from the pin. Just stupid.

[mat562]

That's pretty much it Matt. Preset the angles at address and maintain them through impact. The key for me is to get a sharp strike that feels like you're scalping the turf with a 'skimming' or 'denting' action with the back edge. The leading edge isn't cutting into the turf when I play it, and there's no divot. Just a 'scrorp' mark on the turf.

 

An obvious addition to the method is that you need a suitable golf ball and a decent lie. Hardpan or mud is ideal, but any sort of shortish grass is fine, provided you can get into the back of the ball cleanly. A receptive green also helps, obviously. On a rock hard green it's less of a 'one hop and stop' and more a 'several skiddy bounces and a gentle rollout...' :russian_roulette:

[Swingtheclub]

Fellows Matt could not describe this shot better.

 

But remember even with this little swing you see they manage a lot of speed through impact.

 

With out releasing the club the do this by turning to the target quickly and whipping the head through dead handed

 

Take a club and practice a three quarter swing from nine to three finishing with the face of the club at the stars thats holding it off (also the only way to hit a bunker shot )

 

Now once you have this hold off move down pat turn the club over hold it with the grip end down

 

Now practice making the shaft swoosh with out releasing the head

 

you have to create speed with your turn and lower body chest to the target.

 

once you have thest two moves down then it just takes a lot of practice too learn to control distance this way.

 

hope this helps again I do not always explain motion well in words if you have questions ask

 

 

one point the reason the ball is not all the way back is you do not want to trap it morelike nip it

 

It is very hard to control the distance of a trapped shot I do not recommend it

[Taylormadematt]

Fellows Matt could not describe this shot better.

 

But remember even with this little swing you see they manage a lot of speed through impact.

 

With out releasing the club the do this by turning to the target quickly and whipping the head through dead handed

 

Take a club and practice a three quarter swing from nine to three finishing with the face of the club at the stars thats holding it off (also the only way to hit a bunker shot )

 

Now once you have this hold off move down pat turn the club over hold it with the grip end down

 

Now practice making the shaft swoosh with out releasing the head

 

you have to create speed with your turn and lower body chest to the target.

 

once you have thest two moves down then it just takes a lot of practice too learn to control distance this way.

 

hope this helps again I do not always explain motion well in words if you have questions ask

 

 

one point the reason the ball is not all the way back is you do not want to trap it morelike nip it

 

It is very hard to control the distance of a trapped shot I do not recommend it

 

 

What would you recommend ken?

[Swingtheclub]

Fellows Matt could not describe this shot better.

 

But remember even with this little swing you see they manage a lot of speed through impact.

 

With out releasing the club the do this by turning to the target quickly and whipping the head through dead handed

 

Take a club and practice a three quarter swing from nine to three finishing with the face of the club at the stars thats holding it off (also the only way to hit a bunker shot )

 

Now once you have this hold off move down pat turn the club over hold it with the grip end down

 

Now practice making the shaft swoosh with out releasing the head

 

you have to create speed with your turn and lower body chest to the target.

 

once you have thest two moves down then it just takes a lot of practice too learn to control distance this way.

 

hope this helps again I do not always explain motion well in words if you have questions ask

 

 

one point the reason the ball is not all the way back is you do not want to trap it morelike nip it

 

It is very hard to control the distance of a trapped shot I do not recommend it

 

 

What would you recommend ken?

 

 

if you put the ball to far back in your stance you trap it if you keep it up from there a little it becomes more of a pinch or nip

 

I used to move PW back a bit when I wanted to take a tad off it make this really smooth swing and hit it into next week it was not even hard but I was trapping it and hitting it 20 yds to far

 

I moved the ball up a bit for that shot and cured it I do the same for short wedges I play them about the middle of my stance and just try and pinch them or nip them .

[mat562]

Off topic, but what are your feelings on this 'new' bunker method Ken? Taking a 60 and playing the shot more 'down the line' than was previously taught when a 55 or 56 degree wedge was the order of the day along with an across the line swingpath?

 

For the last couple of years every man and his dog has been playing the dead-handed shot with a 60 that removes a bucketload of sand, plops out and rolls to the hole.

 

I'm still going in with a high bounce 56 and nipping it out with loads of cutspin and check, myself.

[Swingtheclub]

Off topic, but what are your feelings on this 'new' bunker method Ken? Taking a 60 and playing the shot more 'down the line' than was previously taught when a 55 or 56 degree wedge was the order of the day along with an across the line swingpath?

 

For the last couple of years every man and his dog has been playing the dead-handed shot with a 60 that removes a bucketload of sand, plops out and rolls to the hole.

 

I'm still going in with a high bounce 56 and nipping it out with loads of cutspin and check, myself.

 

 

Truth the bunkers at my club are so bad and inconsistent I use the chunk it method a lot but I prefer the old way when I am in good sand

[RJC59]

haha, this reminds me of me after I watched tiger up close in a perfect view for his warmup session for bayhill, his flight is very impressive, and those who say he's not one of the greatest ballstrikers needs to watch the guy in person.

 

His little flighted wedges were impressive, but you have to count in the fact they are using brand new wedges, on perfectly manicured grass, and Tiger also uses a version of the platinum which is even spinnier than the platinum itself.

 

I was determined to find out how to hit this shot, and I found just by trying to release my body and head instead of hands, while still creating the momentum of my center to go left during the swing; I would take farely shallow to no divot and the ball in turn would come out lower with a crisp spinny flight. These guys arent doing any hold off finishes, or opening the fact when they hit these shots, they are like the OP said, just minature full swings to get the body warmed up.

[mainegolfa]

the low ball flight is the result of all the spin created through a decending/accelerating blow and sound impact position. quiet hands help. when done right, it sounds like you hit it fat, but will feel like you just grated some "cheese" off the ball.

 

no delofting/ opening of the face or playing the ball back in the stance.

[themouth1]

I hit this shot most of the time from anywhere inside of 120 yards. I will use anything from a 58* to a nine iron depending on yardage. It is much easier to control distance when you hit your short irons lower...I am not real sure about the method I use to hit it. I just think about the shot and hit it. I don't even want to start thinking about how I get it to happen...I need this shot to score...

[teeman2116]

I know what you're talking about SDgolfing. I saw Henrick Stenson warming up with shots like that at the AT&T Classic. It looked like he wasn't even taking divots.

[Swingtheclub]

I hit this shot most of the time from anywhere inside of 120 yards. I will use anything from a 58* to a nine iron depending on yardage. It is much easier to control distance when you hit your short irons lower...I am not real sure about the method I use to hit it. I just think about the shot and hit it. I don't even want to start thinking about how I get it to happen...I need this shot to score...

 

 

I am not at all being sarcastic here in many ways you just stated the secret to golf.

 

I have played so long that honestly I have broken down the why of most every shot . But I play my best when I just think it.

 

 

Great post and well said

[Deadpool_25]

I should think weight position is important, i.e. 80% on the front foot, and a shorter follow through.

 

Thats how i keep shot's lower than normal.

 

It was just normal smooth swings. I would LOVE to learn how to hit this.

 

First of all, a tight lie is best for this shot. I think that shot is essentially a really long chip. The motion is similar...pivot, **** your wrists, hold that angle delofting the club as you pivot through impact. It should be quite shallow through impact, just nipping the ball off the grass. Hit a few short, low chips, then make progressively longer chips and you'll get the shot you're looking for.